There is a song in every painting

I love Chinese instrumental music. Those slow melodious sleepy numbers drift me into a completely beautiful world. Painting and music are the two big life supports I have. Everytime I paint, I have some good music playing in the background. It helps me get dreamy, paint better and feel at peace :)

Here is an oil painting which is an outcome of exactly that.



Songs can be such a huge part of a certain memory or in some cases, the memory itself.
There are some songs that bring back old memories. The tunes take you way back to that scene and place you back right there and for those short moments you get to live back those times... again ! Music has that magic in it.

I can associate so many songs with my childhood memories. When I listen to those songs and close my eyes, I even get to remember the time of the day when I first heard that song. It gives me a certain kind of happiness I cannot explain in words.

Here are a few such memories (that are song related )-

"Old mcdonald had a farm" reminds me of my kindergarten days. I used to pretend to be the class teacher and discipline the other kids. I used to do a lot of actions and sing this song. I particularly enjoyed the music class in my school. I have sang rhymes on TV and All India Radio when I was in the 1st or 2nd grade. Those were some thrilling moments of my life.

The song"Yesterday" by Beatles - I heard it first at my friend S's house on a quiet afternoon. She used to take me to her home after school and we used to sometimes have lunch together and go upstairs to her room where she would play these beautiful songs while we play games or chat about school and crushes. That was probably the first time I got exposed to western music seriously and started liking it. Even though as a toddler I have wagged my back to ABBA , Osibisa and few other popular bands back then.

Songs from Roja ( a Tamil movie), especially "Chinna chinna aasai" reminds me of my first year of college life, it was a beginning to one of the most exciting and fun times of my life. I sang this song on stage with a complete orchestra and messed up the whole song as I was so nervous. The crowd went wild and people started jumping off the chairs with their belt around their necks as if suiciding !! I laughed a lot and made a lot of friends too !!

Songs from the tamil movie Gentleman, reminds me of our college tours to Kodaikanal.

"Truely, madly, deeply" by Savage Garden reminds me of the time I met my husband.

"Chanda hai tu, mere suraj hai tu" reminds me of my new born son. I used to sing this song to him from when I was pregnant with him and then after he was born, he used easily go to sleep when I sang this one. I think he could recognize. Atleast, I would like to believe so :) Gosh, I love him! Even now I make up nonsensical songs for him and he is the only one in this whole world who enjoys those songs and even asks for seconds !! At 2.5 yrs of age, my son loves music and plays music on his own and dances to it all without prompting and then pulls his dad and me to the floor to dance with him. I think the music gene is somewhere there in him.

"Barayya Venkata ramana, bhagya da nidiye" is a Kannada devotional song my grandpa used to sing everyday with hands crossed behind the back. He used to love eating fish and smoking 'beedi'. I still remember his fingers and that greenish yellow stone on his finger ring that he used to wear. His fingers always smelled of 'beedi'. I have some very good memories of my grandpa.

Ayyapa songs in malayalam always always remind me of my dad. He used to go to Sabarimala every year and there was a 40 days period before the journey when an ayyapan devotee stays aloof and does the prayers and poojas before going to Sabarimala. "Palazhi kadayathe", "Ekkatil Pulindu", "Guruswami" are some reminders of this memory.

My elder brother used to put me to bed during the afternoons so he can go play with his street friends happily without having to take care of me.I did not have any street friends of my age and I used to simply tag along with him to play with his friends. He used to sing "Phoolon ka thaaron ka" from Hare Krishna Hare Ram. He used to sing it in such a hurry sometimes to dash out to play with his friends who would be waiting for him outside :)

"Mein aayi aayi aayi aaja" used to work magic on my little brother ( who is not so little anymore !) when he was a toddler. I used to sing this to him during lunch times or when he used to cry and he used to enjoy this song, I don't know why ! But I love this song for that memory.


