Apologies and some exciting news!

I have not written for a while...and nothing or nobody else is to be blamed but me...Although I have been caught -up with various end-of-year and Christmas activities and have been really busy with I&J there is no excuse for not showing up here and so I apologise to you :)

There are two really exciting things that I would like to mention to you today.

First, I have sucessfully completed my biggest commission of the season and I am so glad to say that the owner is so very happy with the outcome! This is what she had to say -

 "It certainly does speak to me.... You put a lot of effort into it. You have spent lots of hours working on it, but what impresses me is that when I look at it, I feel the passion and love of an artist.....

Now, we will have a piece of your soul in our bedroom!!!"

I was so happy and almost relieved when she said that she liked the painting! Have a look and let me know if you like it!

That next exciting news is that I have finally set-up my Dream Studio. Ma and Baba are arriving in Melbourne day after tomorrow and they will do the honour of 'Opening' the Studio to public. That is when I hope to click pictures to share it with you. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am! It has been a very interesting journey so far...and I cannot wait to see where this Dream of mine takes me!

Open Studios in the West

I am so looking forward to the 24th and 25th of November...this weekend! It's when you get to see art from behind the scenes. If you are in or around Melbourne do not miss this! There are over 60 artists participating and there is a bit of everything from painting to sculpture, glassmaking to jewellery and ofcourse the performing arts.

To know more about my involvement or for enrollments in the workshops log on to my Facebook page.

My pop-up studio is at the FirstSteps and Step n Out Performing Arts Studio. Therefore there is also the added attraction of the Dance Worshops that the wonderful Liz has planned. Check her out here.

Go here to find out more about all the other artists participating in this event. They are an awesome bunch of people with artwork that is even better. I had the oppurtunity to meet quite a few of them at the launch party yesterday and it was such a great experience. I am already planning to do a post on each of them over the coming weeks. I am sure you will all enjoy it as much as I did.

For now, please wish me luck and say a silent prayer in your minds :) I will update you on how all of this went next week this time!

Happy Diwali

I can still smell the smoke of the fireworks...I can see the thick smog shrouding the streets...I can hear the constant rumbling noise of the 'chocolate bombs'...I can taste the 'Dahi Vada' that Thamma made...a silent tear escapes my eye...nostalgia grips me by surprise and I have to make a quick escape to the rest-room...I don't want I&J to see me cry...specially when they were having so much fun making tiny paper lanterns for Diwali. And I am not sad...I am actually really happy with life... happy to see I&J growing... happy to make new memories with M...But a little part of me seems to often escape and wonder down the memory lane...knocking at various leaky doors...doors that open the flood gates of emotion...emotions that are hard to suppress and even harder to express!

Paper Lantern made with I and J

I wonder when M and I will be old and grey...looking back to these colourful days...will we feel the same? When I & J will grow up...busy with their lives...will they ever pause for a few seconds, close their eyes and smell the fragrance of a Diwali that they had spent with us when they were little? And when they do will it be a pleasant memory? Will it for them open the flood gates of emotions...emotions that will make them happy in their present lives because they were happy in the days that have passed? I wonder...

Let me not get carried away by my thoughts this festive season...So heres wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy Diwali...May the festival of lights brighten up every day of your life...and May you always be able to build memories so strong that they have the power to brighten a dull moment for years to come!

PS: This is my favourite painting that somehow fits today’s post perfectly!

Painting by Dita

How difficult is it to let good win over evil?

Festival of Lights, Image from Google

With the celebration of Diwali just round the corner this is a question that has been in my mind all day today...How difficult is it really to let Good win over Evil....more importantly what is good and what is evil?... 

For an instant let us stop thinking about World Peace or Greener Earth...instead let us ponder on our regular day to day activities....our thoughts and feelings....our decisions and reasonings....Do we let 'Good' prevail over 'Evil' day in and day out? Do we have the inner courage to do what is right and avoid what isn't? And when we ask this question to ourselves let us concentrate only on little things...because from little things big things  grow...

I believe that if each of us elects to do what is right in tiniest of spells it all cumulates to one grand win...the win of the 'Good'. I would love to share  with you one little thing that I did today that was a mini victory of good over evil...one thing that I conscientiously chose to do...one insy-winsy laurel...

