Nervara

Blood Diamonds

2011-12-08T14:59:00.001-05:00

The photo in this article got stuck in my mind, and it is currently my desktop background. The dust and toil and the general desperation of the scene got me to make this sketch from the photo.

7 Billion.. Again

2011-10-28T10:31:00.000-05:00

MOAR

7000 000 000

2011-10-26T05:36:00.000-05:00

cauldron

2011-04-16T12:09:00.000-05:00

Growth

2011-04-04T17:04:00.000-05:00

The Bird and The Spider

2011-04-03T20:32:00.000-05:00

Lincoln, Cubular

2010-07-13T10:48:00.002-05:00

Another couple of procedural drawings, made on http://www.zefrank.com/scribbler/scribblertoo/.

Procedural Drawing

2010-07-07T06:03:00.001-05:00

George introduced me to some very cool sites that let you create procedural drawings: harmony, scribblertoo.

Lots of fun. Try them out. Some of mine:

Frustration

2010-01-09T10:33:00.003-05:00

A loose brush/ink thing; something that looked like it had some form when I looked at it later. There were oil crayons at hand then. The sketch pad is 11" X 14", and didn't fit the scanner. So I stitched 2 scans together. Hence the weird artifact on lower left.

Cityscape

2010-01-06T21:26:00.000-05:00

Another small canvas: 4" x 6". Still like them.

One Year In

2009-12-26T14:22:00.000-05:00

Playing with the Bamboo tablet I got for Christmas.

Vortex

2009-12-20T17:59:00.002-05:00

6"x6" canvases: Immediate gratification. It takes so little effort to cover the whole surface.

Playing with lines

2009-09-22T21:55:00.000-05:00

Had a very good time in Chicago. Art Institute had an exhibit on Japanese screens. Such elegant lines and brush strokes. Inspired me to experiment.

Seated Woman

Sleeping Bear

Deer Fence

Sycamores

A Few Scans

2009-08-11T18:07:00.006-05:00

A few pages of my sketchbook:

Totem: I kind of like this pic, and probably will do a watercolor on the theme.

Waiting for the computer: Crayons were handy while waiting for Windows 7 to install on my laptop. Took hours, especially since I was doing an upgrade from vista and not a clean wipe/install. All good now. Really like Windows 7, and the stock wallpaper themes that come with it.

Head: Random sketch from my work notebook.

Couple, Walk with Dog

2009-02-17T06:41:00.005-05:00

I have been drawing with fountain pen ink, because I like the how it flows from a steel pen. And it doesn't clog up the nib the way India ink does. Problem is, the ink is not waterproof, so it becomes part of the paint as well. I am experimenting with some waterproof inks.

Higgins "Black Magic" drawing ink, which I tried out last evening (trials above), was not too bad. Doesn't have the kind of flow that lets me be as spontaneous as with fountain pen ink, but better than regular India ink. Does have an unpleasant odor.

Roots

2009-01-19T22:26:00.004-05:00

Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Israel's war on the People of Gaza

2009-01-17T14:02:00.004-05:00

Can't make sense out of the Israeli aggression towards Gazan people.

Gazans have been continuously getting pushed into a corner, with settlements and the siege and the wall and incursions and destruction of farmland. No land or people can survive that kind of suffocation. You imprison a country and starve it's people, and then wonder why radical actors gain prominence among them.

Democratic elections where urged by Israel and US, and they should have accepted the outcome when people decided to vote Hamas into power. Would have been the only way to genuinely engage the Gazan people. Hamas is radical and irrational, but there are radical factions in Israel that are engaged and were part of administration at various times. Instead, there was the siege on Gaza, economically and geographically. The siege and closing of the borders made the tunnels integral to survival of the people.

I believe Israel has shown that it has no regard for Palestinian lives, by it's dispropotionate response to Hamas missiles. What constitutes state-sponsored terrorism? When do the US taxpayers hold back on some of that 3 billion dollars, in response to the massacre? Are we culpable if we don't? I have no idea.

People with beads

2009-01-06T22:27:00.006-05:00

Some random doodles from today. I am off to Sandusky tomorrow, for 2 days of codemash.

madoff

2009-01-05T22:05:00.006-05:00

A cathartic sketch of the swindler. Anger was big and free-flowing and exceeded conveniently scannable dimensions. Hence the 2 pics (dont have software to stitch the 2).

It is too easy to say he is a sign of our times. Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. Either way, it is very surprising that the investors and SEC missed all those red flags. Apparently some investors trusted him for whatever reason, and the others looked at their improbable returns and decided not to ask inconvenient questions.

Now, it turns out the idiot has been mailing millions worth jewelry and other assets to relatives since the indictment. Revoke his bail, put him in jail.

If the wealthy investors flock to hedge funds partly because there is so little govt. oversight, there is the inherent risk of exposure to frauds like this.

Only person I feel bad for, is the working schmuck who put his 401k money unknowingly into a fund whose manager outsourced to Madoff for a cushy sum, and now the guy has to work another 10 years to catch up on his pension.

Man with head in a box

2009-01-04T14:01:00.004-05:00

Hilary visited for a few days over the Holidays. Visited Cinci art museum and Newport aquarium while she was here. Art museum had a special exhibit on Chinese design. I felt the exhibit was a bit uneven, but gave a good idea of current state of Chinese design.

Messing with some new watercolors I got over holidays, hoping to widen my palate.

More Asanas

2008-11-30T22:31:00.004-05:00

I have been sketching yoga poses, although none of them have distilled down to the essence yet. Vrikshasana is close to breaking through, but rest of them are not even close. Here are a few of the sketches. The downward facing dog looks different from the usual way it is done, but it is the ideal that my Yoga teacher describes.

Vrikshasana

2008-11-16T20:12:00.004-05:00

I have always liked vrikshasana (tree pose in yoga), although I am not very good at it. Alignment and balance are not things that come naturally to me. I have been trying to get the palpable grace and strength of that asana on paper. A couple of those attempts at getting to the essence.