Summer holidays were fun. Most of the times we were away to my maternal grandparents house in Mangalore. Those few times we were home, we used to do silly stuff and "Chandan sa badan" song always reminds me of one of those times. We kids made mom sing this song and recorded her voice on the tape recorder. Then we played it over and over again and found
faults in her singing and made fun of her every time. She laughed to her heart content too. Such a sport she is with a very good sense of humor!! She is a fun mom, I have always shared a lot of personal girly stuff during my school and college days with her. My friends often got surprized at the things I used to discuss with her. We had our mother-daughter differences during my teen years but we turned out to be such good friends during my college days and especially after my college days before my marriage. I miss those days, especially the jokes we shared.

My good friend V and I used to do a lot of combined studies during our college days. One time during our study holidays, we simply decided to ditch studying and do something fun. She was at my home and I had "Country roads" by John Denver in my music system. She loved the song and we wanted to sing along. So we played and stopped and played and stopped to write down the lyrics. Those were the days when we could not simply use Google to get the lyrics. Once done, we happily sang the song together with John Denver. We used to giggle a lot after having wasted enough time doing such silly things instead of studying for our exams. During our group studies at my home, I remember after having a good lunch, while the girls studied, I happily dozed off with the book still in my hand. I still can't understand the value of group studies when atleast 75% of the time was wasted in gossiping and giggling and nick naming our classmates. Whenever I listen to that John Denver song, I always get reminded of our group studies. It was fun!

Another college friend S, who I was very close to, was another reason why I enjoyed my after-college-before-marriage days thoroughly. "It must've been love" by Roxette reminds me of her. It was probably the first time I went to her house to spend some time as a friend and not as a study partner or to share a ride to college. She made a mixed tape for me even without asking and played this song to ask me if I wanted this included. How sweet! We used to spend a lot of time at each other's place and spill our guts out confessing all our secrets to each other. I really miss those kind of girl pals and those days that will never come back. We both have had so much fun running around town, watching movies, listening to music, making crank calls and calling boys who would never think we'd call them, getting the same kind of dresses stitched, going to different restaurants and acting like out of town tourists struggling with the local language, going to beaches, temples etc. She used to apply make up on my face and I loved to just sit there and be her guinea pig! I used to make scrambled eggs for her. She was and is one of my very good friends. Though we are thousands of miles apart now, married and have kids and are extremely busy with our life styles, we occasionally meet and chat and catch up on old times. Thank God for those old times and good friends, we have such good memories now!!

I will stop here. I have digressed enough :)

Hand Made Jewelry

Jewelry making has existed since way back when man leanred to make clothes from hide. It has evolved along with him and is only limited by the human brain’s creativity. Besides using jewelry to adorn the body, in early times, jewelry was created for trade and assets. But in this modern age, it has been used almost exclusively for decoration. In early days, naturally found materials were used in jewelry making. The materials included animal products such as bones, teeth, shell, horn, tail etc. jewelry made from wood and carved stone came a little later. Jewelry was often made for people of high importance to show their status and, in many cases, they were buried with it.

Jewelry can be used to adorn every body part from the hair to the toe. It started during the days of the kings and queens that jewelry was made of precious metal and gemstones.

I am particularly interested in art jewelry made with simple everyday materials like magazine paper, clay, wooden beads etc.

About my jewelry :

The first picture shows a pendant I made from scratch with wire and stones and Epoxy.

The second one will surprize you .. the beads are made with glossy magazine paper !! And nothing else.

In the third picture, the jewelry is made with a beautiful combination of glass beads.

The fourth one is made with simple wooden beads. Same for the earrings.

I am making some with clay these days. Will put up pictures once they are ready.

Crochet – A very engaging art

Crochet (means "hook" in French) is a method of working interlocking loops of thread into a chain by means of a slender rod hooked at one end. The work is begun by crocheting a single chain of loops, each new loop being formed by catching the yarn and drawing it through the previous loop. All with a ball of yarn and a single hook !!