I decided to strengthen my will power and beat temptation...And I qualify this as a victory of good over evil because it is temptation that leads me to sometimes compensate my general intention to be 'good'! And by saying that I am definitely not referring to robbing banks or killing people...I am referring to much littler, simpler things...Things like choosing to finish cleaning the kitchen right after a meal and not being complacent, like doing the laundry on the designated day and not letting it pile up, like choosing a fruit as dessert and not I and J's Halloween loot, like not buying that beautiful candle even if I don't need it....I have finally led myself to understand that it takes just little push from within..a little strength to do what should be done...I am sure that sometimes there will still be unclean kitchen counters, piled up laundry, a few high calorie desserts or even some impulsive purchases but today I am happy that I have made a start...a start to throw temptation a little further away...a start to be a little more happy about myself....a start to get rid of the evil...

PS: I am presently working on this set of paintings that has a underlying theme of the Festival of Lights - Diwali. Take a sneek peek below! (please forgive the poor quality of the photograph...I was in a hurry and therefore could not do better...)

Like light in the dark

What is the colour of HOPE?

Hope traditionally is signified by calm colours like white, green and blue...it is usually depicted by amiable symbolism...it's panorama - never outrageous. But, in the last few days HOPE to me has been RED...and I will tell you today why it has been so!

This is the time of the year when the life of every Bengali is taken over by a dream...A dream that in itself is the celebration of life, love, laughter, belief and hope! It is the time of the year when we forget all our woes and celeberate the Durga Puja!

This festivity commemorates Goddess Durga's visit to earth, Her parent's home. On the last day She leaves to be re-united with her husband, Lord Shiva in their heavenly abode. This last day of festivity evokes the feeling of separation that every parent feels when their children leave home.

On this day married women bid a special farewell to the Goddess by smearing vermilion on her forehead and offering sweets and wishing her a safe journey back to her home. They close their eyes in prayer and ask for her divine blessings. They pray for a long and happy married life....And they pray for peace and prosperity for their families...

The RED colour of the Sindur (vermilion), the heavy aroma of the incense, the mirth of the constant drumming, the revelry of the masses, the secret desires of the heart and the apprehension of separation, spells magic on this day....And to me this magic signifies the dominion of hope...The hope that is hidden in every heart...The hope to have a a long and happy married life, the hope for peace and prosperity, the hope to see Goddess Durga again next year...And so Hope is RED!




Sindur by Dita



The Highlights...

Lord Ganesha on wood-chips and Painted Prayers by Dita

How would you react when somebody walked up to your Art Stall at a Fiesta and commented "You have got really 'basic' artwork here...where did you get these shipped from?" Mister...they have all been painted by me...fruits of my labour...my babies!!! Well, I did not say any of the above...I just smiled at his ignorance and politely informed him that they were original art-work created by me and perhaps of a style that was not to his liking....Such was the depth of my first ever experience on the other side of the table at a Fiesta!

However it will be genuinely unfair to highlight the only negative observation (or should I say constructive criticism)! It was a very busy day at the Point Cook Annual Fiesta and I had my fair share of gratification and erudition.

Visitors of all ages browsed my exhibit all through the day and I met with some very nice people who seemed to be really interested in my art-work. It specially felt good when some of the patrons had a survey my work in details, chatted with me and then later brought along their friend, partner or a family member to review some particular piece that they liked best! I also loved to see the eyes of eager kids light up when I spoke to them about my art-work...I wonder whether I would have been able to ask such intriguing questions at their age!

Hand-made CHAI coasters by Dita also part of the paraphernalia

What a pleasure it was to see such interest in colours and art-work in the members of my community specially when I was competing with free rides, face paitings, sausage sizzles and free lemonade on a beautiful sunny day beating the temperamental Melbourne weather!

If you were to ask whether I would do it again...my answer would be "Differently but Definitely"!!!

Point Cook Fiesta...

I am not sure whether I am anxious, excited or plain old restless...but I sure am BUSY!!! I am like this nomadic soul with many pots on the burner at the same time!!! And this time, trust me, it is not because I did not study the whole year...it's just because I have too much on my plate...I am not trying to finish my syllabus at the last minute...I just have a lot to do!...and I am not complaining...I am very very happy about it...Well 'happy' is an understatement...I am elated!...almost intoxicated by the rush this gives me...but I am BUSY!!!

