Tata Truck!

Today is Neels 3rd birthday!

I asked Christina what she wanted for his birthday and said "a giraffe.'

I said "I painted the stuffed giraffe last year."

She said "a toy truck or car."

I said, "These paintings are supposed to eventually be in his house when he's older."

"What about a decorated truck?"

I said "perfect", she sent photos.

"You only want the back of the truck?"

She had sent photos of the backs which typically say horn please or use dipper at night.

This is Indian tradition to honk when overtaking a truck.

"No, the whole truck."

I sent two photos and she picked this truck, which was my favorite!

The drawing is how I started out.

Why are the trucks decorated?

These men basically live in their vehicles 10 months out of the year.

So, the truck becomes their home away from home.

Outfitted with bunk beds and photos of loved ones, they are a reminder of home.

They have bangles on them frequently to remind them of their wives and children.

Sometimes the inside of the truck is as decorated as the outside.

The trucks allow the men to stand out.

There can be political affiliation, Bollywood figures, God's and Goddesses, and animals.

There may also be demon faces or shoes tied to the bottom to scare away the evil eye.

All on the outside of the truck along with lots of fringe and tassels, also to keep spirits away.

Sometimes the trucks are also sometimes ridiculously overloaded.

They are truly roaming works of art.

The art form is in danger of not happening anymore.

The families that have painted the trucks for generations are getting older and they are not encouraging the children to follow in their footsteps.

Decals and stickers are becoming more of the normal now.

This is one hour into the piece, blocking main colors.

This is the end of hour two, more blocking and some decorations

The end of hour three, starting to push values and decorate.

Finished painting after about four hours.

Interesting fact about New Delhi, the trucks are not allowed into the city until about 9:30 at night.

This is to cut down on congestion in the city which is horrendous.

Consequently, it means your delivery may be made at 10:00 at night!

Happy birthday Neel! I cannot believe you're three now!

Tata truck, Acrylic on canvas, 6x6 inches

Day 69 of the 100 days, 100 paintings, 2021

 

Welcome Little One!

For those of you that are familiar with my story this will not be a surprise.

I have a daughter living in India full time.

She was married in a beautiful week of ceremonies in India as well.

She lives with her husband's parents as this is the way in their country.

Almost three years ago, she gave birth to our second grandson in September.

Neel is now a big brother!

Dahlia was born about 10:30pm India time.

The photos I've seen of her are a beautiful baby girl!

We now have a granddaughter.

I am in so much trouble as I adore girls.

I will have to resist buying out the stores for little girl items.

Mom, daughter, and husband are all doing well.

Praying for protection from Covid for all while in the hospital.

Meanwhile, I paint!

Today's piece belongs to her when she leaves home for her own place in the world.

This is the painting for her day of birth.

Neel's was a pair of Parrots in a tree I photographed at the Taj Mahal.

I painted it while in India working in daddy's office.

Archer's was a blue crab painted in the waiting room at the hospital.

A baby Indian elephant playing in the water is Dahlia's.

Each year on their birthday, I paint another piece to add to their collection

 and each one is dated with the year of completion.

Welcome Dahlia!

Welcome Little one!, Acrylic on canvas, 6 x 6

Day 35 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2021

 

The Beach at Goa

                        "The Beach at Goa" will finish the series from India. I have enjoyed my "visit" and may even return to it during the 100 days. This painting is based on a photograph taken by my daughter Christina while on one of her trips. She tells me the water was not wuite this blue, more root beer in color. The photo was taken on a gray day as well, so maybe the water was prettier than she remembers.

                       "The Beach at Goa" 24 x 36 acrylic on canvas $295.00

                            Rangoli Blue is the last of the Rangoli series. The show was fun to create but I miss the sea. The next few days you will see are still a part of the show at Blue Velvet Studio, but do involve the sea.  They are paintings of Goa, a beach resort on the ocean popular with vacationers and honeymoon couples as well.

                          I enjoyed the painting of this one as it involved a lot of Dot technique. The dots are easy if you are patient, carefully dipping the end of your brush into the paint each time to make the dots even and somewhat raised from the canvas. The  Rangolis were accepted well at the show, with the peacock Gemini the favorite. Several people also loved the Brilliant Peacock as well.
                        
                          This show makes me look forward to going to India and following the footsteps of my daughter as she has been there three times before. I will enjoy seeing the country through her eyes and her boyfriend, Bappa.
     
                         Rangoli Blue, 8x8 Acrylic on canvas

Rangoli Star & Rangoli Butterflies

                      The post for today is a catch up day because my life just can't get more complicated. I am finding the time to paint, but not finding time to post. For those of you that read the blog, I offer sincere regrets. On to today's and Friday's posts!

                      Rangoli Star is another in the series of paintings that is for the show at Blue Velvet Gallery in Mobile, Alabama. It is the one at the top with the lavender background. The show at BVS went well on Friday night with bolly wood music playing and lots of friends old and new coming out to see what was happening. Artwalk was wet, but that did not slow down the crowds that came. I am always amazed at what people like to see as art and we showed them  a new form with pigment throwing at models wearing white outfits. The people attending had great fun getting the models covered in pigments, althought the dry paint did not stick well on the models dry clothing. Oh well, live and learn, maybe it will go over better the next time (if there is one!)

