Inktober - Week 1 & 2 - Temple Sculptures

Inktober is here again and yes, it’s pretty exciting!! I took part in Inktober last year for the first time and fortunately I was able to complete 31 drawings in 31 days. Hopefully this year too! Like last year I am again not going with the official prompts and I have my own theme and I am sticking to temple sculptures, our very own centuries-old traditional Indian sculptures. I have references from google images and Pinterest. Most of the information is unavailable though like where it’s from and when it dates back to. I am concentrating more on the forms and shapes and the feel of it.

I first sketch the image on an ordinary A5 size paper and when I feel it's right I transfer it onto the sketchbook and then I ink it. It's a bit of tedious process though and it is consuming a lot of time but then I am enjoying the whole process though. I have limited my colours to one and a couple of times two, to have the feel of monochrome. I had intended to begin my Inktober post last Friday but unfortunately, I couldn't. So this is Week 1 and 2 together.

 Apsara (celestial singer or dancer) or *Shalabanjika

...either of these.

"Garuda and Naga"

Garuda is the “King of birds” and the vahana (vehicle) of Lord Vishnu. According to Hindu Mythology, Garuda has a synthesis of an eagle and human form; symbolic of birth and heaven while Naga represents death and the underworld. It could very well go with the prompt ‘poisonous’ as well.

“Mother and Child”

I think this could go well with the second prompt “Tranquil” too...look at the child's face.

*Shalabanjika 

11C from Khajuraho

- a woman’s sculpture with stylised features often seen holding a branch of a tree, sometimes mirror or lamp. They are often in poses of dance, music or even grooming themselves. They have complex hairdos and adorned with lavish jewellery. Shalabhanjika holding a tree is also a symbol of fertility.

Shalabanjika in Markanda temple in Maharashtra, it is also called Mini Khajuraho. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

A grooming, adorning Shalabanjika. 

This is a simple one. I am mesmerised by the complex ones that I have seen in many temples with gorgeous intricate work. Now that I have warmed up enough, I am starting my hand at that. 

Shalabanjika on Eastern Torana (gateway) of Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh.
The colours are more peachy orange than the red that shows here! I loved this pose and the way she intertwines herself with the branch of the tree.

"Goddess Saraswati"

-goddess of knowledge, wisdom, creative arts and learning of all sorts. She’s part of the Trinity, along with Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Parvathy.

From Meenakshi Amman temple, Madurai. 

The temple dates back to 1st century CE and finds mention in the earliest Sangam Literature. The temple has withstood the test of time and many foreign invasions and lootings. It was rebuilt and restored by Nayaka Dynasty and by various other rulers. It was again degraded during the British rule and was completed only in 1995. The temple is famous for Ayirakkal mandapam (1000 pillared hall) built by Ariyanatha Mudaliar is well-known for excellent engineering skills blended with artistic vision. There are several other mandapas too.

 “Vishnu-Lakshmi” 
Reference is of a 10C damaged buff sandstone from Uttar Pradesh.

A "fanfare" - trying something different! 

"Dancing Ganesha"
One of my personal favourites! What do you think??
I love Ganesha in all forms! 

This is actually a wonderful journey for me trying things not tried before and I quite like the outcome too though it’s consuming a lot of time. I am not sure whether I will be able to complete with some travelling coming up next week!

So which one is your favourite here (if any!) ??

Commission, Inktober and Hopes

The past couple of weeks has been really busy with a lot of stuff to do and not having enough time! I finished a commission work for a dear friend in Abu Dhabi. He had selected a work which was originally commissioned by another friend 7 years back when we were in Dubai. It was a gift for her daughter's teacher. So here I was working on it and it felt fabulous! I could see the changes in my work though I was working on the same painting. It's folk-inspired style as my friend had wanted it that way when I first painted it in 2011. In both pictures, however, the colours aren't true to what meets the eye. I don't know why that is so!

 I have used acrylics with gouache and embellished it with semi-precious stones for the ear studs and the nose-pin. It's A3 size.