Glasses

2008-11-15T20:18:00.003-05:00

Happy about the election. Pam and I volunteered for the campaign in Hilliard. Met some good people along the way.

To the people who commented that I haven't been posting much: I have a bunch of stuff scanned, and will update more regularly.

I have worn glasses since 2nd grade, and recently had a bad sinus infection that affected my vision temporarily. I don't know how I got to this sketch from those events, but was thinking about that when I drew this.

Training day

2008-10-14T06:17:00.008-05:00

Client was closed yesterday (Columbus day), so I spent the day researching some stuff at my company office. And doodling. Couple of sketches from yesterday:

Phelps

2008-08-21T16:02:00.003-05:00

Playing with the tablet PC.. again. What Michael Phelps did, blew my mind. So did Usain Bolt. And the gymnasts. Amazing how the limits of human body get redefined like that. Olympics must be an intense experience.

Another thing that impresses me: the tablet PC :) It is so easy to create a decent drawing, it is scary.

Tablet PC

2008-08-20T18:38:00.003-05:00

I am taking my brother his new tablet PC when I visit 2 weeks from now. Until then, I get to play with it. The painting software that is supposed to showcase the tablet PC, Ink Art, is very cool. The feel of the stylus on the tablet is not the most organic, but the results are decent. Mother and child, my first pic on George's tablet PC. Me likey.

Announcement

2008-08-12T05:37:00.004-05:00

"Rome", the HBO/BBC series, may have been on my subconscious during this little sketch.

Tomatoes

2008-07-27T14:08:00.007-05:00

Lynne Rosetto Kaspar calls Roma the eunuchs of the tomato world. I always thought it was just heirloomism snobbery, but then I ate my first Cherokee purple tomato from the backyard yesterday and got what she was saying. My palette is not sophisticated enough to detect nuanced flavors and undertones, but the full-blooded earthy richness of the tomato didn't require it. There was no question that this was a different animal.

We had friends over last night, and I used the tomatoes in a salmon/coconut milk stew. Liked the outcome. Can't wait for the Black Krims to ripen.

The king on his throne

2008-07-21T22:41:00.005-05:00

I was watching the History Channel documentary "Dark Ages" on Netflix, and found it to be very enlightening (o, the irony). That is one time/place I didn't have much knowledge of, and I thought the film gave the viewer a good framework of the period between the fall of the Roman empire and the Renaissance. Left me with more context when I saw a reference to Justinian, the Franks, or Charlemagne. It also resonated in a very disturbing way with how I feel the world has been going in the past few years. Twilight of an era. From Randy Newman's new song:

"The end of an empire is messy at best
And this empire is ending
Like all the rest
Like the Spanish Armada adrift on the sea
We're adrift in the land of the brave
And the home of the free"

Scary stuff. I don't think it will quite get to that. Rational folks, who will recognize the humanity in the other, will prevail.. one would hope. I saw a sketch I made on the back of a notepad, and thought it kind of went with the movie I just watched.

Man Watching TV

2008-07-13T10:20:00.003-05:00

I had a bunch of garden pictures, and was looking forward to showing off. But then, I thought I transferred them to the computer but I didn't, and deleted them from the camera. So, here is a drawing from my sketchbook, instead.

Old Man and Bird

2008-07-09T05:22:00.004-05:00

I have a bunch of things to be scanned, and another bunch to be downloaded from my head. Now that the new client assignment has gotten into a comfortable rhythm, I can free up more time.
Have to post some pics of the vegetable garden, too. So happy about the way it has turned out.

A bridge on the trail

2008-06-27T05:54:00.002-05:00

Our trip to Smokies is still on my mind. The place was beautiful. A bridge on the trail to Chimney Top summit.

A few sketches

2008-06-17T06:05:00.004-05:00

I am between assignments, so I am just reading up on the latest and greatest stuff in the programming world. There is only so much of that you can do, and yesterday I found a sketch pad Kevin and Karen gave me, in my bag. Here are a few sketches: Family vacation, and a cat.

Smoky Mountains

2008-06-04T05:49:00.010-05:00

We drove to Smoky Mountains National Park last Thursday. Got back on Monday. We went with friends, and it turned out to be a very enjoyable trip. Just the kind of break Pam and I needed. We mostly hiked. Went up Chimney Tops Mountain. Saw bear (mother and cub) in the Cades Cove area. Saw 4 snakes on the day we hiked to Abrams Falls. I think they were of the nonpoisonous variety.

Here are some pictures where I was playing with shutter speed. Thanks to Brian for finding places I could use in lieu of tripod. Pic in the middle is that of Abrams Falls. I am pretty happy about that one, since it was a hand-held shot.

News, and Garden Pictures

2008-05-25T17:39:00.006-05:00

It has been a pretty eventful few weeks. We closed our martial arts studio last week, after 9 years. It was a hard decision, and the last few weeks have been tough, emotionally. We had a great bunch of students and parents, and I was sad to see it end. I will write about that later. For now, here are some pictures of our vegetable garden in it's neonatal state. Please be warned that the detailed images you get when you click on these pictures are big..

An overgrown herb bed: Sage and thyme in bloom, mint, and chives.

We got a rain barrel this year, so we can conserve water. I am thinking of raising it so we get better water pressure.

Last year we got a great yield from things planted here, and I am convinced it was because of the electric switch box and the cables underground :). Good thing we use small trowels and hand-dig. The trellises are from parts of gazebo that was destroyed in the big storm last year.
Heirloom tomatoes (Black Krim, Cherokee Purple, Brandywine) and green beans. The heirlooms are the only plants we haven't started from seed this year.

Turnips in the foreground. Trellis is for peas. Turnips are really flourishing, but we are not sure how to cook them. I put the greens as fillers in some dishes.

A substantial bed of cilantro we managed to establish. It comes up by itself every year. We let some of the plants go to seed, and that keeps the bed going. On the left is catnip that we have to control in a rather drastic manner sometimes. Our cat is a junkie.

