Sunny Embrace

After about a decade, I finally picked up a set of colourful threads and a needle and began work, thanks to the propelling from two of my friends, Nandini and Vidya who promised to keep me motivated. While this was initially supposed to be a cushion-cover, it turned out to be much too complicated to be put off as that (so my two teachers said and stayed the initial motivation!).

I went over-the-top in making this piece - at times it felt intimidating! I had fun in the 6 months that this took to make - no, not every day and just a few minutes on the days that I sat with it! Thoroughly joyful to make it, rediscover embroidery and finally gift it to a dear friend... yay!

Peacock in Splendour

This piece took its own sweet time to make - the colour-scheme confused me! At first I wanted it to have pinks and purples and that particular light blue (which was a discovery I made in the school's thread-cupboard!). But I had to finally give in to my instinct of the mismatch that the pink was to the beige of the background. While most thought that it was silly to even think of unstitching so much of the pink, I decided to do what it takes to be proud of a little piece of art. Working more feverishly than I had planned, it was completed in no time - and gifted to my proud Mom-in-law even faster! (Double-yay!)

And that was the other little story. When I went home this summer, I found my Mom-in-law at the brink of a massive embroidery project herself - a whole bed-cover! What I thought was inspiring, turned out to be intimidating to her; after all, she hadn't picked up the needle and thread in the last 35 years! We spent a few days figuring out the colour-scheme of her magnum opus (to-be!), ran around in a sweltering summer afternoon in Chennai looking for the threads and finalised on the stitches that she would use. She turned out to be a diligent student who had been (believe it or not!) putting in hours of graft and toil ever since, referring to this piece (above) as a ready reckoner for the stitches that she needs to use in her own piece!

Her child- enthusiasm is infectious to say the least! And her diligence to become a student again is humbling...

Primary Colours

Ecologically yours affectionately...

These are perhaps the first two paintings in years that I have made without ANY reference pictures. I thought it would be more difficult than this - but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed painting these. These pictures are part of a presentation that a teacher needs to make for little kids to introducs/remind them of the difference between an artifical, mechanised, interfered world and one that is left to work on its own.

The first picture's got a perfect produce - the end product that all our energies are focussed upon - but lifeless, dull flora and fauna. The second picture shows the diversity and vibrance in a natural environment where the produce is more diverse, as rich, but perhaps takes somewhat longer to grow. There are other subtle differences that I'd rather not point out. Of course, the shadow of the photographer in the second one is one of them :)

Hmmm... now for the splash of colour for my perky friend!

Poised

This was a piece I had made long back because of a forwarded mail that had the picture of the head of a peacock. It suddenly dawned on me that all this while, I had rarely paid attention to the expressiveeyes of the bird. I couldn't conjure up a picture of the expressions of a peacock in my mind. I guess it's true - tagsstay. I've only known of the plume of the peacock that marks the celebration of rain. Oh the cliche of an image, the harangue of a reference!

What would a picture of a peacock be that introduces the bird - sans the burden of the cliche? How would the peacock feel if I stripped it off the cliche? Coy with gratitude? Is there anything else that my mind associates the bird with? What would be the sum of my thoughts about that one emotions or expression that only a peacock can be the epitome of? Umm... let me think... Dignity - poised with dignity.

I'm so proud of this picture from my mind's antics... I could hug it everytimeI see it! But do I feel possessive about it? Let me get back to you after once I've gifted it to the friend who wants it worse than I do. See you with this same thread of thought in a month,then! :)