Wandering Mist – Inspiration is everything – Page 14 – Art, Design and Inspiration Unlimited

Sacred Tree – Diptych Oil Painting on Canvas

October 6, 2010 Filed Under: My Paintings By Ishrath Humairah 12 Comments

cleansed by fire
healed in faith
will rise from the ashes
many Sacred Trees.

tender leaves will uncurl
many flowers will bloom
life will soon unfold
midst this dead gloom

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Sacred Tree – 12″ x 36″ – Two Canvas Panels Diptych

This painting is done on two separate canvas panels in oil media. I was thinking of doing this since a long time as I get wasted if I dont paint trees. The trees somehow make themselves appear somewhere in my paintings.

The photograph of the painting makes it look a lot different than what it is, and thats the limitation we have learnt to live with. The canvases can be hung together or separately – it would still convey the whole picture. I would like to see these in a corner of the room where two walls meet.

For now, let me endure this fire pure

A Sahib’s Manual for the Mali – Everyday Gardening in India by Alick Percy Lancaster – Book Review

September 26, 2010 Filed Under: Books By Ishrath Humairah 8 Comments

“Some years ago, a small bundle of ragged, yellowing papers fell into the hands of the Delhi Historian, Dr Narayani Gupta. They were 55-year old copies of a modest informal monthly bulletin called Garden Chat brought out by Alick Percy Lancaster who was then the Superintendent of the Horticultural Operations, Government of India”.

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Thanks to the efforts of the Professor, who had preserved all the original copies of Percy Lancaster’s monthly bulletin, we get to read this delightful book – A Sahib’s Manual for the Mali.

For those who want to start gardening, want more from their gardens or see more flowers and fruits of their efforts, this is the book to read and implement. Devoid of gimmicks and gloss, this book packs in substance and practical information, in the simplest of manner. A Sahib’s Guide for the Mali is a month-by-month gardening manual – a must read for gardeners and flora lovers of India.

A Sahib’s Manual for the Mali is a lovely compilation of monthly instructions and experiences, articles, tips, quotes and poems, written and collected by Alick Percy Lancaster, who was then, in charge of beautifying India’s capital and keeping it resplendent and stunning. Thanks to him, India has some of the finest and huge gardens, laid out in the most aesthetics and scientific way.

Alick Percy Lancaster, whose job profile ranged from planting and maintaining thousands of avenue trees, miles of green hedges, to laying out and caring for gardens, has shared is experiences, experiments, insights, suggestions and learning in a month-by month format.

This is one of the rare sepia-tinted books that has the beauty of eloquent English (as it is written by a old British man who worked in India). The language is pure delight. Deprived of slang, and modernism, it reads like fresh air. Akin to reading Jane Austen works, Percy weaves his tendril magic with words.

There are stories and surprises around every nook and corner. Practical wisdom laced with soul warming thoughts makes this one hard-to-put-down book, esp. if you are in love with plants.

Apart from the instructions for the month, there is information on vegetable gardens, planting trees, weeding, fertilizers, potting and repotting, dealing with pests, making tree guards, ideal tree heights, compost making, organic practices (from the good old days) and more. Needless to say, this book is a lot more relevant in today’s world as we try our best to go-green.

Garden Chat pages were composed in the by-gone era, almost 60 years back. He wrote it in an era wherein onions were 5 annas per seer – the currency and weights that we have no idea of.

Indeed, a lot of time has passed by, garden species have evolved, and our environment has gone from bad to worse. But the book shines through from the sepia tinted era. It re-iterates that there are no short cuts to gardening. And that some things, like love, do not change and last forever.

If you are a farmer, botanist, urban dweller or balcony gardener, this book has a lot of time-tested wisdom by the person who was a garden lover himself. Midst the seedlings and mud, he shares many poems and quotes, the most famous of them being:

“The Tree” by Joyce Kilmer:
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

This book weaves the magic of the bygone era of colonial buildings, the fascinating flora, the excitement of discovery of new species, the humble pride of labour, and lot more. His writings, essays, month-by-month guide, tips, observations, comments, and collection of poems and quotes make this book a forever pocket companion.