I still need to finish varnishing some of the art-work, cut-up the felt, glue them to the back of the coasters, complete the Painted Prayers, make a list of nick-nacks to buy, buy them, pack them, finalise the lay-out....PHEW...lots to do before I sleep....

Yes, you guessed it! I am preparing for another public event! This time I am participating in the annual Point Cook Fiesta! And I am thrilled...

 I am going to exhibit some of my art-work on Canvas, some Painted Prayers, Painted Coasters and some Greeting Cards... I promise I am going to write in details about all that I have spoken about later...but today it is only going to be just a sneak-peek of the work-in-progress (not because I don't want to show you...just because nothing is really complete yet!)

If you are in Melbourne, please come by. If not, I will post all images here so that you do not miss-out!

Details of the Event:

Point Cook Fiesta

Sunday, October 14th 2012

At the streets within the Town Centre

11am -5pm

Warmer days are here...

While all the others are gathering nuts for the cold season we in the south, can't wait for the warmer and longer days...the barbeques in the parks, the icy-poles on the beaches, the balmy afternoons in the pools...It's been a long wait, but keeping in mind what is awaiting us, it all seems worth it!


Jiya drawing her version of the Tulip Festival...



To celebrate the beginning of the season of the sun, we decided to go to the Tulip Festival last Saturday! The bright morning looked so promising that none of us cared to check the weather (and we were 4 adults all equiped with handy 'i' stuff!)...On the way, we suddenly found ourselves racing black clouds...and by the time we reached, we were defeated! Brown sludge welcomed us to what was going to be a trip to remember!



Nothing seemed to stop the four kiddos (all just 5 or less)...the rain, the sludge, the chill in the air, cantankerous parents...nothing! The wide fields of colourful (wet)tulips and the magic in the air gave them a special thrill...a thrill that only innocent bodies like their's can feel...a thrill that we adults have hidden behind our woes...a thrill that we can feel only when we get rid of our inhibitions...And that we did!...finally!!!...After we spent most of our time there trying to mind the little fellows, we finally got our boots muddy...we finally let the rain wash away the restrictions...Our souls soaked the pleasure of indulgence as our laundered coats and styled hair soaked the rain drops! It indeed became a trip to the Tulip Festival with a difference...the difference that will make us smile to ourselves for a long time...

'The Tulip Festival' Painting by Dita...I would love to see this in some little girl's bedroom!

Magic of daydreaming...



Painting by Dita

 I was flipping through a travel magazine at the dentists waiting room some weeks back and I saw this beautiful resort at a tropical paradise...It was magical...beautiful blue seas, sparkling beaches, cosy rooms with adjoining verandahs...and one plant that seemed to be growing everywhere was the commonly known Birds of Paradise.

I had this frame in mind from then and was waiting eagerly for an opportunity to paint it. When M wanted to take the kids for a play in the park on Sunday I knew it was my chance... :) and what you see on the right is my abstract version of Birds of Paradise... but it has a story of it's own!

All the while that morning, I kept thinking of the pictures I saw in that magazine...the beautiful beaches, the warm waters, the peaceful spas, the tranqil pools...And, the magic of the bright red and yellow paints, the paint brushes and my solitude seemed to transport me to the tell-tale world of ethereal beauty...a space where everything is sublime...there is no worry...no constraint...just pure joy...joy of satisfaction, joy of contentment, joy of being myself...

...and then cheerfull voices of I & J declared my landing back to the real world...they were back from their stint in the park...I smiled to myself and packed up to get lunch ready...real world is just as good...only with a 5yr old and a 3.5 yr old around it is far from peaceful!!!

At that stage I had just completed the flowers and the foliage and had planned the background to be blue...like the sky...But when I got back to finishing the painting later in the afternoon...I decided to honour my little tryst with day dreaming...And to capture the mystery of the space I had been to earlier in the day I changed the backgroung to black....the mysterious, enigmatic elusive black!



Just to give you an idea about how this piece of mine could look at your home (or mine)......



Glee...

