Five of the Finest

The first meeting about the event was held on one Saturday and we were all set-up and open by the next...that is how crazy we artists are...And I thank God that we are like that...And I am emphasing the 'we' here because I am somewhat pleased (almost glad) to know that I am not the only artist that has crazy ideas and likes to run with them...I now know for a fact that there are at least 4 more of them on this earth!

Yes I am talking about about the 'Five of the Finest'! It is a collaborative art exhibition cum sale organised and run by 5 artists residing in the West of Melbourne. (For details click here)

It all happened when I was having tea with 'M' one fine afternoon. I was, as usual  thinking aloud and then like magic the thoughts took shape and out came my trustee 'to do' diary. (Trust me, that diary lists things like... 'Buy 1 kg Carrot' and 'Visit the Northern Lights' all in the same page!) I scribbled down a few ideas and there I was planning and plotting in my mind the whole evening! I woke up in the middle of the night with complex plans going on in my head and could not go back to sleep...it was like 200 excited kids talking at the same time inside my brain!

The next day I walked into the management office of the venue and then it all fell into place quite rapidly...It was unreal!  I then had the task of  getting a few fellow artists on-board!

That Saturday afternoon with a group of artists at the local cafe was the most enlightning time I have had in years! The feeling of being in the same boat, the realisation that I don't think 'like that' alone, the mere acceptance of the idea, and the gratitude of the others all lead to a state of euporia that fueled an extreme energy. The energy to push myself (beyond my normal 40 hrs job and home-front with M, I and J) to get this whole event organised in less than a week.

Thanks to all that have been involved the exhibition is now OPEN!
Below is a photograph of the Five Crazy Artists at the Launch Party!

From left - Uma Barry, Anindita Banerjee (Dita), Janet Knight, Ivana Pinaffo, Virginia Coghill

Volatile Melancholy

There are so many things in life that I choose not to think about in whole...but when I actually do think about them I get so melancholic that often packing them away in the out-of-reach, out-of-sight, top-most shelf seems to be the best way to go. 

Baba has very willingly stayed back a few extra weeks to take care of I while he waits for school to start so that M and me could go back to work after the Christmas break. Yes you heard right. School! Little I starts 'big-boys' school this year. Time flies. Just the other day Ma was down in Chicago to help me out for the first few weeks after I was born! And now as if with a blink that little fellow is getting ready for school. In no time he will be off to Uni and then will be off to his own place, pursuing his own life and we will be Empty Nesters like Ma and Baba.

And when I come to think of it, Baba got the time to stay back and spend some extra time with us because he has voluntarily retired! But I almost wish he didn't. Not because the extra years of service would be of some financial gain to him or it would keep him busy or anything like that...just because the selfish me would still get to live with the comfort of knowing that my parents are still young and far away from being 'OLD'. Being old has so many different meanings at so many different levels...I don't even want to go there! 

And then when I actually pack these thoughts away it does not look so bleak and forlorn anymore. I is growing up (fast) to be the perfect 'son' that everybody hopes to have. And he is lucky to get to spend this time with his grand-dad. It is that special time of his life which he will probably remember only snippets of, but they sure will be fond memories of a summer well spent! And Baba is able to spend this time with him only because he does not have to go back to his 9am-5pm life and I am sure he will agree that this 'job' is far more exciting and rewarding at the same time.

 

I was lost in these thoughts when I was working on this painting of mine. The sudden bright golds and the foggy silver envelope the tall weeds as if entwining my fleeting thoughts and ephemeral melancholy and capturing them forever liberating me to spring back to my normal joyous self!

 

 



Volatile Melancholy by Dita



What's your resolution for 2013?

I read the following somewhere...

A small truth to make our Life 100% successful

If A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Is equal to 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Then:
H+A+R+D+W+O+R+K­ = 8+1+18+4+23+15+­18+11 = 98 (%)

K+N+O+W+L+E+D+G­+E = 11+14+15+23+12+­5+4+7+5 = 96%

L+O+V+E=12+15+22+5=54%

L+U+C+K =12+21+3+11 = 47%

None of them make 100% Then what makes 100% ?

Is it Money? NO!

Leadership? NO!

Every problem has a solution, only if we perhaps change our "ATTITUDE".

It is OUR ATTITUDE towards Life and Work that makes OUR Life 100% Successful..

A+T+T+I+T+U+D+E­ =1+20+20+9+20+21­+4+5 = 100%

...and it got me thinking...Isn't this so true?...The numbers and the calculations maybe just a complicated way of proving the point but the fact makes perfect sense...it is one's attitude that makes or breaks him...What I can do is what I believe I can do!

If I was to decide what colour defines ATTITUDE I dont think I would be able to do it as attitude to me is a relative term...How I tackle each situation that life throws at me varies...each mood significantly different...each conception distinct and each notion disparate! I have tried to capture this essence in this painting of mine...

ATTITUDE towards life by Dita

At the beginning of this new year I therefore resolve to continue with my 'can do' attitude and perhaps do more than I think I can...What is your most important resolution for 2013?

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!

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



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?

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?



Free-desktop-backgrounds.net

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



The Rainbow

The Rainbow has always been a thing of mystery and awe!...To some it is the path made by a messenger from heaven to earth, to others it is a slit in the sky sealed by a goddess. Whatever the belief is, the rainbow always seems to connect the known to the unknown, the real to the unreal. And, the end of the rainbow is a secret hiding place for the pot of gold. A place that is impossible to reach...


Photo Courtesy: Zazzle.com

My passion for colours and painting is my secret hiding place of my ever-bursting emotions. It is where I make the in-tangible tangible, the unknown known...it is where I can say that orange is the pure sense of joy that I feel when I&J give me a warm hug, it is where I can say that red is the love I feel for M when he unloads the dishwasher, it is where I say that purple is the secret desire of my heart and blue is the the fresh scent of spring!



THE RAINBOW COLLECTION Photo By: Dita

I am not in search of the end of the rainbow...I am here to enjoy the journey. The journey of life which I prefer to see through rainbow lenses. And I will share with you every colour of life, the ups and downs, the goods and the bads, the defined and the abstract!

In tune with all of this I have named my first ever formal collection of paintings - The Rainbow Collection. On the left is a sneak peek of what is to follow in my next posts.