Monsoon Metamorphsis

Monsoon 2009

Acrylic on Canvas

48" x 24"

The Black Forest

The Black Forest

Acrylic on Canvas

24" x 24"

Dragon Gate

Koi Fish

Acrylic on Canvas
36" x 24" x 1.5"

A few months ago, I came across some fantastic Koi paintings, tattoo designs and artworks while surfing online. Koi, the Japanese name for carp, is a hardy species of fish that can survive and adapt to varied environments. China introduced the common carp to Japan some 600 years ago. Japan bred them for color in the 1820’s. The humble carp was transformed into the magnificently colorful, ornamental aquarium and pond fish. Koi was showcased to the world the very first time in 1914 at an exhibition in Tokyo. 

As with all things beautiful, stories and legends must follow. According to Japanese (or maybe its Chinese) legend  - a Koi fish swam upstream in the Yellow River, against all odds and succeeded in climbing the water fall at a point called Dragon Gate. As the fish jumped over the rise, it transformed into a majestic Dragon! 

Koi fish do swim upstream. Chinese believe they symbolizes nonconformist and independent thought in a person. Something like not going with the flow! Based on similar lines, is the thought that it symbolizes strength, aspiration, determination, achievement, ambition and perseverance towards one's goals. In Feng Shui, it is the symbol of wealth and prosperity, especially as the beautiful Koi transforms into the powerful Dragon. One of the more sought after decorative pieces is that of twin golden carp swimming atop gold coins. Its considered supremely lucky! Strangely enough or maybe by design,  The Chinese character for Carp is phonetically identical (apart from a difference in tone) to the character for advantage, and the character for fish is the same as that for abundance and wealth.  

This was my first Koi painting and since then, I've only gotten worse for trying. Currently on a break from painting Koi, I do plan to return some day soon to reattempt crossing my Dragon Gate... 

Entwined

Entwined
Oil on Paper

Entwined was painted over 12 years ago. I was still in my teens, trying to piece together the world and make sense of it all. I can’t say for sure what inspired this painting... I was probably exploring the nature of the man-woman relationship. Trying to find something more than the obvious of jobs, bringing up kids and paying the bills. Shared responsibility is great but is that all it works out to?

The titillating freshness of romance in the initial stages gives way to the comfort of companionship in a few years. But sooner or later, everything seems to be over-shadowed by responsibilities, monotonous routines and predictability. I probably painted what I saw. A couple resting after a long day’s haul of working, shopping, cooking, feeding, driving, worrying, fussing, nurturing and pampering their family.

When day breaks tomorrow, they will be up with the first rays of the sun; revived and ready to take on a new day. Over time, their roots will dig deeper into the warm soil and build a strong and secure foundation. Their arms will spread and branch out. There will be children, pets, friends and relatives. There’ll be occasions to celebrate, victories to rejoice, disappointments to contemplate, change of seasons and fortune, quite moments, loud moments, anger, frustration, love and forgiveness, whims and indulgences, thoughts and opinions, tears and laughter... Through it all, they’ll be together, entwined as they intended to be in their wedding vow. Living the destiny they had unknowingly created in the enchanted days of whispering sweet nothings. 
  

Everyday Is A Winding Road

Saved by the Headlights!

Oil on Paper

I love to getaway.... just pack my bags and go. But not all my impromptu jaunts go well. Like the time my mom tried talking me out of going to Gandhi Nagar during the floods in mid-1997. I was 19, impulsive and stubborn.

Gujarat had received more than half of its entire quota of rains in just 7 days resulting in heavy floods and water-logging. The State Government’s relief and rescue operations were taking place on a war footing with 1,500 army men and 6 Indian Air Force helicopters assisting the local authorities in evacuation. Media reports said that the helicopters had been airborne for about 50 hours and did 60 sorties dropping 23 tonnes of food packets, others essentials and carrying people to safety. Authorities claimed that nearly 50,000 people had been evacuated in the past 7 days.  

On the day I chose to travel, the death toll had crossed the dreaded 100 mark while another 25 people were suspected missing. Electricity and communication lines were down. Trains and airlines had temporarily stalled their services to the region. I managed to locate the one and only bus leaving for Ahmadabad from Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi that afternoon. And to my utter surprise and amusement, I wasn’t going alone.  Amongst the 23 passengers lined up to board the bus, was my friend and room-mate. I’ve no clue why she followed me into this madness... Leo’s and their warped sense of loyalty, I guessed!