           After all the anxiety, tension and nervousness...I am finally content and happy...actually really elated and humbled at the same time...The Exhibition and Fundraiser was excellent! I have sold a few paintings and quite a few greeting cards and have raised a reasonable amount of money for the cause....but more than anything else... I have done what I have dreamt of doing for a long long time...something that is very close to my heart...and that gives me a feeling of euphoria... I really held infinity in the palm of my hand for a second and made a promise to myself...a promise that this is just the beginning....the beginning of me defining my life and making a difference to others...one step at a time!

 

Image by Reshmi Mazumdar



I have also learnt a few life lessons while organising this event...some good, others not that great...and I not going to bore you with the details but will definitely share something with you...I knew that Ma, Baba, M, I, J, Bonuram... love me a lot and will always be there to support me but now I know something more...something much much more...there are a whole lot of people...some of whom I have been close with...some with whom I have lost touch and others who I barely know...also think of me and brace my endeavours...3 cheers to all of you who made this day possible and a special thanks to R for being there to share the joys! I just thought of spreading the cheer further by sharing this bright painting of mine.



Image by Dita



Prep!



I am not sure if I have told you earlier, but I am hosting my first solo Art Exhibition Fundraiser on the 14th of Sept and have been really busy over the weekend to conclude all the prep for that! Although my checklists and notes say that I am ready for Friday I can’t seem to get rid of the “I am missing something” feeling from my head...I am nervous and excited at the same time...puzzled yet resolved!



Prep for the exhibition! - Image by Dita

I am not sure which colour represents this whirlpool of emotions...but it seems as if all the colours of the world are being churned in my head...but for whatever reason they are not being mixed into a muddy brown and that makes me happy!!!

Whirlpool of Emotions!..Image from Google

Following is the poster for my Fundraiser. The initiative “Rainbow Children” is a concept that was conceived and nurtured by the “Daughters of the Cross” a religious congregation under the Roman Catholic Church. Over the years the nuns have been rendering untiring and determined service and effort to improve the state of the downtrodden in the vicinity of the convent. As a student of St. Agnes’s Convent School Howrah, I was involved in the ‘feed and read’ program where we used to spend time teaching the children from the slums close to our school and also provide them with one meal for the day. Today, when I realise how much my school has done for me I feel that this is only a small way that I can do something in return....when I see how fortunate I am not having to worry about the necessities of life I feel the need to think and do my little bit for the ones who are not as fortunate as I am...

The Banner - Image by Dita

I have named my collection of paintings ‘The Rainbow’ in honour of The Rainbow Children. There will be 7 paintings exhibited one of each colour of the rainbow and you have actaully seen all of them in my previous posts. I have also got some Greeting Cards designed from my paintings that I will be selling at the exhibition. I am actually working towards hosting the exhibition online afterwards and will update you as soon as I am ready. I do need your support to make that a success ! Let me see if I can use my passion for colours to broaden the smiles of these children….

What was Cleopatra's favourite colour?

Cleopatra painting on Papyrus - www.fromcairo.com

What was Cleopatra's favourite colour? ... It was Purple! The royal colour...the colour of divinity and that of the rich...the colour that possesses in itself a lot of mystery and perplexity...the colour that embodies the stimulation of red and the calmness of blue...

Before I started writing this post today I had planned to write about Violet but I could not resist the mystic qualities of purple and therefore had to write about it!!! Although not too far away from each other in the colour spectrum, both these colours are quite different technically. While purple is a range of hues between red and blue and is used as a common term to describe the same, Violet refers to the last colour of the short wavelength end of the visible spectrum. 

I associate purple with royalty... It is what I feel when I am treated as a princess. Whether it is Baba trying to organise quick shipping of my demands from overseas or M cancelling a meeting because I need help with something silly... I don't know whether they do it to make me feel like a princess (I desperately hope that they don't feel pressurised to do it!) but I feel happy and Purple when they do it!

Bonuram and me were always treated like princesses when we were growing up... Although we were taught the realities of life, we were always made to feel special!!! I remember Thamma cooking hot breakfast for us at day-break, Dada ironing our clothes to make going to school easier.. And Ma Baba  sacrificing a lot of their comforts to afford taxis for our commute to school and back... These things did not seem too big then... But today when I am a mom myself I know how much it took... How difficult yet easy it was for them to make our lives royal... When I look back at the rainbow of childhood memories, Violet/Purple seems to be the logical colour behind every shade of Orange, Red or Yellow as the happiness and joy that we felt then was because somebody thought that we were worthy of it... Because Ma, Baba, Thamma, Dada thought we were princesses and made efforts to help build our lives likewise....This painting is in honor of that feeling of Purple!