Another view of the cilantro, because Pam and I are very happy with how the bed turned out. We put cilantro in everything we cook, when the bed is like this.

The fenced-garden looks kind of sloppy because we keep expanding it every year. I am hoping to make it bigger next year. The empty space on right is for peppers and eggplant and tomato (the regular kind).

Broccoli, beets, spinach, swiss chard, and 2-3 lettuce plants. We have had a few meals from the spinach/beet/chard greens. Trying successive planting with them this time.

Thyme is bloom.

Lavender. Very pretty and aromatic when it blooms. I am not aware of any culinary use, however.

Onions. Saw some small onion sets in Giant Eagle on sale, and we bought them. Months later, I thought they we just taking up space in the kitchen, so I put them on the ground. Very cool to see them come up healthy, with pretty much no effort on our part.

Can't wait to get this asparagus bed established. This is only the second year, I have to be patient. Need to put a few more crowns in, this year.

Basil, ready to be hardened off and planted outside.

The Wire

2008-04-30T20:41:00.005-05:00

Our Netflix queue has solely consisted of different seasons of The Wire the past few months. I find the characters and environment and social commentary very captivating.

We are half way through the 4th season, the one that is about the school kids and Marlo and the new mayor. Good stuff. Pam and I talked about when we will finally run out of Wire episodes and start watching movies and other shows again, and find it strange that the characters don't use swearwords as punctuation.

Was sketching at work, totally absent-minded. Looked at the finished product, and figured may be I am watching too much Wire. The show is messing with my mind. The subliminablable part.

Tangled Web

2008-03-26T05:56:00.006-05:00

Yesterday at the Supreme court, they ruled that, as far as states are concerned, an international treaty that US initiated and got other countries to sign on, was not binding.

USA introduced a treaty that, if a foreign national was convicted and given the death penalty, s/he should be allowed to meet and talk to a diplomat from that country. A bunch of countries signed on.

We have about 50 foreign nationals on death row in various states, and some states have decided not to honor the pesky treaty. Mexico complained to international court about this. So the US government takes itself out of the jurisdiction of the court, but tells Mexico that their guys will be given alternate punishment or not be killed until the issue is resolved. Now, Texas has a problem with this, because they want to keep their death row machine going without a glitch. So they complain to the Supreme court, and they decide that the federal government has no right to tell the states to hold off on stuff like this, treaty or no treaty. What a mess!

This boy in the schoolyard, gets in fights, wants to change rules, but says new rule only applies to other people, argues with himself, sulks, takes the ball and goes home. Strange kid.

How are the US diplomats going to persuade others on anything, given this precedent? I guess you could just threaten them with war.

A horse and a crowd

2008-03-12T06:28:00.005-05:00

I did this for a friend who wanted a drawing of a horse. But afterwards, I realized that the need was for a particular breed. So, it becomes blog fodder.

That, and a doodle from work.

Lanes

2008-02-11T07:40:00.000-05:00

Can't wait for the winter to be over. Depressing.

I started with wax crayons on the sketch, then decided that watercolors would be better to bring out the feel of loneliness. You can see the crayons on the nose where the paint looks strange. Changed directions a few times on how the hand should go, and it shows.

The kid and the burro

2007-12-25T19:18:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all. Was at a party last night, and got home in the wee hours of the morning. My system doesnt tolerate such disruptions to the routine very well. I was dragging a bit this morning, and decided to draw to shake the cobwebs. Over the course of the day, in between the usual Christmas rituals, I completed this (my drafting table is in the living room so I can doodle without being away from activities). It is different from my usual stuff, but I am happy with it. So I thought I would share.

Bench - finished

2007-12-18T17:45:00.000-05:00

I posted the finished piece in wetcanvas forum for structured critique as 2 scans, and the kindly Lynn stitched it together. So I am using the image she produced. Watching and being watched. I am adding a couple of higher res scans below:

Bench: work in progress

2007-12-16T12:56:00.001-05:00

I started this painting over the weekend, and like what I have right now. So I figured I would scan this in case I mess it up later on. The scanning process revealed that it may actually be two scenes. Well, we will see how it turns out.

Went to my client company's Christmas party on Friday. Just before leaving, I realized I misplaced my wallet, so I was edgy and nervous and couldn't enjoy the party despite it being filled with interesting and friendly people. So we left early and I dragged Pam to all places I may have left my wallet. Found it next day at the studio (Looked there on Friday, but somehow missed it). Anyways, all was good with the world again.

Went to see Catco's production of 'Santaland Diaries' by David Sedaris on Saturday. Had a very good time. Pam and I both think Sedaris is a very funny writer. The actor who played Sedaris did a very good job. He didn't try to imitate the author's tone or inflections, so the show had a different feel than a Sedaris show you would hear on This American Life.

Charmer

2007-12-08T13:10:00.001-05:00

A doodle from work.

Woman and curtain

2007-12-04T06:52:00.000-05:00

I am not big on figure drawing, but was playing around with a set of crayola crayons I discovered in a shelf drawer at home, and liked this one. All the pillows and other props that would make this pose more natural, is left to one's imagination. That way you can have down pillows, or bolster cushions, or a combination, and don't let me select them for you.

So, now there is a new category: wax crayons :)

Another Sweeper

2007-11-30T07:26:00.001-05:00

Pam found this in the basement. It was too big to scan, so I tried scanning parts of it and stitching them together. Didn't align too well, and I decided to leave the different regions at different luminosity levels. I still don't have the whole sketch, but you get the idea. It looks like same theme as this one.

My notepad at work

2007-10-20T15:01:00.000-05:00

I had a thick 3"x3" notepad at my desk at my old workplace, that I doodled on.

Here are some I found in the cardboard box that holds the props for my 8-year existence there. The box that I still haven't emptied.

Elephant

2007-10-19T05:41:00.001-05:00

I haven't posted anything here in a long while, and hope to change this. Time to bring blogging back into routine. Here is a recent pencil sketch. I may have been influenced by Planet Earth, which we watched in it's entirety thanks to Netflix (5 or 6 DVDs, it was).

