Create

Peace Project Entry from TheWhole9.com

2011-09-21T07:35:00.000-07:00

Studio Notes: 1 Sept 2011

2011-09-01T08:42:00.000-07:00

'I've Arrived, 2011' 22x28in Mixed Media on canvas

‘Lofty Assimilations’ almost done in Mumbai, now back in Chicago

After a successful show in Mumbai- in terms of press, critical appreciation and sales- I find myself back in my studio in Chicago sketching for my new body of work. I wanted to formulate an update for all my collectors, fans and friends in the form of a brief newsletter to keep you abreast about my work. You can now view the images from the opening night and the paintings in the show.

Publicity: The show was featured repeatedly in local forums like the ‘What’s Hot’ section in Bombay Times and highlighted with a brief interview on 11/8 in an article titled ‘How Fragile our city is’ by Ismat Tahseen. Other features included Inside Outside, Afternoon and India today. Internationally the exhibit was publicized in Art Knowledge News and Cvltvre.com. I did a short interview with 'Prerith' an organization that show cases inspiring stories in various career fields, encouraging people to choose careers off the beaten track.

What does the future hold? As I am left with very few paintings from my previous show which ends on 12th Sept, I look to further delve into the minds of immigrants- both blue and white collar, those who leave their village or their country and go to build the future of their dreams. Whether our aspirations are economical or fame-driven, we are constantly re-evaluating our concept of the word 'home'. The primary question is whether this makes the world a smaller place or does it make the differences and disparities even more obvious?

Besides long hours in the studio and absorbing the art scene in Chicago, I will be volunteering for some teaching opportunities in Chicago. In December, I will conduct a mixed media workshop at Jamaat with children of the Sujaya Foundation. I will be showing my work in October for the Chicago Artists Month and shall be back in India for a show at the end of the year. I shall continue as Art Editor for 'Urban Confustions' a bi-annual publication to promote women authors, artist and poets across the globe.

For any inquiries on my art, please feel free to contact Jamaat Art Gallery or me.

site: http://www.tulika.ladsariya.com
twitter: @TulikaArtist
facebook: Tulika Ladsariya Art

Lost, unfound

2011-05-26T17:37:00.000-07:00

Doll on street

Jeans on bus-stop

Key on sidewalk

This month has been an action-packed one. A holiday and long hours to make up in the studio! I feel like I have too much going on in my head at the same time and that results in absent-minded actions. I misplaced some prized possessions and hence have been taking steps to become more 'aware' of my surroundings.

One such effort has been to document random lost objects on the streets on my commute to the studio. I just photograph things that people seem to have dropped and forgotten and things that they might miss. Here are 3 of my favorites. I don't displace the object- thinking that the disheartened owner might carefully try to retrace their route and come looking for it, like I did.

And the winner of the contest is...

2011-04-04T21:01:00.000-07:00

What I enjoyed most, besides the number of entries I received, was that the sketch made people think, debate and respond.

My idea was that of institutions that take creativity, color and sheer uniqueness and churn it into repetitive, boring sameness. A number of the entries I received came very close to my concept, so thank you everyone for taking the time to participate.

The winning entry after much careful consideration is "Blend-un-bland" by Nitya Pillai. Congratulations, Nitya. You will hear from me shortly.

CONTEST: Title my sketch and win

2011-03-06T11:13:00.000-08:00

UNTITLED (A5, Mixed media on water color paper)

Giving a title to a work can be difficult- don't want to make it too obvious, so as to take the mystery out of the visual, but at the same time nudge the viewer in the same direction as the artist. This time, I'm going to let you do it for me. This is a sketch made by me and I want you to come up with a title.

Step 1: Like and share my art page on facebook.
Step 2: Send me a ''Title" that you have come up with for the sketch by email - you can use the contact me- email link on right hand side of my blog.