Painting by Dita

What childhood memories can you relate to Purple? When you spend time with your present parter in crime, do you feel Purple?

Hemming and Hawing between Indigo and Orange

This week for me is going to be very much like the painting below and I will tell you today what makes me think so...



Painting by Dita



M is away for the whole week on a business trip and I have I&J only to myself...I am not overly good at whining but I literally have the home, work, drop-offs, pick-ups, cooking, cleaning all to myself...and I really wouldn’t mind all of that if I had M beside me...but alas he isn’t!...and to add to all of that, every time I tune into the online radio...all that the whole world is listening to seems to be Romantic Songs!

Starting from very sombre dark blue (Indigo) the colours of the painting slowly blend into brighter shades of magenta, red, orange and even yellow...very much like what I am feeling now and what I think I will be feeling when the end of this week approaches... It’s as if my normal cheerful self is being unobtrusive, meek and modest anxious to break free to the sunlit patches of happiness but hemming and hawing with the prospect...like being apprehensive yet composed at the same time...

I wonder if Ma felt the same when Baba had to go on his week-long sometimes month-long work tours. Did she also have to deal with this forlorn uneasiness but still stay happy for us? When the much awaited phone call from Baba came every evening (there were no mobile phones then) ... did her feelings burst into orange and red?



Painting by Jean Baptiste Santerre (1650 – 1717, French)



Or for that matter, how did Thamma (grand-mother) deal with the pain of separation when Dada had to go to the States for several months in the 1950’s....she had no access to phones or emails and all she had to rely on was hand-written letters, the receipt of which was at the mercy of the turbulent times...I close my eyes and think....maybe after a hard day’s work...when everybody else was in bed, she would light up a candle and read those letters from Dada, shrouding herself in the aura of bright reds and oranges...coming out of her sombre, soft pedalled self and dreaming of  breaking free into the world of emphatic happiness...

 I am thankful to the modern world for SMS’, emails, face-times, webchats and all the other means of communication that makes separation so much more bearable...although the romance of hand-written letters is lost, I still feel the tinge of Orange, Pink or Red within me when I get an email or when I spend the train journey to office SMS-ing M.

How do you feel when you or your loved one has to be away on business? How do you deal with it? Do your feelings also vary between deep dark Indigo to bright Magenta and Orange?

Is RED the colour of your love?

Red to me is the colour of love...of passion...of happiness. It is the colour of quivering lips and beating hearts. It is the colour of fresh juicy strawberries, the colour of roses, the colour of red wine...The colour that automatically sets the mood of romance...and the colour that breathes joy and celebration.



Images from Google, Collage by Dita

  If I were to tell you about one moment (among numerous others eversince) when I really 'felt' the colour red...it would definitely be when I closed my eyes to say my weddings wows. I was this young blushing bride full of dreams of her future life with her knight in shining armour...and when I closed my eyes for the final step of the wedding where M applied the 'sindur' on my forehead for the first time ever, all I could feel was a mix of emotions, I felt the love, the passion, the promise, the uncertainty, the hope, the desire....i felt RED....I dont know whether it was the colour of the sindur, or my wedding saree or the blood that rushed to my cheek and made me blush....but i definitely felt RED....it was magical...the feeling of one dream coming true and building many others at the same time...the feeling of desire and contentment at the same time!

Images from Google, Collage by Dita

 I painted the one below to celebrate the colour RED...it also raises the question of Red's relation with Black in my mind and I will speak about that another time...Till then keep reading and do let me know what you feel about RED...

Painting by Dita

Saffron, White and Green

The 3 colours that dominate all sphere's on this special day, in the life of an Indian are Saffron, White and Green...yes I am talking about the Indian Independence Day...and this year we are celebrating 65 years of Independence...

Wikipedia defines Independence as a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over the territory. To me however this term now means much, much more than this! I can’t help but quote Rabindranath Tagore here as what I feel cannot be put in better words than his own...



Image from Google



Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.



I get goose bumps every time I read those words...my eyes fill up and I experience this immense overwhelming emotion within that I cannot describe in words...but if I were to put colours to those thoughts they would definitely be Saffron, White and Green!...