More to come in next few days.

Seduction

2007-09-23T20:18:00.001-05:00

Part of a painting I did for Pam many years ago. In Hindu mythology there are plenty of sages that meditated so fiercely that it made the gods uneasy. Enough for them to send temptresses down to distract the sage from his meditation. Kind of like when GM sent young women to seduce Nader and to tarnish his name, back in the 70s when he was on a crusade to make automobiles safer. There is so much you can learn from the classics.

A poem

2007-09-07T18:07:00.000-05:00

I wrote a poem many years ago, for Pam. I felt very good about writing it, I am not sure why. After misplacing it for many years, I have found it again. Makes me happy. If I read it now, I may edit it, so I am pasting the whole thing without looking at it. There is time to read it after posting.

We have walked together
Through mud and rain and sleet and snow
We shared food and shelter
We cleared the path for each other
Roughly hewn staffs we hold so dear
Our trail seldom clear
There were mountains and brooks and meadows
There were boulders and swamps and quicksand.
Times were rare when we stopped to look
And when we did, we said it was wonderful
So wonderful we could die.
We have come so far.
Here we are, holding on to our reality,
Holding on to our perception of the idealized real
Brief moments of dazzling clarity
During which we call out to each other:
Come to me, lay your head on my shoulder,
Rest a while.
It seems to be one of those times
Unclasp your hands, let us let the other let go.
As we wait for the fog to melt
I will tell you about a land and it's people.
I will tell you about the hornbill that waited for the rain
And died of thirst near a flooded river
I will tell you about the mad philosopher
Who pushed a rock up a hill, watched it roll down, then did it again
I will tell you about the fathers and mothers
I will tell you about the wives and husbands and children
Waiting for messages from across the sea
Waiting for visions of plenty
Promises wilting under the desert sun.
Cruel pieties and stifled desires
Repressed souls on a vengeful riot
I will hold your hand while you walk
On the verdant quilt that rice plants make
Through the shady mango grove
Along the market where peddlers haggle
Red will be the color of the setting sun
Red will be the silk scarf I buy you
No color is brilliant like it was before
Or is it my vision that is jaded?
Fog has cleared, the path beckons
Serpentine, its coils unfold
Shall I continue this story sometime?
For this is the only story I know
And I have to tell it before I forget
Maybe tonight when we lie down to rest?

Moths and Butterflies..

2007-09-04T06:12:00.000-05:00

..at Franklin Park Conservatory. Taken with a macro lens. Thank you for the lens, George.

The General in His Labyrinth

2007-08-27T05:34:00.001-05:00

One is amazed to see that Pervez Musharraf is still in power in Pakistan, between the extremists and secret service and the USA and the democracy activists and supreme court. Benazir Bhutto, Supreme court, Tribal Areas, Siachen Glacier, Kargil, Exporting terrorism to India, Osama, AlQaeda, Pakistan's rogue secret service, terrible economy, disenfranchised masses, and the guy is still hanging on after all this time.

One hopes that we have learned from our history and, in the future, don't go looking for tin-pot dictators to prop up as a strategic allies for spreading democracy around the world.

An argument, A chair, and A clock

2007-08-21T20:37:00.001-05:00

I am working on some new stuff, but wanted to document some work doodles before I threw them away.

Poem

2007-08-09T08:44:00.000-05:00

In Belmont CA for Priya's wedding. The back porch looks out into a ravine. Beautiful place. I thought I had some scans on this laptop that I could post, but can't find any. So, am posting a poem I wrote a while ago, when we started the war with Iraq. It doesn't rhyme.
_____________________________________________

When the sky bleeds over the hills
Twilight, when the chains are broken
Procession of the listless
Blinking, shuffling, silent
Walk along the salt flats
Desert, baked and hard, unyielding

Mad souls howl in the distance
As the river flows from distant hills
Red from the tattered robes
Stuck in the reeds somewhere upstream
Black from the curse of the land
Panacea or poison
Changing with time, changing with space
Punch line to a cruel joke

Wait for the magic carpet
Wait for the cool of the night
Wish that night does not turn to day
Wish they all come home
Wish they all go home

Ones without homes
Will put stone over stone
Seek refuge
Wait for next deluge

More work doodles

2007-08-07T06:51:00.001-05:00

Maybe fingers were being pointed during this meeting, and I felt the need to shield myself.

Random protein structures: alpha helices, triple helix, etc. Looking at the picture, I think I got there through free association while drawing the lips on the lady: lips >> collagen >> triple helix >> protein structures >> alpha helices & beta sheets/barrels

I am back

2007-08-04T12:11:00.001-05:00

I didn't mean to take this long a hiatus. There were a lot of things going on this summer. And it has been inconvenient for me to get on this computer, which has been commandeered by nieces. I have terribly missed the Nervara project and the accompanying correspondence, and I hope not to take such a long leave again.

I am between jobs right now. Will start my new one with a software consulting company on the 13th, when we get back from Priya's wedding in San Francisco.

A cardboard box holds tickytacky from my past 8 years at work. Here is a random page from a work notepad, from that pile. I guess there were some long meetings. Crayons are from restaurants around work.

Trees

2007-07-22T22:47:00.000-05:00

I have been very tardy lately, about keeping this blog updated. There are a few reasons for this, the main ones being house guests and my search for a new job.

I have wanted a change of scene for a while. Accepted an offer last week. Last day at my present job is Wednesday, August 1st. Starting at the new place on the 13th. Sad to leave friends, but I think this will utlimately be a good thing.

I hope to post more regularly soon, when everything settles down. Meanwhile, here is another fractal from George.

Richard Carmona, Surgeon General

2007-07-16T06:27:00.001-05:00

That was when Dr. Carmona vowed to himself that he would go back and read the fine print on the Surgeon General job description.

The outgoing surgeon general, Dr. Richard Carmona, has revealed how the Bush administration has been interfering with his work and trying to politicize the message from his office. There have been attempts by previous administrations to influence the surgeon general (Reagan & Clinton), but the nature and scale of what Dr. Carmona describes is at a different level altogether. Shameful.