The art of Crochet could have existed as early as 1500 BC, as part of nuns work, which included needlepoint lace and bobbin lace.

There is another theory that Crochet may have developed from Chinese needlework. This needlework is an ancient form of embroidery done in Turkey, India, Persia and North Africa, which reached Europe in the eighteenth century. This style of needlework was referred to as Tambouring. The main theory behind the origin of crochet seems to be that it began when it was discovered that chains worked in a pattern would hang together beautifully without any background fabric. It had a look of it’s own. A look that we can show off with pride when a piece is finished.

About my work :

I have crocheted several pieces which includes a woolen coat and blanket for my neice. Some place mats, a purse and a hat. The one you see in the picture here is a very special light jacket I started when I was pregnant with my baby, for my baby. But before I could finish it fully, I had delivered the baby. And the first year just flew past. I got to finish it after my baby’s first year and here it is all done! Finally !!

Madhubani – The tribal art of Bihar

Madhubani or Mithila art as it is called is from the state of Bihar in India. Madhubani literally means a forest of honey. The Mithila region and the villages around Madhubani are situated near the northern edge of the state of Bihar. People of Mithila have their own language called ‘Mithilakshar’ and a history that goes back more than 2500 years. Mahavira, Buddha and Seeta ( wife of Sri Ram in Ramayana) are believed to have born in this state of India.

The paintings are basically of a religious nature. They are done in special rooms in their homes (in the pooja room, ritual area, bridal room.), on the main village walls for ceremonial or ritualistic purposes. The women offer sincere prayers to the deity before starting the work. Every painting has some significance and philosophy behind it. In the pooja room, one may paint Gods and Goddesses and images from their epics. In the ritual area, one may paint a wedding ceremony or a festive celebration. In the bridal room, one may paint images that signify happiness, prosperity and fertility.

There are three popular styles of Madhubani. They are

1.Brahmin Style – This style of painting largely deals with using rich variety of bright colors.

2.Tattoo or Goidana Style – This style is originally in the form of line-drawings and is divided into several horizontal margins. This style is closer to the Brahmin school of painting as the usage of colors here is just like that style.

3.Kshatriya or Kayastha Style - The unique feature of the Kayastha tradition is the use of monochrome color. Especially black, red and green. It was basically a practice of elaborate wall paintings of the nuptial chamber, Kohbar Ghar with representations of the lotus, bamboo grove, fish, birds and snakes in union, which largely symbolizes fertility and life.

About my art :

I learnt this art from a Bihari woman who was hired by the Indian government to promote this dying folk art. There is a particular technique, which is quite easy, which is followed by Madhubani artists. The lady explained the significance and meaning behind the strokes and fillings called ‘Kachni’ and ‘Bharni’. It seems the Biharis believe that when one creates a Madhubani painting, you have to make sure the lines and fillings are painted end to end without incomplete work.

This is my first Madhubani painting and I have painted two tribal village girls. I have also signed my name in ‘Mithilakshar’. If someone who knows the literature thinks it is wrong, please let me know.

Mosiac Art

This art goes back some 4,000 years or more. By the eighth century BC, there were pebble pavements, using different colored stones to create patterns. It was the Greeks, in the four centuries BC, who raised the pebble technique to an art form, with precise geometric patterns and detailed scenes of people and animals. Small pieces of glass were used to adorn walls, tables, pavements or any surface in either a geometric pattern or a random design. The beautiful glass shines in the sunlight and looks very pretty and pleasing to the eyes.

About my work of art :

I used a plain glass bowl/vase for this art. I bought some round glass pieces. You can use broken glass or flat glass pieces. I know someone who broke wine/liquor bottles to pieces and used the flat pieces. Wine/liquor bottles come in beautiful yellow, brown, green, black and red colors.

I stuck the glass pieces on the bowl and used grout to fill in the voids. You could use colored grout too. It gives a very beautiful look. I am going to use flat glass pieces next time for a mosaic table.