Reward: The title I like best or the one closest to my idea, wins! The sketch will be etched with your given title, framed and sent to you. So, be creative.
Email deadline: Midnight, 31 March11
Winner announced: 5 April 11

Little Boxes

2011-03-01T21:27:00.000-08:00

The song is intended to be a satire about mass development of suburbia and conformist middle-class attitudes. But for me, it transcends time. It makes me think of a city with everyone running after the same thing maybe for different reasons. We try to distinguish ourselves through gender, sexuality, nationality, religion, race, educational qualification, profession, food preference, hair color- but isn't it important to remember that we all live in houses made of ticky tacky and we all are really the same?

Little Boxes in the city, Tulika Ladsariya

Sketch with wooden skewer dipped in ink

Carrying a camera everywhere

2011-02-08T08:16:00.000-08:00

There is no better way to commute than with a camera! Observing through a lens at random things, angles, ideas and just clicking. Things that would never notice, if you weren't really looking.

It's a fun digital database to build on and there are always interesting images that you can come up with in a big city.

Storm days are for the sketchbook!

2011-02-04T21:18:00.000-08:00

The snowstorm in Chicago was one of the worst in its history- and kept us all away from work. What that resulted in was lots of cooking, plenty of hours at the gym, sketching and watercolors. I decided to keep emergency art supplies like sketchbooks, watercolors and color pencils at home for working at night. That was definitely a good call seeing the snowstorm outside of my window! These are the two that I came up with, that I liked. It was not inspired by anything in particular, just random shapes that bloomed into color.

I decided to call it 'hope' as I seemed to be thinking of spring in the worst part of winter.

Featured artist: Suzanne Hilal

2011-02-03T10:07:00.000-08:00

Suzanne Hilal, The Hot Sun, Silkcreen,

I met Suzanne at an exhibit we put together and then later at the Hyde Park art center where she created in the printmaking studio space at every possible opportunity. A committed young artist who works seamlessly with a lino print on one side, a woodcut on the other and silkscreen multiple times till she gets the perfection she is seeking. The best way to define Suzanne is 'dedicated' and of course 'creative'. Like any self-taught artist, she faced the challenges of going out in the real world with her work, but did it tirelessly in Chicago, London and Sudan till she got the response she wanted.

I love her Art page on facebook, her work and her personality. Keep creating!

New space, unchanged inspiration

2011-02-01T09:16:00.000-08:00

Studio space

View from window

I have a new studio space in Lincoln Park in Chicago. As we moved my art paraphernalia with the godsend assistance of my new studio buddy, I was amazed to note how the art stuff really multiplies. I started out with one bag of supplies from India one year back and now we filled up the back of the SUV with easels, boxes and chests of drawers.

The studio is in a warehouse building, fully occupied by creative-types. Painters, photographers, encaustic artists, sculptors- we all work here together. No one worries about the floor getting dirty and no one is bothered by distractions (unless they want to be). Great lighting- natural and artificial, heating and our own toilet. A wonderful 'Whole foods' a block away and a 'Blick's art materials' store right next to it. What more could I really ask for?

Incidentally, the plot right outside our window just went under construction. As the poet says "My karma is inextricably and eternally entangled with construction sites, workmen and scaffolds." The inspiration is following me- from my home and studio in Mumbai to my studio in Chicago. The beautiful cranes- yellow and red- gracefully dance and move the debris all day long.

It may be time for new beginnings in some ways, while other things may never ever change, only evolve.

Eric Perriard: Urban Souls

2011-01-19T16:40:00.000-08:00

Image courtesy artist: Eric Perriard, Urban Souls #1

I have always enjoyed photography and use my own camera often to take pictures of things that inspire. Pictures can provide a concrete, yet individualistic structure of visual data to build upon. A picture may be enigmatic, or it may allow a viewer access to something remarkable that could not be perceived or understood in another way.

It is also intriguing to see how other people look through different lenses and sometimes see the same thing. The eye may be different, the city and continent may be separate but there is a link for sure. I enjoyed viewing 'Urban Souls' through the eyes of Photographer Eric Perriard and I am sure you will too.

Eric has managed to beautifully capture that moment of stillness in a busy 'megapolis' life. How difficult it is to take a moment, pause and introspect what our life is about? And if we do it, how often do we feel that need to desperately change something, without knowing what that 'something' is...

