Wednesday, February 25, 2009

man and woman...from 1995..


woman: acrylic on paper, 1995

man: acrylic on paper, 1995

These are some of my earliest works. I dont know who have them right now. These were the paintings that made me believe, that I can paint and that I can put into paper the images that inhibit the dark alleys of the mind.


Monday, February 23, 2009

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Head


Head: Ball point pen on paper, 2003

Between 2001 and 2004 I did around thirty works and most of them were heads similar to this. I even had dreams in which people had heads like this with large cut on the top and blood running down the face etc.

sarpakaav.


Sarpakaav: untitled: 15 inches X 11 inches, acrylic on paper. no:b18feb09

In Kerala where I came from, Sarpakaavu is a sacred area, a plot of land, which is left undisturbed for serpent gods of Hindu pantheon.

For starters go here to find more about Sarpakaav.

Though a christian my mother's home as well as the house at their farm had Sarpakaavs. As kids we were really scared to enter or even stand in front of these sacred groves. We were scared of the sight of the snakes , as well as the magical stories associated with these two places that circulated in my moms family. In one of the Kaavs there was a huge palm tree which is said be the abode of a Yakshi. Only my grand mother goes inside these groves to clean the place . Once, while cleaning it, she suddenly stood still for several minutes. Watching this, we kids were frozen too with our mouths dry as paper. After sometime she relaxed and continued with her job. Later she told us that she saw a golden sarpam or serpent only one feet long. Serpents, it is told in our family that, as they grow, would turn into golden colour, shorten in length and their poison will become very potent so much so that even if one touches you, you are sure to die. Grand mother alway mixed facts with fiction in her talk but we believed every word of it.
Though we dont worship snakes, my grandfather never allowed anyone to kill them. It was believed that there were rat snakes, cobras, kraits and vipers in these groves. The one at the ancestral house occupied about three thousand to five thousand square feet of land which was like a section from a tropical forest.

In the early 2000's my maternal uncles cleared these groves during the partition of the properties, much to the dismay of both the grandparents.

Christ


Head-Jesus: acrylic on corrugated paper ,1996

Very old work, now in a friends collection. This was done without any plan as with most of my work. I still dont know why the childish surprise in his eyes, the blue fish like thing echoeing the curve of his neck or even the green colour. Still I love this work a lot.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

face


Faces: 3 inches X 3 1/2 inches, acrylic on paper. no:e27dec08

face


Faces: 3 inches X 3 1/2 inches, acrylic on paper. no:d27dec08

faces


Faces: 3 inches X 3 3/4 inches, acrylic on paper. no:c27dec08

faces


Faces: 3 inches X 3 3/4 inches, acrylic on paper. no:b27dec08

faces


Faces: 3 inches X 4 inches. acrylic on paper. no:a27dec08

This series were done while sadly watching the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack and I dedicate them to the victims of this horrible act.

Monday, February 16, 2009

untitled


untitled: 5 inches X 8 1/2 inches, acrylic on paper. no:d15feb09

gifted to Samir and his wife on their 1st wedding anniversary.

untitled


untitled:5 1/4 inches X 7 1/2 inches, acrylic on paper. no:e15feb09

untitled


untitled: 5 1/4 inches X 7 inches, acrylic on paper, 2009. no:c15feb09

Sunday, February 15, 2009

untitled


untitled: 5 1/2 inches X 7 !/2 inches, acrylic on paper, 2009. no:b15feb09

untitled..


untitled:7 1/2 inches X 5 1/2 inches, acrylic on paper. 2009 no:a15fe08

I have started a series of abstract painting from yesterday as an excercise on colour and shape. These are inspired by abstract expressionism,Japanese brush art, Hindu temples in Kerala and the motifs and colour that I found in traditional Indian silk saris .For inspiration I just have to open my mothers almirah! My wife's sari collection is modest compared to my mom's and sister's.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Lotus...



This is a concept art for something I planned to do on wooden panel. Lotus is emblematic of Buddhism and Buddha whose teachings I am really interested in. I want to create something which represent the sudden explosion of perception Siddharta attained that made him Buddha. I am of the opinion that there was nothing divine about this and could be explained by science in the future if not now.

Same thing goes for the creation of art.

flower



blossom: 4 inch x 3 inch, acrylic on paper. 2009

I thought that the image of a flower would be a great way to start this blog. It also make sense because feb 14 th (valentine's day as well as my daugter Anna's birthday) is around the corner.