Metal Embossing – ‘Githopadesam’

Embossing is the process of creating a three-dimensional effect on materials such as metal, cloth or paper. This effect is achieved with the application of pressure at various levels to accomplish the desired 3-D look.

About my work :

This was one of very first work of art. I made this during my college days and gifted it to my parents. In this art, Lord Krishna is giving 'Gitopadesh' to Arjuna in the battlefield. This helped Arjuna get over any dilemma he had and win the battle. This 'Gitopadesh' became the holy book of hindus named 'Bhagavat Gita'.

I once saw this art work at my neigbors when she had invited us over for a festival where ladies invite other ladies to their home and give ‘prasad’. My neighbor had done it so beautifully that I wanted to learn it and do it myself. Once I finished this, it gave me so much joy that I wanted to do more.

Pencil Sketching

It is proved that man learned to communicate through drawing very early on. Much before alphabets were invented. Hieroglyphics proves that. Drawing pictures is a very strong mode of communication. During early times, poor artists used to make a living by using charcoal and chalk. Charcoal drawings have some very fine results when used on the right medium. Graphite pencil sketching came about much later. This is also known as “Dry media”. Which means there is no use of liquid.

Contrary to popular belief, artists often use good quality erasers when drawing. The eraser may be used to remove rough construction lines, or to soften lines for visual effect or to even erase and redraw a mistake. I have used my eraser several times during sketching. Though I am not a professional, I can see the progress with each of my art.

About my sketches :

Image 1 - A tribal lady

Image 2 – A baby

Image 3 – The same baby now grown into a fine young beautiful lady – my mother.

Stained Glass Painting

The origins of the first stained glass (windows) are lost in history. It is difficult to say exactly when and where glass painting originated. Whether it was from France, Rome, Itlay or Egypt. Early Christian churches of the 4th and 5th centuries had these beautiful paintings on their windows. It is also believed Italian renaissance gave birth to this beautiful form of painting. Glass paintings during that era were in the miniature style, and dealt with biblical themes. They adorned church altars and windows. Colored glass and original vintage glass paintings are extremely expensive and rarely available for sale now. We can only learn and try to replicate.

Glass painting in India :

Glass painting was brought into India by the Chinese merchants who settled in Gujarat around the 18th century. The Chinese merchants settled around the coastal regions of the state. Soon this style was internalized by the artists and was experimented with. Indian themes and pictures from epics were painted on glass.

The medium of glass provides the painter with something that no other medium can - the light effect. This adds a certain beauty to the painting which in itself has that glossy look.

About my Painting :

This is a painting of Lord Ganesha ( the Elephant God) who is worshipped and prayed to achieve success before going for any ordeal. He is a very popular God in India.

I used gold enamel paint combined with translucent glass paint for the effect.

The Jasmine garland – what a beautiful thing !

Another reason why I am proud to be an Indian is because of this – Jasmine flower garlands.

When a girl wears fresh Jasmine on her hair and walks past you, you get a very pleasant smell that lifts up your spirits and reminds you of your roots. It is best worn with a saree or a traditional dress. Jasmine is the sacred flower of the Hindu love God, Kama. A fragrant emblem of love, Jasmine flowers are often entwined into bridal flowers at Indian weddings. This custom is said to promise the bridle couple a deep and lasting affection for eternity.

On city streets, in front of temples, in public markets - women in beautiful sarees string together garlands in vibrant orange, pink, yellow, and white. Those that are not weaving them, are wearing them in their hair.

I will always equate the smell of Jasmine with the stone temples and festivities. These garlands are used in temples everyday to adorn Gods and Goddesses.

Tying the Jasmine flowers in a garland is an art and I always wanted to learn it when I grew up. I used to want to wear jasmine at every possible occasion. Born and raised in the beautiful south, I often took this art for granted and did not learn it until my recent India trip. I quickly learnt the art of tying jasmine flowers from a kind lady who was selling these garlands on the street side. I wore this garland very frequently when I was in India this time as my mother specially orders them everyday and it is delivered every evening.