Book Review: "Starving" to Successful

2011-01-11T18:10:00.000-08:00

In this book titled "Starving" to Successful | The Fine Artist's Guide to Getting Into Galleries and Selling More Art by J. Jason Horejs, the author gives some simple tips to art marketing from the point of view of a gallerist. It is a simple read in conversational style and drives home some basic key points on making your art a successful business. There are two key aspects to being a successful artist- making good art and marketing it. The author focuses on the reality of the latter- which is an area which most artists tend to neglect.

Artists are either afraid of criticism or generally believe that they must keep producing and wait till their work is 'discovered'! That does not happen in the real world. "I discovered," says Horejs, "there was very little information out there for the aspiring professional artist regarding the business side of art, especially in terms of the crucial relationship between the artists and the fine art gallery. Even artists who have graduated with master s degrees leave school having never heard a word about how to approach galleries."

As an artist, I think when it is time to create- do just that. Don't think about what sells or anything to do with art marketing. Find yourself and make art that is true to you. But when the time comes to take your work out there and lay yourself bare- take some tips from this book. As a gallery owner- Jason seems to know what he is talking about. Some good advice, some basic stuff- a lot to ingest and difficult to implement- but definitely worth a read and worth a shot!

Article of Interest

2011-01-07T13:52:00.000-08:00

A fun article on 10 Ways to Overcome Mental Blocks & Boost Creativity by Artist Lori McNee. And I also like her paintings...

Not new year resolutions, but Goals for 2011

2011-01-03T15:22:00.000-08:00

Resolutions to me are like promises. Hollow, meaningless, testing nothing but your willpower. There is no incentive to keep them and it's all too easy to break them. Though. what I do like are concrete, determinable goals. Exact ones which can be understood and measured and concrete steps to attempt achieve them. Especially as an artist, it is easy to keep doing what you are doing, but really not get very far. It is almost imperative at this point to step back and re-evaluate what you have done thus far and see where you want to go next. What better than a new year to start that?

To help get started I'm going to give you some ideas to making 5 measurable goals as an artist this year

1- For your art- Do you like what you are doing? How specifically would you like to improve your process? More plein air sketching, photography, museum/ gallery visits or just more hours in the studio? A list of all those art books you've been meaning to read or classes that you want to take.

2- For your archives- Organization is the key. Is your work well documented and captioned? Is it categorized both physically and on your computer? Is it time to learn more about artwork photography?

3- For your art marketing- Is your blog still alive, your website up to date, tried facebook yet? Building/ updating your artists statement- are you done procrastinating on that front?

4- For getting your work into the 'real' world- Have you applied to any galleries or taken your work door to door yet? What is your financial target for the year and how can you reach it? Any courses you want to teach?

5- One impossible dream that you may think is absolutely unachievable needs to come here. Any contests, residencies, grants that you have dreamed of applying for? Your dream art fair, gallery that you would love to see your work in?

The point of this is to first have some serious ambitions. Then to write each one on the top of a single page as a title. Next, write all the possible steps that you need to take to achieve it- one hour per goal should be a good start. This will allow you to take some baby steps to achieving your Goals. Let's see if this can make 2011 more productive!

Recollecting the beginning

2010-12-10T22:15:00.000-08:00

Trio of Scrap Cities, 6"x4" in
2 sets of 3 each

When in Mumbai, I remember the incessant steady sounds of construction- it seemed everywhere! The roof of the building was being re-done at home, the lobby outside my ground floor studio, re-painting of the building walls- the workmen and scaffoldings all around. Sometimes at my home in Chicago, when it gets very quiet and cold, I almost miss that constant hammering.

Whilst adopting the principle that inspiration is best found in ones surroundings, I started putting on paper my little ideas and worked on collages. I enjoy the mundane activities of collecting, cutting, pasting. The joy of mindless repetition through instinct is hard to explain. The resultant work is simple but gives me a starting reference point for more ideas.

As I found pictures of them in my archives today, I got a funny feeling, a slight quiver in my tummy. Like reminiscing about my first date with my husband.

