Windows In and Out

Temple Window

Do-Something-Everyday, July 31, 2016

Window is the theme at Our Beautiful World this week --a theme with infinite possibilities. Here are mine:

The one above is one of the many windows that adorn the Hindu temple where I worship. These windows are heavily decorated and built according to the specifications of Agama Shastras (sacred Hindu texts on temple architecture). 

The one below is in my studio that overlooks the backyard. It is an excellent blind to observe backyard birds.

Below, one of the many buildings in the historic downtown, Santa Fe.

 Below, entrance to Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Santa Fe

Below, a stained glass window at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art.

 Below, a medieval Islamic style window at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Thanks for visiting.

Zentangle Circle

Do-Something-Everyday, July 29, 2016

This week at I am the Diva czt, the challenges is to create a tangle using circle/s.  Mine is a yinyang (the infinite circle) and I tangled around it that created additional tangles. This zia was created by me using hot tips (woodburning) on a wood panel. To make the tangle pop, I added a wash of turquoise around it.

Thanks for visiting.

Linked to Paint Party Friday. Thanks to Eve and Kristen for hosting.

C is for Chutney

Do-Something-Everyday, July 26, 2016

It is letter C at the ABC Wednesday Challenge. For this challenge, I chose chutney. If you have ever eaten in an Indian restaurant you will recognize the word. It is the sauce that is served with those tasty fried appetizers. Though chutneys come in many flavors, the green chutney (which is made of cilantro) and sweet and sour chutney (made of dates and tamarind) are the most prevalent here in the US. Chutney became part of the British lexicon during the British Raj when it became a favorite spread for the dainty sandwiches they eat along with the afternoon tea. You will actually find the word in the print edition of the Oxford English Dictionary.

I made the chutneys and the fritters you see here.

Thanks for visiting.

Hazy Lazy Summer Days

Do-Something-Everyday, July 24, 2016.

Linked to Image-in-ing

The temperatures have been hitting the 90s for several days now and this hot weather is expected to continue unabated this week. While humans have been wilting and the competition between the birds at the bird bath has been fierce, the summer flowers have been blooming brightly and cheerfully. It is the season for day lilies and Rose of Sharon in my backyard. Surprisingly, there was this one lonely magnolia blooming in the middle of summer!

 

On Friday, I made this cut paper art to celebrate the full moon that occurred the previous Tuesday. The July moon is a special event in some of the Eastern religious traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Known as Guru Poornima, it is a day for honoring gurus (teachers).

On Saturday, we took a car trip to the Amish country, a 2 1/2 hour drive from where I live. We went to a furniture shop and saw some very lovely handmade furniture though we did not get what we were looking for. Then we went to indoors farmer's market at Bird-in-Hand (yes, that is the name of the town) which was rather meager on fresh produce but had booths filled with packaged food and handmade crafts.

On Sunday, as I finished cooking dinner I noticed that the two dishes that I made to accompany the rotis were matched in color (red and green)!

Thanks for visiting.

Butterfly Season

Do-Something-Everyday, July 21, 2016

It is summer which means that butterflies are here. New Jersey has its  share of native butterflies (about eighteen), but only a few show up in my garden and every year they are different. This year I am seeing  a lot more Cabbage White butterflies. Last year it was the  Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. One year, there was the Red Admiral which looked like a second cousin of the Monarch butterfly. The images of past and present inspired me to create the butterfly soaked art above. For this piece, I did the initial drawing using pyrographic tools. I used transparent watercolors for the painting. I like how it has turned. I posted the image on Instagram and Facebook and got lots of "likes". It is available in my Etsy shop here.

Below are a couple of photos of real butterflies.

Thanks for visiting. Linked to Paint Party Friday and Art Journal Journey.

Moving Tangles

Do-Something-Everyday, July 19, 2016

This weeks challenge at I am the Diva is to tangle a tile while moving. When I created the above tangle I was not moving but the paper was. There was a sudden thunderstorm with gusty wind that blew through the window. I had to hold the paper down with my left hand while tangling with the right. There are a lot of squiggly wavy lines there.

The one below is all stillness. Visits our yard every afternoon. Don't know why since there is not much to eat. But there are many birdbaths. Maybe he comes to quench his thirst. He is very quiet and stealthy. Tiniest sound has him scurrying away.

Thanks for stopping by.

B is For Backyard Birds

Do-Something-Everyday,July 18, 2016

It is letter B at ABC of Wednesday. Mine is an alliteration---Backyard Birds. It is another hot and humid summer season here in the Garden State. But the perennials are blooming and attracting their share of birds, bees and the butterflies. Last week I saw a lovely American goldfinch (New Jersey's state bird) perched on a seed head of a huge purple coneflower. I watched it through the window. Later on, I did a watercolor version of it (last photo below). That was not enough for me. I drew it on wood using a wood-burning tool (below). Finally, I created a  paper-cut version of it (above). Each one was challenging in its own way but I like all of them.

Linked to ABC Wednesday and Art Journal Journey.

Thanks for visiting.

A Beautiful World Green

Do-Something-Everyday, July 17, 2016

This week's theme is Green at Our Beautiful World Photography Challenge. Green is color, of course. In painting, green is a secondary color that can be created by mixing yellow and blue. Green also means someone inexperienced or  someone who cares about environment or someone who is envious of something. Then there are fictional characters that are famously green  (Kermit the frog and Incredible Hulk).

Today, I am focusing on green as in nature. All the photos shown here are of my front yard on a very hot summer day. Enjoy.

Thanks for visiting. Linked to Our Beautiful World and Image-in-ing.

A is for Artist

Do-Something-Everyday, July 12, 2016

It is letter A in ABC Wednesday, Round 19 challenge. My word for letter A is Artist which I aspire to be. I create art everyday and I hope that my artistic creations will get attention and acclamation.

Thanks for visiting. All the paintings are inspired by the plants and flowers in my garden.

Speaking of acclamation, my yoga art was published in the July issue of Uppercase magazine.

Linked to ABC Wednesday; Art Journal Journey and Paint Party Friday.

Play

Do-Something-Everyday, July 10, 2016

There is something completely refreshing watching birds play. Backyard birds in action.

Linked to Our Beautiful World and Image-in-ing.

In my Garden There are Birds and Flowers

Do-Something-Everyday, July 4, 2016

Happy 4th of July to all my US readers. It is a glorious summer day and the day lilies, rudbeckias and echinacea  are in full bloom. A couple of days ago, I spotted a goldfinch (also the state bird of New Jersey where I live) flew in and perched on top of the seed head of an echinacea . I did not take a photo but decided to capture it on paper. While I was painting a charming scene, I remembered Fabritius' chained Goldfinch. I have only a seen a photo of it but in Donna Tartt's novel The Goldfinch (which I have read) it is a major character that drives the story. Have any of you seen the actual painting or read the book? The book won the Pulitzer prize but I found it to be overlong and overwritten. The most compelling part is first section of the book and the most tedious is the last one.

Linked to Art Journal Journey July challenge.

Thanks for visiting.

Bits 'n' Pieces

Do-Something-Everyday, July 3, 2016

Bits and pieces of backyard detritus and painted rocks. Linked to Our Beautiful World this week's theme Bits 'n' Pieces. 

Also linked to Image-in-ing.