Typically, the string is made from a banana leaf plant’s stem. Fresh flowers are hand-picked one by one and tied with the string to make a garland. There is a special knot which ties the flowers together and keeps it in place without falling. This knot is tied with a single hand and the experts do it with such swiftness and skill to make yards and yards of this garland every single morning !

Kolam - An ancient South Indian art

Kolam, meaning "guise," in India’s ancient Dravidian language called Tamil. ‘Kolam’ is also called as ‘Rangoli’ in northern India. Though the techniques are the same for both, in ‘Rangoli’, as the name indicates, color powder is used to fill in the empty spaces in the design and oil lamps ( diyas) are lit and placed over them during Diwali. ‘Kolam’ is traditionally drawn with bare fingers using small dots. They are free hand designs created by either connecting the dots for a pattern formation or loops are drawn encircling the dots to create a design.

Rice flour is the main ingridient used for the purpose. It can be blended with small amounts of limestone powder for better texture, brightness and grip while drawing.

History and significance :

Traditionally, early in the morning, women wash the portion in front of the house with a mixture of cow dung and water. Though this practice is no longer followed in the cities(as the front path is laden with tar roads, cement or tiles.), villagers still follow the style. In cities, the front path is simply washed with plain water. ‘Kolam’ is then drawn by women. It is like a welcome mat.

It is believed that ‘Kolam’ represents happiness and prosperity for that house. Since the local birds and insects feed on the rice flour used for drawing, it also represents the generosity of the people of that house towards other living creatures.

A lot of the intricate designs are handed down to the younger generation by the elder ladies in the family.

During Krishna Jayanthi, tiny feet symbols are drawn using the rice paste from the entrance of the house leading up to the pooja room, where the sweets made for the occasion are placed. It is assumed that child Lord Krishna walks into each house & savors the meal provided (called ‘prasad’) and thus blesses the household with health, wealth and all round prosperity. Even though in my house, we celebrate Krishna Jayanthi, we do not follow the tradition of drawing ‘Kolam’ or drawing Krishna’s feet using rice powder. But we used to draw designs with limestone on the doorstep or wall during occasions like Diwali and ‘Tulsi Pooja’. My mom used to ask me to draw designs on the doorstep every year during the festival. As a child I was very interested in doing this as I grew up watching my neighbors draw ‘Kolam’ every morning outside their houses. So once during Krishna Jayanthi, I prepared a mixture of rice powder and water and drew little Krishna’s feet from our porch to our prayer area. It gave me so much joy to do these little things as a child !

Some interesting tidbits : There are variations of this art practiced in other corners of the world. For example, in Tibet, the Buddhist monks work for days to create intricate ‘Mandalas’ out of colored sand. When these are finished they are swept away in a ritual offering in a matter of moments. The Navajo ( native Indian) tribe in the United States, create elaborate sand paintings in a ritual to restore peace and harmony. Similar practices exist in Haiti as a means for communicating with the Loa (Haitian deities). Though the particulars of each tradition vary slightly, the basic art remains the same.

About my Kolam:

In the picture above, is a simple ‘Kolam’ design I made with dots, the traditional way using plain rice flour. Drawing a ‘Kolam’ freestyle is not as simple as it seems. Our maid, at my home in Madras, taught me a basic design during my India trip. I got this one right after a couple of tries.

Back from vacation - Happy New Year 2008 !

I just got back from a wonderful vacation in India. It was so eventful and memorable as it was my kid's first trip to India. Along with us and his grandparents and uncles and aunts and with plenty of people surrounded all the time, my little one enjoyed thoroughly and misses everyone back home.

Besides pigging out, I also managed to learn several art, especially folk art, that I am interested in these days. I have bought the materials for all of them and will start working on them and post them one by one as and when finished. Until then, I will be posting what I had finished earlier.
So, sit tight and have a very happy, prosperous and well rested new year ahead !!