Art Opinion- Public Art in Chicago- A comprehensive blog by Jyoti

2010-12-08T22:47:00.000-08:00

The Cloud Gate: Anish Kapoor

I have always loved 'The Bean' which few people know as 'The Cloud Gate' by Anish Kapoor. At Chelsea, I spent some time researching Kapoor, who to this date is an artist I love. He is architecturally profound and his work has an all-consuming beauty about it which makes you forget everything else... at least for that moment.

One of the most amazing things about Chicago is the amount of wonderful art there is in public spaces. As I was looking for the details of some of the sculptures at the University of Chicago, I stumbled onto Jyoti's blog on Public Art in Chicago.

The blog is very visual, full of images and well-documented text. When you go through the posts- the effort taken, the thought process and the thoroughness of the research is evident.

Monday late night musings

2010-12-06T22:22:00.000-08:00

My musings today are small paragraphs from Salman Rushdie's book 'Fury'

"To live in metropolis was to know that the exceptional was as commonplace as diet soda, that abnormality was the popcorn norm"

".. the anguish of lonliness and ignorance, needle sharp torment of cities and the dull mad pain of empty plains, the pain of wanting without knowing what was wanted."

Enough said.

Acrylic play on board: From the sketchbook

2010-12-03T20:22:00.000-08:00

I used some cheap 11"x14" canvas boards for these trials. The media was mainly acrylic gels and acrylic paints. The accessories used were string, combs, toothbrushes. The technique was just a lot of pulling, pushing paint around, scraping it and layering it. It was immensely fun and I think I found some interesting things to work with in future paintings!

Bringing structure to creativity

2010-11-30T20:28:00.000-08:00

Tiny successes certainly do bring on the motivation. One of my blog posts 'Clearing the creative clutter in my head' was featured on EmptyEasel and FnONewsletters and that brought on the drive to blog more frequently and within a defined structure. So, the resolution is to faithfully blog three times a week and the structure:

Mondays- Personal Musings

Musings will be about my random thoughts and ideas on life and people.

Wednesday- Art Opinion and General Advice

Art Opinion will be my opinion on art recently seen, interesting artists, recommended art books, and public art in urban cities. Art Advice will be tips or tricks from what I have learned on my journey as an artist thus far.

Fridays- From the sketchbook

This section will focus on works in progress- successes or lessons to learn from (in art, there are no failures!), new tricks or techniques that are fun!

Also, every Sunday I will release the agenda for the forthcoming week. Of course, this is going to take a lot more discipline from me, so wish me luck and let us begin!

Musings: Exploring the term 'diaspora'

2010-10-20T21:28:00.000-07:00

Devon Street (Chicago), Under construction buildings (Mumbai), Chinatown (Chicago)

A diaspora (in Greek "a scattering [of seeds]") is any movement of a population sharing common national and/or ethnic identity. While refugees may or may not ultimately settle in a new geographic location, the term diaspora refers to a permanently displaced and relocated collective. (Ref: Wikipedia)

As I visit the Chinatown market and ‘Devon Street’, the Indian market in Chicago, I am forced to think of what this term means to me. A set of people who moved away from their native land a few decades ago and collectively tried to recreate it where they lived. Families with temples in their home, dress shops with gaudy Indian dresses on window displays, greasy food in restaurants and even paan spit on the Indo-Chicago streets. Attempting to rebuild the India of the past, these lost identities- neither Indians of the 21^st Century nor Americans.

How desperate are we not to let go of our roots and culture, how wishful to try to re-create them and how stuck in a time and space that no longer exists anywhere except in old flailing memories.

A visit to the Museum of Contemporary art in Chicago and looking at the exhibit Urban China: Informal Cities made me think some more about this displacement. Migrant workers: whether on scaffolding or not, all of us who leave our ethnic identity and either try to fit in or try hard to stick out- is any place where we set our foot 'home'? Then the rules of which society apply? Or do we make our own as we go along?

