Friday, 3 June 2011

Creative outdoors

You'll be shocked to see what my cousin Lesley did to his balcony ... Is this creative or what? An aspiring commercial pilot by profession... Who would say, he is not an artist or a designer??
This is the balcony of his apartment here in Sharjah... The Buddha is hand painted by Lee!! *surprised* .... I was too!! *smiles*
Then he went ahead and painted the other walls of his 13th floor balcony too... Here is a brick effect...
some more passionate bricks... and patterns...
I'm linking in to these blog parties!!
The yellow thing in the bottom image, he picked from the bin... It was brown in colour.. He doesn't even know what its really meant to be... But to him.. his creepers will eventually grow on it... He painted it yellow... and it looks perfect against the dark brown wall...
I'm truly super impressed... and I hope you are too...
Did you like his work of art?? Awesome!! Isn't it??
'In the spotlight' for the month of June is Buddha Scapes ... hope you are linking in!!

Thursday, 2 June 2011

...Art for a Social Cause...

Hello everyone...Do you remember reading the post on Padmaja Madhu's murals and paintings on Colours Dekor? You can find it here and here. I was so captivated by the images, that I immediately hopped onto Padmaja's blog and sent her an email. The very next day, she responded back and over phone calls, emails and family visits (She is located in Mumbai), we became good friends.

Padmaja is blessed with this innate sense of color, proportion and a penchant to detail,...but what stands out are the subjects, that she chooses to paint, be it a traditional mural, a landscape, or a figurative abstract...Themes that make you ponder,...Pieces of introspection and conversation, that you want to discuss over a cuppa of chai,...Or you are awestruck at the spirituality that shines through, in her traditional pieces. Most importantly, all of her Art is for a Social cause - the monies are utilized to provide education to financially under-privledged children, who want to study. Isn't this wounderful! A lady, who is making use of her talent, to contribute back to the community! She is doing her small bit, by ensuring these kids have a good future, ahead of them. Listening to some of her experiences and the happiness shared by the parents, I had tears in my eyes. I love her paintings, but I respect her more for the individual she is. Way to go Padmaja!

I have 6 of Padmaja's paintings at home,...and one day, it suddenly dawned on me that a Padmaja painting would be a precious gift for my brother. My brother and Padmaja worked on the subject and what followed was a beautiful Laxmi Narayana painting. I was very curious on my brother's reaction to the painting when he finally saw it 3 weeks ago at her Mumbai home. He was plainly Stunned, Speechless and Captivated!...*smile*. He told me that the picture attached didn't do justice *smile*...it was far more beautiful! The Laxmi Narayana faces were luminescent!...*more smiles*. I am including the painting below and another that Padmaja made on a commission. You can contact Padmaja at padsart@gmail.com, and don't forget to check out her paintings on her blog...her latest 'An Extra mile' is a wowie!! and her 'The Diamonds or the Silver?'...I want you to see it for yourself...

Padmaja M's Laxmi Narayana painting ... Padmaja M's Ganesha painting ... ...the first painting is a gift from Padmaja, on what we both do best, aptly named 'Conversation'. I made the Rajasthani painting, to give company to the first...*smile* ...a conversation area at home... with the two paintings... Hope you enjoyed the post...Adios until next week.

Contributed by

~ ~ Anpu

Wednesday, 1 June 2011

Guest post at CreationS

Have you seen my guest post at CreationS - The Essence of Arts ... featuring a few wall paintings... I'm still dreaming of painting lotus' on the wall.. *sigh*.. Only if I had two more hours in a day!!
CreationS is celebrating their first birthday... with this give away...
So go on and comment on her Birthday Post, for a chance to win... Dont forget to 'follow her' blog, as the paintings are simply gorgeous... and Rachana is super talented!!
Happy Birthday to you!!

In the Spotlight ~ Buddha Scapes

In the spot light for June is ‘Buddha Scapes’ ~
Do not dwell in the past,
do not dream of the future,
concentrate the mind on the present moment.
~ Buddha
The word Buddha literally means ‘the awakened one’ – someone who has complete knowledge and can see the universe as it really is!! Buddhism to me is a discipline and is a small part of my heart.
One of the teachings is that ‘everything is linked’ and ‘the law of cause & effect’. This I think is where the idea of ‘karma’ comes in, what we give, is what we shall receive and vice versa. Our thoughts & actions determine the kind of life we can have.
I try every single day, to make a small difference to someone’s life, to do something good, to have complete control on my emotions and a bigger control over the words that come out of my mouth.
And this is where ‘Buddha’ plays an important role in my home. I love the serenity and calm on his face… The above are my outdoor corners of tranquil..
Now I’m taking you back indoors.. to show you how I’ve tried bringing in the lotus theme to ‘Buddha corners’…

This is my new find.. ‘my Buddha – light & fountain corner’… The Jhoola (swing) was the first piece of furniture my hubby & I purchased… so its ‘my special’ corner… And now with the Buddha and the sound of the fountain… its my favourite place for some calm in the evenings… *sigh*
So are you joining in for the June ‘In the Spotlight’ series… of ‘Buddha Scapes’… Show off the ‘Buddha’ corners of your home…. or share a ‘zen’ book, share some quotes or spiritual guidance… or simply tell me what ‘Buddha Scapes’ means to you… Go on and link in… *smiles*

Colours Dekor