The 24 hour journey stretched into 30 plus hours. The incessant rain, ominous clouds, thunder claps and the strong wind knocking on our deceptively fragile glass windows finally drove in the realization – this time I’d bitten off more than I could chew. To top it all – I was responsible for my friend’s safety. I wondered what my mom must have felt watching me board the last bus to Ahmadabad... The highway was free of traffic. Not a soul in sight for miles, only the trees creaking, bending and swaying wildly punctuated the eerie monotony of the ride. Abandoned and disheveled trucks, buses, jeeps, vans and cars lined both sides of the dark highway. Our food ration consisted of a few puffed up packets of wafers – with no dhabbas in sight and 2 bottles of water that didn’t last all that long, we drifted in and out of sleep for most of the journey. The atmosphere was somber and deathly quiet intercepted at intervals by the embarrassingly loud noise of a passenger unwrapping food, followed by self conscious chewing in slow motion. 

We arrived in Ahmadabad past midnight and except for the issue of wading in thigh-high cold water and going hungry that night, the rest of my trip turned out to be worth all the trouble and heart ache. It was actually fun! I headed to Gandhi Nagar the next morning and stayed on for a week. I spent my week wading the waterways to and fro my hostel and design school, packing up all my stuff to take back to Delhi with me. Said my goodbyes to the dhobi, canteen’s maharaj, juice and Amlette center, Pau Bhaji walla, Rajshree theatre at the celebrated Sector 21, my faculty, classmates, seniors and neighbors and so on. I was going to start my next term back in Delhi and there would not be a reason ever to come back to this quaint and supremely friendly township in Gujarat.

The painting here is one from my days in Gandhi Nagar. It’s called “ Saved by the Headlights!” for lack of humor and creativity in the face of peril. This is a sordid incident which took place on the Gandhi Nagar and Ahmadabad Highway but hey, I’ve survived both and much more and lived to tell the tale... that's what I chose to celebrate in this painting. Everyday is a winding road and it's all good. 

Painting demystified: it’s a highway, lined with trees on both sides and the stark glare of the headlights cutting through the night fog and thick undergrowth. 

Long Bonds

The Drinking Buddies

Oil on Paper

“ I know there’s something terribly wrong with her. I can feel it. But should I call?!” my friend confided over drinks one evening. The story goes, he’d been dating the woman of his dreams for seven long years and then somehow things didn’t work out. It was a long distance relationship across continents. But probably or precisely because of that, he’d developed this keen instinctive sense of knowing when she needed him the most - irrespective of the expanse of land and water and time zones separating the two. Was it ESP, were they somehow connected, how did he always know? A few days later, as it turned out, he was correct. She’d been ill for a week and had to be hospitalized. He had decided against calling her but it just so happened that her sister called him and shared the news... and now she’s well, of course.

Their friends used to call them the drinking buddies ( quite self-explanatory, I presume) and this painting is inspired by the special connection these two shared and still seem to do till date.

The conversation did upset me. It’s painful to see people in pain. So as I sat around playing with paints that night, I came up with a theory, if nothing else, at least it would help me sleep in peace. The theory goes - that once you love someone ( irrespective of the relationship and outcome), there’s a part of you that forever protects them...thus the womb in the center. The concentric reds, yellows and oranges are the levels of love, trust and protection you share... Running into the greens and blues which are the individual lives we continue to live. 

They were technically wine drinking buddies but at 2.00 am, I figured a beer bottle was just semantics. 

A Table for 4

The Courtyard
Acrylic on Canvas
36" x 24" x 1.5"

With some friends, specially the ones you meet quite often, communication reaches an all time high of coded ease. Sentences, queries, explanations, opinions are expressed through nods, smiles, grins, grunts, a look, a prolonged look, a quick glance, a twitch of the nose, non-intentional or intentional rolling of the eyes, raised eyebrows and even restless fingers drumming on the table or fussing abstractly with the cutlery... This is perhaps the language of friendship and comfort.

After a long day at work, talking to clients on the phone, conversing with colleagues, answering mails and then catching up with my friends and family over the phone,  I do appreciate the simplicity of these totally comprehendible dinner conversations. I love the freedom to drift in and out of the conversation or just sit back and watch the starry ensemble up ahead. Play with the dancing shadows of the candle placed between us or watch the light fall in tiny star shapes across their expressive faces as they continue to chat about the latest IPL score or market situation.

This painting is for my friends at our table at Courtyard. As I see it and feel it - our corner table glows in the warmth of our ease and comfort with one another. The endless games of "never ever" and "truth or dare", mindless jabber, leg pulling, easy patches of silence and for me specifically  - star gazing at Courtyard have been some of my most beautiful evenings ever. Thank you for the warmth my friends!