2011

I am also preparing for Inktober, trying to select a theme of my own since I feel so restricted with the official prompts. I want to work on my shortcomings and what better way than to chose one's own theme to improve a particular skill or aspect of ones drawing/painting. Last year was the first time I participated and I had a whole lot of fun!!! I drew insects - "Tiny, But Me!" - 31 of them and yes!! I did complete the change! It was a great feeling! In case you want to check it out the rest, here it is - Week2, Week3, Week4 and Week5. I wrapped it up with an Inktober Insect series calendar. I was asked by many friends on why I didn't make a zine at the end of it...so this time I am thinking of making a zine as well. In case anyone is interested, do let me know.

"So anyone here joining Inktober?"

It would be great fun!

Thanks to Jake Parker for Inktober and here's what it's about and the official prompt list:

Currently, I am also doing small studies for potential paintings, projects that need some positive "Go ahead" green flags! Here's a sneak-peek...fingers crossed! 

Detail of a work in progress - study for a potential painting

Floods, Fluids and Flowers

It's over a month since I posted and I really can't pinpoint on one thing...I am really sorry guys for not having posted for that long! But seriously, I needed a break not from blogging as such but to help me stabilize on certain things. I was emotionally amock particularly with the floods in my region and the aftermath of it all. Our place and people are slowly recovering. We were in a safe area but there are loads of people who have suffered disastrously. We tried helping them out a bit by buying them the essentials like food and stuff, and dresses and also a bit through our art.

I seriously couldn't touch my paint and brush for almost a month other than the two flood relief ones, though I did sketch and splash colours casually to relax in between. 

Created these two paintings as part of raising funds for Flood Relief. The event was hosted and organized by Kalakar Keralam and Kerala Lalithakala Akademi in Durbar Hall Art Gallery premises and displayed in the Gallery. Around 500 artists from all over the State participated and collected around 7 Lakh rupees by the end of the fourth day of the 5-day event.

 My two paintings - The Lily pads in the first one is referred from Pearfluer and the girl in the boat (really tiny) is referred from Pinterest. Jellyfish are also referred from a photo on Pinterest.

On the walls of Durbar Hall Art Gallery. 

Both the works sold and the money went to the Chief Minister's Flood Relief Fund

Paul, studying in Grade 4 - my young buyer, youngest so far! 

Loved the zest in his sparkling eyes to get it! So extravagantly satisfying!

Just splashing some acrylic inks - fluid colours on postcards...to see where the colours travel...

Can you spot the hint of gold there?

'White Flowers in Glass Bottle'

I think I saw this picture in one of my Facebook friend's wall. 

Wanted to try the glass badly,

was trying glass for the first time and this was before the flood. 

Something pleasant to end with.

How have you all been doing?

Carpe diem!

Some posts are more organized and some just happen and this post belongs to the latter. Not a very happy post, let me say beforehand...Sometimes when there’s so much chaos around, you enter a state of mental ramblings...and you discover things you didn’t know existed. They may not have any particular form and yet they are very much there; if I am making sense! Our world now is so preoccupied with hatred and violence of all kinds and intensity that one feels agonized and repulsive to the core. Yet each one of us, I know, Hope...for something good and better. And it does exist in quintessential pockets in this very life...nuggets of happiness. As Horace said, Carpe diem (Seize the moment)! However, I don't think Horace meant to ignore the future but rather to be more aware of the present for a better future.

Before getting to those, let me thank each and every one of you who visited, took the time to comment and left me more inspired last week. Thanks to Nadya King for leaving such a beautiful link, info and comment. I immediately had to check them and what a beautiful story of Henrietta Leavitt! There are such gems and indeed that's one such nugget of happiness (for me!). In case anyone wants to check that out, here's the LINK.

Now leaving you with some of my ramblings in images and words...because I know not any other way...

{these are quick drawings done (within 2 or 3 minutes) without much thought...}

As if everything is not enough

From things around us

Now we pile violent hatred

Heaps and heaps on

One another for no reason

It’s as if the ‘new natural’

Why? I can’t contemplate

Everything is ‘taken into account’

And ‘acted’ upon

Why? I can’t contemplate

Even a simple smile

Is twisted and twitched

To suit ‘the other’ perspective

Why? I can’t contemplate

Why can’t people be what they are?

And the rest be whatever they want to be

Accept and be!

Live and let live!

Is it so hard to just ‘be’!

We can learn a thing or two from nature

Where everything grows, exists and die

Where ‘collective consciousness’ is not hypnotised

By outward sources or any ideology

It’s just accepting and be.

Linking it to PPF Girls!