Clearing the creative clutter in my head

2010-10-18T17:29:00.000-07:00

From the sketchbook

This happens to me all too often- my head starts swimming with ideas and I want to try a million new things. Initially I would wait it out- till I felt calm or sane enough to work again! Then I realized that I was losing all those precious new ideas. If I kept doing that I would fall into a rut, with no hope of coming out!
I decided to maintain some books to keep my thoughts, sketches and experiments in order. This gradually grew into four distinct books:

1- Ideating book- where I write all my crazy ideas. These stem from dreams, movies, blogs, poetry, nature, man, anything around me. I just make sure that I have this book by me 24/7, even while I sleep! Who knows when an inspiring nightmare might turn into a painting? I usually make this one out of recycled paper.

2- Sketch book- is for all my sketches, water media or ink pens. I use it when I want to work from life or when I am outdoors and want to sketch. I carry it with me on 'en plein air' missions. This one has higher gsm and is spiral bound to make it easy to work with.

3- Scrap book- in this one I keep scraps of all my experiments and happy accidents. Loose worked on canvas, water color and ink experiments, acrylic gel attempts, collages, found objects, anything I like from my happy accidents.

4- Reference book- whenever I go for art walks and exhibits, I pick up business cards, etc of artists I like, be it musicians, painters, sculptors, installation artists. If I cant find one, I write their name and something about the work. I put all this into my reference book. I have one such list online as well- where I keep a note of work I like looking at.

These are my ways to de-clutter. This gives me a clear head and a reference of all my ideas on days when I can't find my 'inspiration'. Techniques are a lot of happy accidents initially. Where you try an initial idea and something else develops. You hate most of what you come up with, like some and love one or two. Then you work out those you love till they are no longer accidents but very very deliberate. That is the best way, I have found, to develop a skill.

A Tale of Two Cities

2010-10-11T22:49:00.000-07:00

City by day: Collage: mixed media on Ampersand Gessoboard 9"x12"

City by Night: Collage: mixed media on Ampersand Gessoboard 9"x12"

It was a transition, from Mumbai to Chicago. A big one. A long road traveled, where I left behind everything and everyone familiar and known to the land of the unknown. The journey and transition, though unfamiliar was exciting. I love change, variety and new... so much to learn, so many people to meet, cultures to explore.

I painted the backgrounds on gessoboard and used plaster tape, duct tape, packing brown tape, masking tape, tarp, corrugated cardboard, plastic sheets, maps, etc and made my cities come to life- by day and by night.

Little experiment: Inks blooming in water

2010-09-27T20:42:00.000-07:00

I bought some colors of these shiny inks, picked up a little tub and several sheets of 300gsm paper. Poured about 3-4 inches deep clean tap water into the tub. Using a few droplets of ink, I swirled them around to make patterns I liked. The water did the rest and helped me out. Then, I dropped the paper in it facedown. Gave it about 30 seconds and then pulled it out. (This was the tricky part!)

To add some variations, I masked some random areas with masking fluid. After removing the fluid, I made some designs with a black ball-point pen.

I really enjoyed letting the water make the patterns for me and the mystery of what was going to appear on that sheet after I turned it over. Of course, after ten pages, I got a few that I liked. A fun, light, crafty project to relax the mind and try something new!

Book Recommendation: Olga Gutierrez De La Roza

2010-09-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

An Eye For Color: by Olga Gutierrez De La Roza

I am a color junkie. I love bright vibrant colors flooding my canvas- the challenge is obviously to keep the harmony and knowing when to stop! This book was the perfect find for me. It helped me to create my own color balance and develop a sense of what works and what doesn't.

She divides the book by color, taking a chapter for each and commencing with the work of a painter or designer and breaking it down into the palette used (RGB and CMYK). Next, it is up to the audience to create a file of swatches based on these, in order to create an inspiration reference. It is also possible for you to simply refer the variety of groupings in the book. It is an enjoyable and handy tool, with barely any text, keeping it uncomplicated. The kind of nicely-designed book that makes you want to just leaf through it before starting any new project.