You do not have to read the entire book at one go. A chapter a month is good enough to keep you on your toes and your garden brimming with bounty of plants, fruits, flowers, vegetables or whatever you may want. The book gives information on what, when, where, how and sometimes why you should plant or do a certain thing.

From dreamy poem to the math of planting potatoes and peas, he has a lot of things to say. There is so much botanical and scientific information in this book but the manner in which it has been written and shared wont weigh you down. From January to December, it is technical knowledge in the garb of poetry. Its food for the body that becomes food for soul.

The book was written by someone who found his calling in the plants, who loved his job, loved nature and life. And to read his thoughts in the form of a book is a rare gift indeed. The way it reads, we live.

A Sahib’s Manual for the Mali is for those whose soul is steeped in damp earth and eyes wake up to sights green. You can buy a copy from Amazon here:
A Sahib’s Manual for the Mali: Everyday Gardening in India

Or you can read a few pages on Google Books:

Wild Flowers of the Forest – An Abstract Diptych Acrylic Painting

September 22, 2010 Filed Under: My Paintings By Ishrath Humairah 12 Comments

Canvas unwrapped.
Laid side by side.
One sunny afternoon.

Mind wandered.
Brush pondered.

Leaves grew.
Buds blossomed.

In the wilderness,
Flowers bloomed.

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Wild Forest Flowers – Diptych – Acrylic Media – 12×36

Wild Flowers of the Forest
Acrylic Media – Diptych
Two Canvas Panels – Unframed
12″ x 36″ each
SOLD

Wild Flowers of the Forest grew midst dark blue skies and earthy greens. I wanted to paint flowers without form as I like them that way.Starting with modelling paste on two canvas panels put togther side-by-side. Thick coats of bright reds and yellows burst on the canvas with crazy leaves and even crazier skies. In the end, the bright and loud painting was toned down with a wash of burnt umber, which comfortably settled in the crevices of the flowers and leaves.

These bright forms could be roses, pansies or the wild flowers of the forest. It can go as far as you can see; as our mind becomes one with nature… to find itself… in the beauty of life giving life… in the deep dense sights…. as much as our eyes can behold.

And then there are the sights unseen… that lie beyond sight, smell and sound. Can we touch those realms that lie within and beyond? When shall we really see?

The details are left for you to wander around and interpret.

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Bright Scarlet and Ochre Impasto details on Canvas

Thank you Henri Matisse for being yourself

September 13, 2010 Filed Under: My Paintings By Ishrath Humairah 20 Comments

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Untitled – Oil on Canvas – 16″ x 16″

Fauvism was the first explosive 20th-century art movement. Thanks to the revolution in art by masters such as Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, and Paul Cézanne, the art world realised that there is more to art than what you see with your eyes. It paved way for people to experiment with their skills and do what gave them true joy.

The Fauvist movement was like a breath of fresh (shocking) air from the representational expectations that were prevalent in art since the renaissance. Fauvism is about unlearning the books and breaking the rules. It was about painting what you see – the way you see it.

“Instead of trying to render what I see before me, I use color in a completely arbitrary way to express myself powerfully”
Vincent Van Gogh

Fauvism is brightness. After decades of earthy tones, art finesse, subdued colors, fauvism brought in bright scarlets, reds, blues and yellows. There was sudden burst of energy and colors in paintings. It was a break from the artistic traditions of the past. The Fauvists believed in color as an emotional force, and found their way with creative expression.

“We move towards serenity through the simplification of ideas and form… details lessen the purity of lines, they harm the emotional intensity, and we choose to reject them. It is a question of learning – and perhaps relearning the ‘handwriting’ of lines. The aim of painting is not to reflect history, because this can be found in books. We have a higher conception. Through it, the artist expresses his inner vision.”
Henri Matisse

I hope to revisit fauvism someday soon for there is great degree of freedom in using colors and tones. It is not as restrictive as impressionism and fine art. Its a burst of well complimented colors on a sketch form. There are less mistakes and more drama. There is no adherence to rules and form. It is freedom in painting.

Here is an old favorite painting of mine that I had experimented with. There was a form of face but no rules to color them. The lips seemed red but so did the eyebrows. There is no end what one can see in nothing.