They remind me of one special journey back home with my grandfather (DADA) on the eve of Independence Day back in 1997. There were events planned in all the Community Centres, Schools, Institutions, and Colleges...everywhere... Everybody was celebrating 50 yrs of Indian Independence. Even I was very excited about all the festivities that were to happen at school the next day...Dada, like his normal self was also very thrilled about all that was happening around us...but suddenly the smile faded a little and he seemed to be lost in thoughts...on being asked what happened he said to me that he could see in front of him the same day in 1947 as if it happened just yesterday...He did not say any further! Today I realise what he meant by that...I can now, while madly punching at my keyboard, see the events of 1997 happening right in front of me....I can see the bright eyes of the teenager at school all excited about the events, proud to be the flag-bearer...happy, joyfull and full of dreams! And what makes me glad today is that I am still the dreamer that I was 15 yrs back...

Work-in-Progress Painting by Dita

Absorb a moment of happiness with ORANGE!



Photo and Painting by Dita



 A friend came back from a trip to Door Country with such beautiful pictures of ‘Fall’...a time when all the leaves turn into flowers... And then in one of the pictures, like magic, the colour on the leaves seemed to have escaped to colour the sky behind them....the Sun was setting in the horizon shrouding the trees with eternal mystery...and the darkness was slowly engulfing the branches one steady step at a time...that’s what I tried to capture in this painting of mine...

What colour do you see when you close your eyes to absorb a moment of happiness? I see Orange! The cheerful, stimulating and charming ORANGE! The colour that has this undefined warmth without being aggressive...the colour that is exciting and engaging...the colour that stimulates the fire within you and encourages you to reach the heights without pushing you over the edge! Orange to me relates to the warm fuzzy feeling within me...whether it is what I feel when I&J give me their tightest hug ever or when M makes me a cup of tea on a lazy Sunday morning or when Ma sends me a message saying “Proud of you Buru”!

Even nature associates the colour Orange with wholesomeness and desirability. Different nourishing and delicious foods are orange, like squashes, pumpkin, carrots, sweet potatoes and citrus fruits.  In fact, in the English language, the word ‘orange’ dates to the introduction of the fruit which gave the colour its name. Before then, the colour had been known as ‘geoluhread’, or yellow-red!

Photo Courtsey: dimensionsinfo.com

Orange or more specifically Deep Saffron is the most used colour in Hinduism historically and culturally. It is the most commonly worn colour for religious ceremonies and has been so for more than 2000 yrs. The colour signifies courage, sacrifice and the spirit of renunciation and was therefore my obvious choice for the background of the painting below. I will talk all about this favourite patchwork painting of mine in another post because like all other paintings of mine, this one also has a story which is very close to my heart!


Painting and Photo by Dita



Snow White...

Apologies for moving away from my Rainbow Collection for a bit today but I desperately want to speak to you about WHITE. Ishaan turned 5 last Friday and we went to the mountains to celebrate this milestone! It was a lot of fun there for us and the kids with good friends, good food and a lot of snow!

Ishaan and his Toboggan! Pic by Manas Ray

The pristine fresh WHITE everywhere was like magic. The bright sun against the white blanket of snow and the twinkling eyes of I and J was like a trilogy made in heaven! The sparkling little crystals almost literally reflected the happy and joyfull heart of my innocent little five year old... and I could not help but go back down memory lane to that winter in Chicago now almost 6 yrs back when I first knew that I was going to be a mom! I could almost touch the growing wave of emotion within and shed just a few tears of joy when I was brought back to reality...a pair of little ice-cold hands were pulling and poking me, trying to get my attention...Jiya wanted some help with the toboggan! A little push and there I was dreaming again...This time of the family holiday that I spent with Bonuram about 15 years back at Tshangu Lake in Sikkim, India. That was the first time we had ever experienced snow in real life! I could hear us giggling and shouting and throwing snow balls at each other untill M actually threw a snow ball at me....I quickly retaliated the move and moved on...What was the snow doing to me? It was like my own personal time-machine bringing back memories so full of life of fun-times that I have had...it was playing magic...it was taking advantage of my vulnerable set of emotions and making me nostalgic and happy at the same time...