Building my own "Scaffolding"

2010-08-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

I am playing with my four-year-old nephew today while I am on a 'thinking break'. I wanted to continue with my own little constructions, using borrowed blocks of Lego.

Mumbai- the seas, skies exploding with colours of the sunset. The greenery with the slums, scaffoldings, and the sullied windows- an enthralling image. I collect my blocks, match-sticks, thread and start building… and dreaming.

I taught him what bamboos tied together with rope against a building are called, "Scaffolding, masi..." he says.

Sketching en plein air, Regents Park, London

2010-08-11T01:57:00.000-07:00

In spite of unpredictable rainy weather, I managed to sketch this one in Regents park, London.

I used a Stabilio point 88 set of 10 colors and a Pentel brush with an in-built water reservoir. The brush is great as it has a water holder which releases just enough water to dampen and spread the ink, without flooding the page. It also eliminates the need to carry water and brushes with you! A good sketching pad is of course a necessity. My preference is the Daler Rowney, A4 size with spiral binding. I like using lots of water, so I prefer 160gsm to avoid warping of the paper.

I loved this tutorial by Katherine Tyrrell on sketching outdoors. She gives a full list of things that are useful and situations that you may face. Everything from how to select a good spot and materials that you may need is covered! Very comprehensive guide.

Enjoy the summer en plein air!

A constructive day

2010-07-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

Summer in London- no access to studio space but so many ideas of what I want to do. Sketches en plein air, watercolours, colour pencils, museum and gallery visits, theater.

Today, however was to build. A ship. It seemed simple at first- but the engineering was pretty incredible. And we made it without looking at the instructions - just feeding from the finished image and creative ideas.

The two brilliant boys got the hull and base in place. The sails were really my job- and what a fun job it was. Delicately balancing, threading, knotting. I think it's time to take it to the park and set it on the lake. Will it sail with the wind, will it get trampled on by the ducks or simply topple over?

Putting it all into perspective

2010-07-07T01:30:00.000-07:00

Still playing with my magnifier- I attach one end to the laptop and the other to my eye and observe. I am trying to comprehend my relationship with perspective and size.

As I go all over town and magnify found objects, I think about how I perceive all that is around me- how small it all really is in comparison to its environment. A bee is small when compared to a flower, a flower is small when compared to a tree, a tree is tiny when compared to the forest, and so on. It helped me to make my imagination bigger. How can I worry about mundane things when there are earthquakes, deforestation and oil spills to think about?

Is it a simple matter of perspective- the closer I am to something, the bigger it seems? Is it time to realize how mundane my personal issues are, to step back and re-evaluate them in relation to those of the cosmos and time to work with something big?

Book Recommendation: Peter London

2010-06-23T02:35:00.000-07:00

“No more Secondhand Art- Awakening the artist within” by Peter London
"A joy to read. In a style both conversational and precise, London questions the conventional attitudes that form a barrier to keep art outside most people's lives. London shows us that making images is as natural as speech, as dreams."—Yoga Journal

Technique is relatively easy to learn. It takes some good tutors, books, materials and perseverance. What is much more difficult, is of course- Originality. How to find your style? How to make something different that no one has made before? This book really helped me look at art differently. In the past few years, whenever I have felt devoid of 'inspiration', I went back to the book and worked on the exercises.The 'Creative Encounters' are designed to help you find your inner voice.

Peter London, an artist and art therapist really knows what he is talking about and I would recommend this book to every artist looking to make a mark and to every art teacher attempting to teach how to make art.

Art Calling

2010-06-22T05:59:00.000-07:00

Several people, when they hear about my choices, ask me one question- “How did you know that art was your calling?” I normally laugh it off and reply that a few years as a Chartered accountant and a banker can drive anyone to be an artist.

But to be completely honest, I didn’t or don’t know what my ‘calling’ is. Moving to creativity wasn’t a calling but a conscious decision of doing and trying to make a living out of doing what I love. It isn’t making a decision which is the tough part- it is sticking with that decision through thick and thin. It isn’t about the decision at all- you can weigh the pros and cons forever (there will always be ample of both) or you can make the decision, do it and stick it out.