Until unless you stay on Godbunder road, chances are, you would not know about this little patch of heaven on earth. The Courtyard is just that – a courtyard. To begin with, it’s located on the Godbunder Road. The only landmark I can think of is  - it’s a little ahead of Blue Roof. Luckily Blue Roof has a map! http://www.blueroofclub.com/blueroofclub-locationmap.html
Courtyard is somewhere between Blue Roof and the Temple as shown in the map.

That settled, you can drive into the Courtyard and park – it can accommodate only 6-8 cars at a time but there is an open field beyond, which is, well, open ... so you’re sure to get parking space there. Once you enter the area, it basically looks like a garden with pathways and low garden lights with a square lotus and fish pond and a wooden performance structure in the center of the complex. The garden is big and the crisscrossing pathway intercepted with tress and lights. The night sky is unusually star studded. Probably because it’s so far from the city and there’s nothing else for miles to steal the thunder. The food is good and very reasonably priced! I recommend the mutton keema with pao. The service is slow but then anyone in a hurry might as well avoid the Courtyard. The place is designed to soothe the soul and relax. There is live music on most days. Indian classical numbers played on request regularly. 
   

Weekend Wisdom

Fire Within
Acrylic on Canvas
36" x 24" x 1.5"

On a Friday evening late last year,  friends and I headed out to Pune for the weekend.  Our first stop - Yellow Chilli “exotic yet authentic like a yellow chili!” A restaurant chain started by the known Chef’  - Sanjeev Kapoor was said to be a “causal dining restaurant with a five-star feel...” (source:  http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/RestaurantsYellochlli.aspx?MenuId=37&ParentMenuId=10)

The variety and quality of food at YC had all of us grinning and gobbling in happy silence and the ambience was seriously nice. We sat in the open-air section under the shade of tall trees that were lit up with tiny bulbs and looking pretty indeed. The indoors section was completely taken over by dining families. They were loud but not annoyingly so. Seemed like everyone was happy to be here.

Post dinner, we drove around Koregaon Park in search of The Nameless Place and finally arrived at this white massive mansion with beautiful lawns and gardens, complete with lotus ponds and walkways and no name - which did solve the mystery of why no one seemed to know the name of this place. Guess they wanted to keep it exclusive to the point of excluding people from staying there. There were plenty of rooms available (we now knew why) and thus had the pick of our rooms. That settled, I took the opportunity to wander around the massive mansion exploring secret gardens tucked away in it’s massive white folds. The place was peaceful and the non-oppressive silence sort of filtered down the roofs and soaked into the bed. All very well, but I wanted to go clubbing and we did. 

It’s only later that night or maybe the next day I felt the urge to paint again. The Fire Within is my way of holding on and  re- experiencing  the  simplicity of that weekend , the chance to unwind, re-charge...  A packed yet carefree weekend,  born of an impulse to go for a long drive, listen to music and feel the wind in my face... The dinner and the dancing, walking barefoot in the dew-wet grass and resisting the urge to sleep even in the wee hours of pre-dawn. The walk to the German Bakery on that glorious Saturday morning, we were accompanied by background music floating from the Osho Ashram. Tall trees, clean air, old heritage bungalows lovingly cared for, cheerful and spunky Labrador puppies, fresh baked bread, hot and peppered  mashed potatoes, baked omelet, a tall glass of coffee, conversations and rustling newspapers, old worn-out wooden benches under thatched roofs of the German Bakery..... And thousands of minutes to admire, to soak in all these things.

Reflection & Moonshine

Reflections

Acrylic on Canvas

18" x 30" x 1.5"

Exploring the same theme that I had started with the Red Oaks. 

Moonshine 
Acrylic on Canvas
30" x 18" x 1.5"

This too is a continuation, the last one in fact (which I intend to put up) from this series.  

By now, the palette knife and the brushes are operating mostly on their own. The depth and textures, contrasting colors and details emerge without much fuss. I can now paint this same theme in various colors and hues, perspectives and combinations to create different moods. But by no means, did all this happen across 5-6 paintings of the same theme. If you look at Moonshine closely, you should be able to make out the textures left over from the previous painting on this same canvas. The original painting was a blazing forest of red oaks in yellow, oranges and reds... a close up of the bushy parts - leaves bursting forth in full spring bloom - instead of a long distance tranquil perspective which has been showcased here till now. Lots of experiments were conducted on unsuspecting canvases to figure out composition, color palettes, strokes and style! And it was fun while it lasted...

But I do believe it's time to shake things up a bit!  Let me move on to my most favorite style of work - Abstract Expressionist Paintings coming up on 4th May'09!  

