Cut Paper Art: Red Whiskered Bulbul

Do-Something-Everyday, May 19, 2016

Today I did a papercut out of a photo I took of a bird on a palm tree while travelling in Wayanad, Kerala. The bird is red whiskered bulbul, a bird common to Kerala. It  is not a particularly spectacular looking bird, but it cast a sweet silhouette against the morning mist shrouding the tree (see below).

What I made for Mother's Day

Instead of going out for lunch, I made kind of a gourmet lunch. First one is tomato-cumber yogurt salad; second is spicy (Indian) kidney beans; third is fried Indian bread. It was a very satisfying lunch.

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Altered Photography: Toddy Tapper

 Do-Something-Everyday, May 6, 2016

While traveling in Wayanad, back in January, I took a series of photos of a toddy trapper climbing a tall palm tree to retrieve the toddy bag. I was standing about 300 yards away and I used the landscape mode on my camera to photograph the action.  The photos captured the line of tall palm trees well but the climber became less of a focal point  amidst the cluster of trees. I wanted to highlight the climber. Here is how I did it.

South Indian Wood Art

Southern India produces beautiful wood crafts and every time I visit my homestate of Tamilnadu in India, I always buy some wood craft items from the local emporium. This time I was also able to buy Kerala wood crafts when I took a trip to Wayanad. The pot above was a plain polished wood piece (see left most photo in the photo collage below). I decorated the surface with Indian folk motifs using Sharpie extra-fine oil makers. I like the way it turned out. All the other wood pieces further below are made of rosewood and inlaid with brass or pieces of animal bones.

Thanks for visiting. Linked to Paint Party Friday. Thanks to Kristin and Eva for hosting.

Year of the Monkey

The Chinese new year begins on February and it is the Year of the Monkey, specifically Fire Monkey. Here is my painting of monkey sitting on a stack of  teacups waiting for the birdie to fly up with the tea bag to commemorate the year. Chai is tea in Indian language.



Last week I posted photos of fauna of Wayanad, Kerala, India. This week I am posting some flora of the place.

Toddy tapper climbing up the palm tree.

Coffee beans fresh and green

Palm trees and coconut trees

Coconut fruits

Tea plantation

Thanks for visiting. Thanks for all those who visited and left comments last week. I always reciprocate except when it is a wordpress blog. For some reason, I am not able to leave a comment even using my Facebook account. I hope to get the problem fixed.

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

India Travels

One of the best highlights of my visit to Chennai, India this month is the 4-day trip to Wayanad with my sister. Wayanad, located in the neighboring state of Kerala is a lush mountainous and fertile region that receives nearly 3000 mm of rains annually. Cash crops such as  coffee, tea, cardamom, pepper and cloves are grown as much in the backyards of individual homes as in big plantations.  The landscape is quite unspoiled even though Wayanad aspires to be a tourist destination. From the mountains to the lakes to free roaming fauna, there is a lot to delight the senses and lift the spirits. 

The sketch above was inspired by the kingfisher I spotted from the balcony of my room at the resort. It stationed itself on the wood stump by the lake for more than an hour trying to catch a fish, alas without luck. So, I took the artistic liberty of giving it the catch.

Below are some of the photos of the fauna that I took. Enjoy.

This female elephant was placidly grazing by the roadside when it got spooked by the sound of her jeep. She lumbered off to join the calf behind the bush.

Male elephant.

Elephant herd from a distance.

Male and female Indian spotted deer.

Egrets, storks and herons by the mucky lotus pond.

I was very circumspect when I took these pictures of the monkeys at the park. These monkeys hang around humans and know their ways. I was worried that the monkey would get upset at my taking its picture and snatch my camera!

Finally, a few snapshots of the kingfisher that inspired the sketch above.

Thanks for visiting. Linked to Paint Party Friday.