The nation will need a lot of time to recuperate after this administration leaves office.

Doodah

2007-07-11T05:42:00.000-05:00

The Doodah parade on 4th of July was weird and absurd and relevant and fun.

Heat

2007-07-08T22:44:00.001-05:00

I recently finished Bill Buford's book, Heat. He talks about his unpaid internship at Babbo, food network superstar Mario Batali's restaurant in NYC. Later he goes to Italy and learns to make pasta in a restaurant that Mario interned at, and meat under an eccentric butcher. Very entertaining read.

I stopped watching food network a while ago because of a nagging feeling that I am contributing to some sort of fetishization of food. When I started this book, I got that same feeling. Is this food porn? I was happy to find out it isn't. The book is all about a man's tantric journey into an obsession and the self-understanding he arrives at. The reader also becomes familiar with cuts of meat and pasta-making techniques and huge egos and revolting excess and the weirdly stressful world of a restaurant kitchen. Read the book. You can thank me later.

Went to see "Ratatouille" on Friday. Amazing animation and well-developed characters. A rat is a master chef at a French restaurant. Good bookend to 'heat'. Buford indicated towards the end that his next foray would be into French cooking.

Japanese beetles

2007-07-04T20:20:00.000-05:00

Hordes of Japanese beetles call our garden home. It is an infestation. Pam and I have resorted to massacre by drowning. It is war. Asha, I wasn't exaggerating when I said I was attacking them. Just to add to the gross-out factor, here is a picture of some of them in their soapy watery grave:

Here are some gratuitous shots of our plants:

Green beans:

Spinach bolted & gone to seed, swiss chard, beets:

Broccoli:

Some cilantro gone to seed:

Tomatoes taking over a corner:

Rocking Horse

2007-07-03T06:58:00.001-05:00

Things have been a bit hectic. Many small tasks that need taken care of.

The garden is thriving in spite of the drought. We have been eating swiss chard, broccoli, spinach, eggplants, and beet greens from the garden so far this year. Japanese beetles are attacking the green beans and eggplant, and I am attacking them.

I want to write about a couple of books I read recently. Maybe tomorrow. Have to get to work. Here is some art I sent to Rajesh, for the CD liner.

Memories

2007-06-27T06:15:00.000-05:00

The other day I was listening to launchcast, and it played Harper. I hadn't heard his music before, and I thought it was really cool how didgeridoo drones were made part of roots music.

Launchcast never played didgeridoo music on my station before. Now that I have one and like to make noise with it, launchcast plays this. Scary. It is not just the guvmint watching you.

Here is a fractal from George. Memories . He used this piece when he designed the cover for a book of poetry (malayalam).

Puppy Love

2007-06-24T22:23:00.000-05:00

Rajesh's music album is close to getting released. Very excited about that. Here is a painting I did for the CD. Have to send over a few more pieces. The title song is about a young girl's infatuation. I have the privilege of having heard it pre-release, and it is great.

It is strange when you are creating something on request. You never know if you have met expectations. You always fall short of your own. I told Rajesh that he and the graphic designer should feel free to manipulate the work any way they feel and not worry about integrity of the piece itself.

Our company picnic was yesterday, at King's Island. Did a lot of rides. Firehawk is a great roller coaster. But I think I would be very unhappy if I paid to go to an amusement park. The lines are ridiculous: people wait 2 hours or more to get on the popular rides. Cheap mindless thrills. Good times. Can't take too many of those.

Art for Album Kanmani, Cubular

2007-06-21T06:56:00.001-05:00

Finally finished some art for Rajesh's album. I thought I would celebrate by posting a sliver of the piece here. I figure it isn't much to look at, so I am putting up another fractal by George, too.

Inside the Sun

2007-06-19T06:30:00.001-05:00

We had a good time in Boston. It was a bit chilly. Whale watching had to be canceled because of high seas. Gauguin's "Who are we?Where did we come from? Where are we going?" was at the art museum.

Spent a night in Salem. The witch museum had a very good presentation about the trials.

The weekend before Boston, I bought an agave didgeridoo at the Columbus Arts Festival. I haven't mastered circular breathing or anything, but I can get satisfactory sounds and drones out of it. Lot of fun. When I take a picture of it, I will share with you.

The graphic is another fractal by George, "Inside the Sun". I have been working on some art for NK, and hope to finish up tonight. Until then, I don't want to spend energy scanning or looking at any other work of mine. That's why I am putting up another one of George's. Thanks, Kathy, for harassing me about updating this blog. I am big on inertia, and outside forces help overcome it at times.

Mandala, Vacation

2007-06-12T15:30:00.000-05:00

We are leaving for Boston in half an hour, and will be back on Friday. Sightseeing. Will post more once I get back. Until then, please enjoy this fractal mandala from George.

Couple

2007-06-07T06:19:00.001-05:00

An unhappy pair. I painted this many years ago and had forgotten about it, but found it while cleaning out the garage last weekend.

It is possible that the mostly flat treatment and awkward relationship between objects was me subconsciously expanding on the theme. I will pick that over the more obvious explanation: that the composition/painting is just not good.

The colors remind me of a mural on the walls of El Vaquero (Mexican restaurant on Riverside Drive & Trabue).

Dragons

2007-06-06T06:31:00.001-05:00

We have a class for 4-6 year olds, we call 'Little Dragons'. Here is a sketch I did for a tri-fold brochure about the class.

American Museum of Natural History in NYC is putting on a show about creatures that exists only in our imagination: "Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns, and Mermaids". There was a writeup about this in the New Yorker. According to the article, dragons exist in most mythologies in one form or another. Western dragons are fire-breathing meanies while Chinese dragons are more benevolent in nature (helping crops grow, that kind of thing).

Reflections

2007-06-05T07:00:00.001-05:00

Another fractal by George. A version of this hangs in our house. I see faces in it.