Celestial Dance of the Spirits

The Northern Lights

Acrylic on Canvas

24" x 30" x 1.5"

Here then, is the one I call The Northern Lights. A painting inspired by the natural celestial phenomena that’s fascinated me for years! There are tons and tons of morbid as well as inspiring stories, folklores and legends surrounding this intriguing play of lights (which are at times, supposedly accompanied by eerie crackling sounds...)

Some cultures say it’s evil and an omen of war and pestilence while others believe that their ancestors are guiding them towards “light” after death. Some even believe that only humans who have died violent deaths, as in warriors-in-wars can cross over to the Other-World that can be reached by walking this lit path. There are some who believe it’s the dead playing a match of football with a walrus’s skull or still others who think it’s the walrus’ spirit playing football with a human skull.... yes, this one beats me too.  Some consider the lights to be a reminder of the Creator who then traveled to the North Pole for some well earned rest and it’s HER fire that lights up the sky.
  
Astronomy however seems to have dashed all these beautiful and fantastical theories and explained the world for what it is and in a nutshell too – energized atoms. These non-ticketed light and sound shows are produced by the collision of charged particles from Earth's magnetosphere with Earth's upper atmosphere. The collision in the atmosphere electrically excites electrons to take quantum leaps towards Earth, converting the electron's kinetic energy to visible light. Due to atomic oxygen, red and green are the most common colors. However different gasses interacting with the upper atmosphere do produce varied hues in the form of bands, curtains or streamers of colored light.

Also known as Aurora Borealis (Roman goddess of dawn), the Dance of the Spirits and various other equally fascinating names, this ethereal light performance can be viewed in the Arctic and Antarctic regions of the earth between the months of September to October and from March to April.

More information on Northern Lights can be found at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(astronomy) 

Tranquility at Silent Hill

Tranquility

18" x 30" x 1.5"

Acrylic on Canvas

Tranquility, described by a friend as “very zen!” empowers the stillness which came straight from the heart post a trip to the Silent Hill Resort, Manor on a blazing Sunday afternoon in early March.

The watered-down emerald green, turquoise and leaf green was poured on the canvas in thick squeezes and then cajoled into a surreal landscaped. The trees and the shadow in contrasting hues of deep brown, lemon yellow and white reflect the feelings of hope, faith and joy. It might not have been the best of times for a resort outing or for a road trip, but it turned out to be a spectacular find none the less!

The sprawling estate offering “rooms, cottages, bar, restaurants, water park, gymnasium, boating and even ahem... well, car park” runs parallel to Vaitarna river on the National Highway No.8, a few hours drive from Bombay. A cool, moist breeze from the river provides the innumerous hammocks sprawled under the palms and coconuts with blissful respite from the blazing sun. The resort features it’s own lake or maybe ponds would be a better word; with chatty, babbling geese and absolutely intelligent city-bred ducks and rabbits. All very friendly and approachable! The most exciting and unique attractions are the rope bridge spanning across 3 tall trees at a height of 15ft and a huge swing made of tires and rope! There was an open-air water-park and pool which we skirted due to the heat; opting instead for the Vaitarna Restaurant & Bar and cool shade of the Garden Restaurant. Here we spent the next few hours on a very ancient wood carved Jhoolah, being pampered by the attentive staff and sipping chilled beer, breathing in the tranquility and stillness for the day.

You can find out more about the resort on www.silenthillsresort.com

The Red Oaks & Forest Fire

The Red Oaks Forest Fire

25" x 25" x 1.5"  25" x 25" x1.5"

Acrylic on Canvas Acrylic on Canvas

Does anyone really know why we feel this urge to paint or create? I'm not sure I understand the why but I do know that when the urge kicks in, I must give in to it. As I squeeze the paint from the tube directly on to a virgin canvas, time seems to stop still. I am dimly aware of humming along to a tune playing in my head or flowing with the colors as they spread their magic on the off-white surface of the canvas.... And in about a few hours, the painting’s done.

I walk away without a backward glance only to return later to the labor of my love. Much later still, I can sit back and look at the painting for hours, trying to fathom what just happened. Where did this urge come from? What was I thinking/ feeling at that moment? How do I name this painting? 

I examine the brush strokes and remember some bits and parts of struggle to create a certain effect or mix colors in a certain way – driven by rational thought mixed with perhaps instinct.

I named my first real painting – The Red Oaks. I’ve never seen a Red Oak tree in my life, doubt if they grow in India! Anyhow, the need to express continued and by the end of another few hours, using the same palette and similar style emerged the second painting of this series – Forest Fire.

The Red Oaks, today resides on the wall of a friend’s bedroom while Forest Fire leans against a wall in my now spare bedroom-turned-studio. But he is not alone, racked alongside are Tranquility, Reflection, Moonshine and Northern Lights.