                      Rangoli Butterflies is one of my favorites with lavender and reds contrasting nicely with the golden yellow background. The rangoli have been fun to paint, but I miss my sea life and I can't wait to visit the sea again! Soon dear readers soon, my thoughts will come home from India and the wonderful colors offered by the paintings based on Rangolis.

                     Rangoli Star & Rangoli Butterflies both 8x8 acrylic on canvas.

Rangoli Yellow~Rangoli Green

Two simple names for two not so simple paintings! The Rangoli paintings are very precise little works of art with a lot of detail. While fun to paint, they are tight and time consuming. It does not make me want to paint them any less though, and these were fun!

Don't forget, Blue Velvets Show Rangoli~Colors of India is tommorow night at Artwalk in Mobile, Al. This show has been fun to create and I am sure even more fun to show! Come out and see the colors and paintings inspired by India!

Rangoli Yellow~Rangoli Green each 8x8 Acrylic on canvas 

Peacock Gemini

             Called Peacock Gemini in honor of my daughter, Jessica Chavez Price. She is a gemini and definetly has two sides to her. Each side is equally wonderful, but different.
             I love the colors in this painting and how they work with each other. color is what the Rangolis are known for. Rangoli are wonderful rice paintings put by the doors of their homes during the festival of Diwali in the fall. They are careful "paintings" done with colored rice. It is a festival I have explored and hopefully someday hope to see in person.
"Peacock Gemini" 8 x 8 Acrylic on canvas

Rangoli Fish Jubilee

                How appropriate that I would paint fish in a rangoli! I was quite taken with this design and it went rapidly after I started it. I love the bright beautiful colors that reflect my thoughts of living on the eastern shore.
            
                      Our coastline here alsong the Mobile Bay is one of two places in the world that has a phenomenon known as Jubilee. The other place is off the coast of Africa, I think. Back to our jubilee here. Jubilees are caused by  a number of factors coming into play. Temperature of the air, water temperature, and  an eastern breeze are what is required to cause a jubilee. The locals know what to look for, and start gathering up their buckets, gigs, nets and lights.
                    
                        When the jubilee occurs, the cry goes out along the coast, and if you are very lucky, someone calls you and informs you of the happening which usually occurs in the middle of the night. Creatures of all types come rushing to the shoreline, starved for oxygen. Everyone scoops up buckets of crabs, flounder, and fish of several types while avoiding the eels that join into the fray.
               
                       I have yet to experience one of these events, but hope to join in on one this summer, primarily to photograph the people and their catches.
             
 Rangoli Fish Jubilee 8x8 Acrylic on canvas.

Brilliant Beauty

         The central panel from the Rangoli show for Blue Velvet Studio. Things are progressing nicely now, with more pieces coming out of the studio for the 100 days~100 paintings. This one really struck a chord with me as there apparently is a great deal of Rangoli dedicated to Peacocks. This is a detail of one with some additional white work added. I really enjoyed this one even thought the layering of the paint about drove me over the edge. For those of you that paint, you would understand that the transparent colors will really test your mettle. For this one, that is the lime green and the brilliant blues! The paint had to be layered on with at least 4 coats!

Day 4 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2012

"Brilliant Beauty" 24 x 24 Acrylic on canvas. Available this Friday July 13th at Blue Velvet Studio during Artwalk in Mobile Alabama.

Rangoli Dots

                                           A couple of months ago, my youngest daughter Christina called me about a request she had gotten from Blue Velvet Studio. Blue Velvet is a delightful gallery in the heart of Downtown Mobile that started a few short years ago. Karen Cassidy is the owner and wanted to have a space open for artwalks that featured contemporary art in a nice venue. The space is really her home, opened up during artwalks held on the second Friday of every month. I have participated in several of her shows held with wild imagination and loads of fun. These shows included designer clothing, corsets, costumes, hand painted gowns with famous artists works, and blacklight works to mention a few. Her openings are very well attended and always interesting to the public.
                     Back to my daughter, Christina Chavez and our conversation. Karen had asked her about a show for her at the Blue Velvet. Christina did not think she could carry one off by herself so she called and asked if I would participate along with her sister, Jessica Chavez Price. We last did a show together in 2005 at Arts Blanche, another gallery that was a co-op at the time. That show was very small, but featured a Geisha we all three did in our respective styles. We bounced around ideas for this show at BVS and she came up with "Rangoli~Mixtures of Color". This is a not so subtle nod to the love of her life, India. She has a boyfriend there in New Delhi that is a holistic Doctor operating a practice with his father. Christina has been there three times in the past visiting and has fallen in love with the country and his family.
                     I have been having trouble wrapping my head around this theme, but this piece is a literal translation of a Rangoli artwork. I do not promise to do the wonderful pieces that they do in India, as these fantastic designs are done in colored rice on the ground. They are good luck symbols for the festival of Diwali~a festival of lights held in the fall. The Rangoli are placed near doorways as tokens of good luck and some are quite elaborate and beautiful. They all are colorful, and I imagine take hours to create. I will probably add this festival to my "bucket list" of things to go and see before I pass this life. I imagine it is quite spectacular.
                     My piece, Rangoli Dots measures 8 x 8 and is one of 9 canvas, one large and the 8 smaller surrounding it. We hang the show this week so I am visiting India at my easel daily. I have paintings of the Taj Mahal, beach scenes from Goa, and the Rangoli pieces. It makes me want to visit this lovely country my daughter may call home some day.
                     "Rangoli Dots" 8 x 8, acrylic on canvas.