Road to the mountain

2007-06-04T06:50:00.001-05:00

This graphic was meant to be made to into a Christmas card a few years ago, for the students at the martial arts studio. It was too late by the time I made the graphic, so the card was never sent.
I forget what the Kanji characters mean, but the picture was meant to encourage the students to enjoy the journey to the mountaintop, not just the summit. Something like that.

Tracking

2007-05-31T22:27:00.001-05:00

"Then they said, dignity is a small price to pay for not being extinct, so stay still."

I was watching a wildlife show on national geographic channel the other day. The telemeters and other tracking devices they put on the animals looked very bulky and uncomfortable.

Present technology lets us have cellphone and camera and mp3 player and GPS system and God-knows-what-else all rolled into one tiny device that fit into the palms our hands. So, I am surprised that they still have such unwieldy and intrusive devices for the animals. I guess the battery packs probably are a big part of them.

I didn't have a caption in mind when I drew this. The one I added is just so-so, so if you have a caption, please share it through your comments.

Another Fractal

2007-05-31T05:18:00.000-05:00

This is my week to be on call at work, and it was a rough couple of days. So, right now, I am operating on limited amount of sleep and not very happy. So, instead of scanning my work, I thought I would introduce you to another style of fractal art from George. Makes me think of Celtic knots.

Before the Act

2007-05-29T06:26:00.001-05:00

The 3-day weekend flew by too fast. Spent the time working around the yard and the house, and being social. We got a lot done, but the stuff never ends. The plants are coming up. Yay.

John and I went to Jim's house on Saturday to watch the UFC (live). He got the HD PPV on his 61-inch TV. It was like having ringside seats. It was a very good show. We like Quinton Rampage back from when he was in Pride FC. It was cool to see him get the W on Lidell.

Here is a one-liner I did over the weekend. A performer, half-way through make-up, taking a smoke break. Rajesh, I am working on your stuff. Will send you some files soon.

I have been lazy, haven't been riding my bike to work. Doing it today. So have to leave a bit earlier than usual. Will add to this post later.

Fractal

2007-05-24T09:04:00.000-05:00

Fractals are shapes too irregular to be described by euclidean geometry, that follow certain rules such as self-similarity (ie, a smaller part of the shape will look like the whole). A lot of shapes in nature are fractal in nature (coastlines, patterns in broccoli, shape of a tree, etc.).

My brother, George, likes to play with them. He creates wonderful works of art out of mathematical equations that describe fractal shapes. I was having trouble with blogger this morning, so could not upload the work that I wanted to. Here at work, I found the fractal that George sent Pam for her birthday. So I am posting my brother's work in lieu of mine.

Maternal

2007-05-23T07:27:00.001-05:00

A bit dark, today's subject.

Old Man in City

2007-05-21T22:51:00.001-05:00

I have an affinity for the theme of alienation, and the different forms it can take. I have done paintings on it before, but I have no idea where they are now.

Here is a colored sketch. I won't talk about it more, but please let me know your comments. I don't want to frame your thoughts. I am doing more sketches, and hopefully it will lead to a painting. We are all part of the process :)

Judo Throw

2007-05-20T10:41:00.001-05:00

I have been playing with the etch-a-sketch lately, since I rediscovered it a few days ago.
Someday I will get a regular size one instead of the pocket edition I have now.

We did the race for the cure 5k race yesterday. We, and about 37,000 other people. It was a lot of fun. It was a great morning. Sunny and cool.

We went riding on the olentangy bike path this morning with friends. I like that path better than the Hilliard heritage trail. It has more curves, and because of the vegetation and the river, it is more visually interesting. The path now extends past 270 in the north. There are wildflowers all around, on that stretch.

Second Bush Election

2007-05-17T06:34:00.000-05:00

A cartoon I drew of Bush & Cheney in 2004, during the time of Bush's reelection. We were hoping he would lose.

Flying Kick

2007-05-16T06:48:00.000-05:00

We have been doing martial arts of some form or another for the the past decade or so. It has kept me honest, and made me push myself in ways I wouldn't have otherwise. We have developed a lot of strong friendships at our studio, through the years.

This is a picture I did for a promotional handout, for the studio.

Etch-A-Sketch

2007-05-14T22:13:00.000-05:00

I was a kid when my uncle from the USA got me an etch-a-sketch as a present. I was quite taken with it. Many masterpieces were created and shaken back to blank canvases.

Pam got me a small pocket etch-a-sketch many years ago. I found it under the bed tonight, and was twiddling with it. The picture doesn't mean anything, I was trying to see I could still draw with the toy. And I am delighted to let you know that I can still make the cursor go where I want it to go.

You may see more etch-a-sketch doodles in the future. Hopefully they will be more substantial than this one.

Window

2007-05-14T06:45:00.000-05:00

Another one-line. I have a few sketches, but they need painted before I can put them up.

I wanted to grow asparagus, but didn't know anything about it. So I went to the nursery and got a couple of plants. Got home, and found out that they were asparagus ferns. Apparently, it is totally different from what I thought. Ferns are decorative house plants and don't produce anything edible.

We got asparagus crowns later from Straders Garden Supply on Bethel and 33 (first time I have been there: A greenhouse the size of a football field. Impressive). Pulled up some ornamentals around the house to make a bed for them. So, now we wait a couple of years, and voila! asparagus!

Dancer

2007-05-11T07:12:00.000-05:00

A sketch from a few months back.

Now I look at it, and find the dancer to be culturally confused. The dancer's costume looks like it could be a loosely interpreted kathakali costume (a classical dance from Kerala), and the design across the chest looks vaguely African. God knows where the headdress is from. Then there is the Djembe in the background.

I have a djembe, and enjoy making noise, although I have no rhythm. Reciting Kadammanitta (think beat poetry/reggae fusion with a dash of revoluzione, in Malayalam) while banging on the drum.. Good times. Torture to Pam and anybody else who may be within the hearing range, but good times.

Couple

2007-05-10T07:03:00.000-05:00

A watercolor, from a while ago.