Abandoned Scarlet – Oil on Canvas – 18″x18″

It is still a long way to go Fauvist and live all those crazy moments of madness and peace.

Oggy and the Cockroaches, if you like Tom and Jerry

September 13, 2010 Filed Under: Everything Else By Ishrath Humairah 6 Comments

Parenting comes with its share of occupational hazards. One of them is the cartoon series – Oggy and the Cockroaches (OATC), which my little kid loves to watch. Having grown up watching Tom and Jerry, this is perhaps the next most irritatingly hilarious cartoon show on TV these days.

Given the current crop of cartoons full of violence, mythology, evil, and super-power-wars, that are so prevalent on TV and do more harm than good, I find these episodes more humorous and entertaining.

The protagonist of the show is an ultra-domesticated, rotund, blue male cat called Oggy. He loves to spend his day dusting, cleaning, mopping, watching TV, growing his vegetable patch and live a peaceful life. Dwelling in his ventilator and pestering him endlessly are the three roaches of varied colors.

Making his life a living hell are the 3 cockroaches – Marky, Joey and Dee Dee. Oggy seems to have a love-hate relationship with them. All the episodes of OATC deal with the 3 roaches troubling Oggy in different ways.

And living (mostly) with Oggy is his gregarious cousin, an alpha male cat, called Jack. He loves Oggy but has his own interests in life. He is definitely not into spring cleaning and watering the plants, but comes to Oggy’s rescues from the cockroaches. He usually ends up complicating the game as he is always building strange contraptions and concoctions to deal with the pestering cockroaches. And since he is short tempered male, the cockroaches love to take him for a wild ride. And Oggy keeps fighting back, sometimes with the help of Jack.

My favorite series is where Oggy starts to practice non-violence and goes about chanting mantras and tries to control himself while the cockroaches do their best to instigate him.

Another hilarious character, though with very less screen space, is Oggy’s sister Monica. An athletic, forever skating, master of all sports and arts, Monica visits Oggy occasionally. Jack goes head-over-heels for her and takes up over many sport forms to impress her. Oggy is extremely fond of his sister and cannot stop bragging about her talents and skills. How familish!

I would really love to see how the creative team behind OATC gets tighter to form a story board and discuss the nuances, scene by scene. I would love to see how they conjure up a story out of nothing and breathe life into these hilarious characters. There is hardly any spoken conversation and the show mostly relies on visual slapstick humor to keep going.

If you love Tom and Jerry, there are fair chances that you will like this one too. Provided you let OATC settle into your system. Having watched almost most episodes it is hard to remember when I have migrated to OATC.

Like Tom and Jerry, it is a catch-chase-beat game. It involves violence (LOL). While T&J was all about kid fun, OATC take it to the next level. Everything happens in extreme. Its all about mega-multi-phenomena where things get blown up and exaggerated to extremes.

While Tom hits the roof, Oggy hits the moon. While Tom digs his grave, Oggy digs to reach the other side of Earth. While Tom or Jerry indulge in suggestive romance once in a while, Oggy and Jack offer some visuals that do not seem like kids cartoons. While Tom & Jerry have predictable house, Oggy’s house changes as per the needs of the scene – with his staircase morphing into a roller coaster, house rising to multiple levels, patch or garden extends into acres, an open tap not only fills up the whole bathroom but drowns the planet. While Tom & Jerry drop household things on each other, Oggy goes to the extent to dropping buses, submarines, aircrafts and more. There is never a dull moment or I-know-what-will come-next in these episodes. But they also test my patience at times.

When I say hilarious, I mean this:
• When Oggy’s refrigerator is left open, it not only freezes his room but covers the continent in ice – aka the Day after Tomorrow way.
• Troubled by cockroaches, Oggy and Jack are stranded on an iceberg, only to be hit by the RMS Titanic.
• The stink from cockroach’s sock not only kills a few people around but also makes few planets in the solar system to pass out and drop down of their orbits, like apples falling down from the tree.
• The roaches fool Oggy into thinking that HE is pregnant. And Oggy becomes an emotional fool, only to realize the folly later.

And here is a sample of the most hilarious episode. Moreso because of the concept, hippie movement, background score with sitar, and more. Enjoy.