Tshangu Lake Pic Coutrsey:

thinkingparticle.com

White to me has almost the same meaning as it has to the world. It is pure, pristine, clean and ...neutral....and I have recently discovered that white funnily enough, also acts like a time-machine! Well I am not sure whether it was the colour white or the snow but it has definitely given me a very good idea for my next collection. I will try to keep the idea to myself for now but will share with you this picture...keep guessing!

Pic Courtesy: Google

Going Green!

I have never been in a tropical forest, but when I read descriptions of some, this is what I can see with my mind’s eye...Lush green foliage in different shapes, sizes and shades...Greens so bright yet balanced that no other colour is needed to break it...Green that creates a fresh tranquil atmosphere for the body and the soul...Green to me is by far the most relaxing colour. It is pleasing to the eye and to the mind. It encourages a natural calm and brings a sense of serenity and peace of mind...



Photo by: Dita



Although green is the most relaxing colour to the eye, it has historically had some very contradictory meanings. To some green symbolizes hope and growth, while to others it is associated with death and sickness. The most common associations, however, are found in its ties to nature. On the one hand green is associated with regeneration, fertility and rebirth while on the other it is used to describe anyone young, inexperienced, or gullible! Wonder whether it would be a complement to call somebody green because she is young and naive or would she take it to be a derogatory comment because it implies that she is gullible and inexperienced?

Whatever the case maybe we cannot discount the fact that green is the favoured colour of interior designers because of its calming nature. Even though it may mean different things to different people it no doubt has a relaxing effect to the eye and to the mind and is therefore often preferred.

Photo Courtsey:

http://www.theinnovationdiaries.com/1795/go-green-at-home/

Another obvious thing that pops into my mind as I speak about green is GOING GREEN!!! I try to be good and do my bit to reduce my carbon footprint and encourage I&J to do the same... 5 things that I  try to do on a regular basis are:

1.I switch off lights behind me

2.I don’t keep the tap on when brushing my teeth and take quick showers (well I can’t actually afford longer showers for other reasons as well)

3.I do not drink bottled water.

4.I do not put batteries or electronics in the trash and

5.I make good use of the recycle bin

I hope that one day, when I am able to plan my dream trip to a tropical oasis to enjoy the tranquillity and peace of mind; I will be content in my mind that I have done my bit to save the forests! What do you do to reduce your carbon footprint? Do you do all of the above (obvious and very easy ones) and some more?



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Blue...

On our several drives up the Great Ocean Road, I often tried to capture the brilliance of the blue seas through my lenses....but every time I laid down on my stomach on the edge of a jutting cliff to click away, I always ended up with bits of wild foliage sticking into the frame. This painting is a celebration of the mirth of those dancing leaves and branches which were often times just weeds in the crazy sea wind...

Photo By: Dita

Blue was a latecomer among colours used in art and decoration. Warm earthy colours like reds, browns, and ochres are found even in Paleolithic cave paintings but not blue. Even when man started to dye fabrics, blue was the last colour to be introduced. This is probably due to the difficulty of making good blue dyes and pigments. The earliest known blue dyes were made from plants like woad in Europe and indigo in Asia and Africa. Blue pigments on the other hand were made from expensive minerals like lapis lazuli or azurite. It therefore slowly became a luxury colour and was used sparingly until synthetic ways of creating the colour was introduced. Oriental vases, with their beautiful blue scroll work, are by far my most favourite bit of tangible history that features the colour blue.

Photo Courtesy: Chinese-treasures.net

Artists recognised the emotional power of blue and often made it the central element of paintings.  Washed out shades of it, is often used to create a melancholic mood along with green with no warm tones at all. I wonder if this has any link to the etymology of the phrase ‘Monday Morning Blues’!

I however, do not believe in washed out shades, neither do I dwell in melancholy! Blue to me is the brilliance of the sea in the sun, the depth of the sky on a perfect day...it is the sense of ‘ahhh’ that I feel when I look out of the window of my car in a road trip and I remember, when we were little and Ma Baba used to take us to the city in the local train...I used to sit by the window, gaze out into the open sky and get lost in my world of imagination...it was this blue! ...the brilliant blue that still gives me a sense of comfort and makes it easy for me to quickly forget the mundane day to day and get lost in my world....the world that is always bright, happy and NOW brimming with memories...



Photo Courtesy: Aurobindo Banerjee