Overslept, now I am late for work. So, no commentary for now. I will write more in this entry, if I have time.

Interrupted

2007-05-09T06:53:00.000-05:00

They say that couples tend to resemble each other more and more as they cohabit. I think this is the case for pets and owners, as well.

We live with a neurotic antisocial cat. I declare him to be the exception that proves the rule, and reserve the right to delete any comment on this statement.

Dog in a Line

2007-05-08T06:18:00.000-05:00

The weather here has been fantastic. So fantastic that I took Friday off to stop and smell the dandelions. Pam got off work early too.

We spent the weekend riding our bikes and gardening and working in the back yard. Had margaritas with friends on Saturday, Cinco De Mayo. Very restful time.

We have some vegetables planted now: Broccoli, eggplant, swiss chard, beets, spinach, tomato, peppers, some lettuce. A field of cilantro has come up all by itself, from where last year's plants threw around their seeds. Very cool.

Dua Khalil Aswad

2007-05-06T20:57:00.000-05:00

I have been haunted by something that happened, for the past few days. I felt like I had to talk about this here, but whenever I tried to, the enormous sadness of the event hindered me. And I couldn't post anything until I did this, hence the absence of blog entries. I tried to do a painting on the subject, but found that I couldn't. Am posting some initial sketches, but that will be all. If you read further, please be advised that the content is very sad and morbid and disturbing.

Dua Khalil Aswad was a 17-year old Yezidi Kurdish girl who fell in love with a Sunni Muslim boy. She converted to Islam because of this. Dua's family objected to this, and she sought refuge in the house of a village/tribal elder.

Around April 7th, 8 to 10 men stormed the house and dragged her out and threw stones at her until she died. It took half an hour for them to kill her. Her brothers and uncles were among the killers. A crowd was watching. The police was witness to this, but chose not to do anything. The boy is in hiding, trying to fend off a similar fate.

This incident was kept quiet until recently. The world knew about this when somebody made a cellphone video of the killing public.

One cannot imagine the kind of evil that lurks in these peoples' minds, that lets them justify the torture and killing of a girl who did nothing to them. The Kurdish government has made statements about this, but unless the killers are brought to justice, they don't mean anything (Amnesty International points out many such incidents in Kurdistan). Apparently, these 'honor killings' are common in some societies, and are even given some sort of legal/tacit sanction. That is sick and barbaric. ICAHK (International Campaign Against Honour Killings) is an organization that is trying to stop this. Here is a report on the incident on their site.

horse

2007-05-03T06:54:00.000-05:00

Between judo and socializing afterwards, got home very late last night. Pam was already in bed, and I futzed around for a while. Feeling a bit sleepy and tired this morning.Today's sketch is a big one, and barely fit on the scanner bed. I think it conveys energy and motion, both of which I could use right now.

I sprained my ring finger on the left hand at judo last night. It is not fun to type.

Unmoored

2007-05-02T06:35:00.000-05:00

Here is a random page from a sketchpad. I feel there should be a coherent story that ties the whole thing together, but it escapes me. If you know it, please let me know through your comments.

There are things that I think about when I look at this picture as a whole. Once a person tells me about what she sees in a painting or sculpture or movie, I have a hard time thinking outside the created frame of reference. So I will shut up about it.

We have been watching the first season of The Wire through Netflix. It got some good reviews. We usually enjoy HBO shows a lot. But for some reason, we haven't found Wire very interesting. I haven't gotten to a point where I care about the characters or the story. And Pam thinks she may care more about the drug dealers than the cops. Maybe things will change as we watch more.

Guitar

2007-05-01T06:25:00.000-05:00

An old one-liner, oil on canvas. Here, the whole is less than the sum of the parts, I feel. But putting everything up in the spirit of documentation.

Jim and I went on the bike ride on Sunday with a coworker of his. They are getting ready for TOSRV. At mile 31, we had breakfast at Ashville. They had a Viking festival going on for the weekend. Big people in chainmail. Jim took us through a more hilly route to the restaurant this time.

On the way back, I was fighting a head-wind and was not happy. Wind is more frustrating than hills. With hills, you know you crest and that is it. It is finite, even if it stretches to quarter or half a mile. No such thing with the wind. I brought up the rear. Jim broke a spoke on his rear wheel and his wheel started to wobble, so we had to abandon our route and find a short-cut home. So, we ended up riding 58 miles instead of our planned 64. I wasn't exactly broken up about having to cut the trip short, but it sucked, what happened with Jim's bike.

The Gere Shetty Incident

2007-04-29T21:27:00.000-05:00

We have a problem in India. The government spends very little on education. In fact we spend the least amount of public money per student for higher education among all developed and developing nations (source). We have a huge illiterate population.

The result is a disenfranchised idle segment of people, who are being used by all kinds of groups for their agenda. All political parties do this. Naturally extreme ideologies seem more attractive when the system has failed you and left you with no tools to survive from within. Shiv Sena (an extremist right-wing xenophobic Hindu nationalist party) is good at recruiting people from this group. So are muslim extremist groups. Usually the 2 groups quarrel and kill each other. But when Mr. Gere kissed Ms. Shetty and wounded our delicate sensibilities and harmed the fragile Indian culture, they worked together to organize the marches and effigy-burning festivities. So heartwarming.

The Indian leaders are starting to put more public money towards education (not at a rate that will make significant changes in the near future, but it is a good direction). Hopefully, as the literacy situation improves, we will see the end of such parties. The judge who issued the arrest warrant for Richard Gere will still be there. Somebody get her some psychiatric help.

In the meanwhile, the sensible people of India should keep speaking up, so these idiotic zealots don't hijack the national dialogue and define our culture for us.

There is a very descriptive account of Shiv Sena's activities in Suketu Mehta's Maximum City. He also talks about communal riots, the mob, Bollywood, and 'dance bars' in the book. It is a good read, although it could have used a good editor who could curb Mr. Mehta's logorrhea. Apparently the censoring forces in India thought the same, so they removed specific passages from the Indian edition of the book. God forbid we offend the mob or Shiv Sena!

