Rains again.

This is a painting done today inspired by the continuous rains we have been having for the past couple of days.Done on paper oil colours and pen Here we have the group watching Venu painting at the workshop.:)

The one day camp-'rain drops.'

Took part in the one day artists camp at 'Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan.Here are some photos taken on the day . Sangeetha Unnithan interviews Mathew . Varghese Punalur The beautifully painted' Thumba Poov' by Varghese Punalur. Notice the rain drops? :) Link to an article on the camp in Indian Express is given here.http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEO20070618012455&Page=O&Title=Thiruvananthapuram&Topic=0&

My Sita

Here is a painting done in 1975 by me.

I had 'Sita' in mind when I painted this.

What is outstanding about Sita is her all-round strength.She proved herself many times stronger than her husband.That is what I felt as I started on this work.

Pushed beyond endurance, persevering in the face demeaning insensitivity from the people who should have been her source of strength.She has all the qualities of "mother".She came from 'lap of the earth'. I feel she must be the 'mother earth' the ecologists talk so much about now :).

I have used angular lines and cubist technics to give a feel of strength to the figure.

The birth of Kaali in a column of flame.

This is a pencil drawing done by me today.

Tried to imagine how 'the birth of Kaali ' would be .:)

Kaali is one of the ancient deities of India particularly East and South India.

I have a temple dedicated to this Godess right next door to my home.

If Parvathy or Gowri the consort of Siva is a motherly figure,giver of boons and personification of beauty, kaali who is another form of hers is 'terrible and fearsome,naked-with matted hair and skin colored black ,adorns herself with skulls and body parts of the people she slayed and is blood thirsty.Could you have a more gruesome picture?

Legend has it that Kaali was created by Parvathy from her forehead when her son Skanda who was engaged in a terrible battle with a demon Rakthabheeja, sought her help .

Rakthabeeja could not be slayed for if his blood droped to the ground it would turn into another demon.---a new demon from each droplet.So Kaali drank up all the blood that was split as she slayed him and became so intoxicated with all the blood she drank that she ran amuck killing and destroying everything in her way.

So to bring her to her senses Siva ,her husband pretended to be dead and lay on her path .When her feet collided on the 'body' of Siva she regained her equilibrium .

Another story has Siva challenging Kaali to a dance with him and and who ever wins will give in to the other.So we have both of them dancing and Siva lifting up his left leg I think, to adjust his ear ornaments while dancing and Kaali not being able to match that move accepts defeat.:).

So here we have my work in pencil-