Sundial

It was intended to be a simple project: alter a large plain canvas into something that could be hanged over the fireplace. My original plan was to apply a background paint in pink and then cover the entire canvas with doodles using a white puffy paint. In my mind's eye, I had imagined white doodles standing out  brightly against the pink background. Alas, it did not turn out that way. It actually looked depressingly vapid!

So, I glazed the whole painting with a wash of blue. 

It was an improvement from the previous one but still not satisfactory. Then I decided that if I am in for a penny, I might as well be in for a pound. So more layers of doodles and more layers of glazing followed

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After all that,  it still looked like a nicely layered background lacking a focal point. I was reluctant to make it into a collage project since it was a large canvas (36"x 24") and would involve days of work. The idea of adding embroidery (or more like string art) came to me in sleep. The next morning, I started on it as soon as I got up.

After a couple of hours it looked like this. 

It finally felt complete and ready to take its place above the mantelpiece. 

It wasn't a complicated project involving complex techniques. What it needed was lots of creative thinking to bring it together.

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

Embroidery on Canvas Mixed Media Sari Art

Do-Something-Everyday, June 16, 2016

This mixed media art is constructed on a 8" by 10" canvas. At the center is a hand drawn and painted peacock (as you may have guessed, it is one of my favorite birds, in addition to being India's national bird). Around the bird I doodled a dense pattern that adds a great deal of texture. More texture has been given with hand embroidered stitches around the bird which has been embellished with sequins (photo below).

I must confess, it started out differently (see photos below). My original intent was to create this piece on paper (with fabric border) and then mount it on canvas. Half way through, I became dissatisfied with the paper which was too thick and hard to embroider on. So, I ditched the whole thing and started over again this time directly on canvas. I skipped the fabric and instead added doodle on four sides framing the image.

 Thanks for visiting. Linked to Paint Party Friday and Moo Mania.

P.S. Forgot to mention that it is now available for purchase at my Etsy shop.

Electromagnetism: Attraction of Opposites

This is my rendition of the scientific phenomenon known as electromagnetism in a three-dimensional format. The idea for it came after seeing digital rendition of protein molecules in the shape of ribbons, tendrils and corkscrews in the chemistry magazines that my husband, who is a chemist, subscribes to.

Electromagnetism is one of the fundamental forces of nature that regulate the movement of particles. To represent this phenomenon in art form,  I used a stretched canvas, embroidery threads, metallic beads and paints. I edged the borders with a map of the world to emphasize it show its material aspects.

I have also incorporated some zentangle patterns, such as the Golven to add depth to the design. It was not intentional but as I was doing the art, I noticed how these patterns were getting woven into it. Overall, I am pleased with the three dimensionality I have been able to achieve just with hand tools and techniques.

Submitted for I am the Diva Weekly Challenge #61 .

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