Bandipur

2007-04-27T07:37:00.000-05:00

I tried to photograph one of my oil paintings this morning, and was having all kinds of problems. It took a long time for the computer to download the pictures from the camera. When I used flash, it messed up the picture because of the canvas texture. When I didn't, things were fuzzy and blurred from my unsteady hand.

So I am posting some pictures from when we were in Bandipur National Park in India, in December 2006. The place has amazing wildlife. We went off-road in a jeep a few times, looking for tiger and leopard, but didn't find any. Strangely enough, we saw more wildlife by the forest roads than during those trips.

The gaur you see, was grazing at dawn. It didn't mind us clicking away. Didn't even look up. My great grandfather was killed by one.

The elephant was by the side of the road. He was agitated at first when we stopped and started taking pictures. A lone male elephant, you have to be very careful with. This guy turned towards us, then decided we were not worth the bother, and continued eating. Later, he slowly walked into the forest. Around a turn from where we met the elephant, we found a group of people on motorcycles, stopped. They had seen the elephant, and was waiting for him to pass.

Walking

2007-04-26T06:29:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was judo night. I didn't need a jacket to go out afterwards. Very glad to see winter pass. The weather this weekend promises to be great, so we may be going for another bike ride this Sunday.

Pam has a cold. When I had one in January, I took turmeric and honey, and it went away. I don't know if I healed because of the concoction, but I became a believer. Believers don't need to know. So I got Pam to take it last couple of days, but she still has the cold. She left for work 5 minutes ago, after announcing that turmeric & honey didn't work on colds. Nonbeliever.

There is really no context for the watercolor I put up today. An old one I found in a stack in the basement. There are a couple of things I want to whine about, so I hope to post a cartoon soon.

Theyyam

2007-04-25T06:46:00.000-05:00

Keralam, where I grew up, has all these tribal rituals and dances and creation myths and folklore. They were assimilated into the fabric of Hinduism when the Aryans came. Some survived more intact than others. Theyyam, a ritual dance, is one of them.

The elaborate costumes and the vivid makeup fascinated and frightened me as a child. They lurked in dark corners and invaded my nightmares. They blended into the heat of the summer and the sounds of the monsoon to inform my sense of home.

Wolfowitz

2007-04-23T23:11:00.000-05:00

Wolfowitz needs to go. I dont think this because of the Shaha Ali Riza scandal. He needs to resign, because he is terrible as the president of the World Bank.

Here is a guy who made a mess of many lives by leading US into a war with Iraq, and Bush rewards him with the post of World Bank President. His mandate was to clean up the World Bank Bureaucracy and to hold countries accountable for how they spend their loan monies. Very good, and much needed. But then, all he does is arbitrarily deny/grant loans to select countries, and appoint 'loyal bushies' to strategic posts. Other people at the World Bank were so alarmed by all this, they asked for some documented lending guidelines. Paul W. couldn't deliver.

Essentially, Wolfowitz is making World Bank into an instrument to enforce US foreign policy. This is not what the institution is about. Plus, he is a terrible manager. He needs to go before he does more damage.

And, maybe they should revisit this convention of US always appointing the president of World Bank and Europe always getting dibs on president of IMF. Two very important monetary establishments. Rest of the world should have a voice there.

Here is a good article about Wolfowitz and his World Bank term (New Yorker).

Doctor

2007-04-22T22:01:00.000-05:00

A sketch that I did for a watercolor painting I later gave as a wedding gift.

Had a great time riding with Jim and his coworkers today. Very little traffic, perfect weather. Had pancakes and omelette and toast and coffee at a diner about 30 miles into the ride. Breakfast rides are excellent.

Almost all our seedlings are doing badly, and we need to re-seed. We may be able to salvage some spinach, that's about it.

Wait (One Line)

2007-04-21T09:27:00.000-05:00

Here is another on-line picture, painted. I hope to put up a cartoon later, in the evening. Now I have to go outside, enjoy the gorgeous day. It is going to be a high of 70 today, and 75 tomorrow. Finally.
Jim and Tony and I are going on a 45-mile bike ride tomorrow, with a bunch of people Jim knows. Stop at a diner along the way, eat a breakfast full of fatty starchy goodness. Yin and yang. In balance.

One Liner

2007-04-20T07:09:00.000-05:00

I used to draw these sketches all the time, where the whole thing is done using one non-intersecting line. Kind of a zen exercise. It was fun to do. Gimmicky and fun. My friends from college have been asking to put them up. So, here is a sample (old). Big dots at the ends, for your convenience :).

I will post more of these. I have done some pictures recently but found that they were too big for the scanner. As my brother suggested, I have to take a photo instead of scanning.

Chicago

2007-04-19T22:00:00.000-05:00

The hat the lady wore stuck in my memory, and and was insistent enough to be sketched. This was a winter we were in Chicago, couple of years back.

I am including a couple of other sketches in this post, as well.

Keyboard

2007-04-18T23:14:00.000-05:00

Here is a sketch I did many years ago. For some reason I really like the mood it evokes for me. I found it under a pile of stuff, smeared with splotches of ink and paint. So I had to do some post-scan cleanup.

I was hoping to do another cartoon, but tonight was judo night. After working out, we ritually go out for beer. Now I am pretty tired. I will transfer the cartoon to paper to computer to cyberspace tomorrow.

Audit

2007-04-17T22:37:00.000-05:00

I got some questions about the cartoon, so here is a Q&A about estate tax that may clarify things a bit.

While another tax season comes to close, here are some fun facts about audits for us to ponder (source: New York Times)..

- IRS has increased the audits of tax returns filed by people making $25,000 - $100,000 from 147000 in 2000 to 436000 returns last year.

- For those making less than $25,000, audits rose from 369000 to 589000 (apparently earned income tax credit is a red flag).

- Audits of people making more than $100,000 rose from less than 100000 to more than 256000.

- 17000 audits were done on people who made more than a million, up from 9600.

- Own a large farm, preferably with income more than $100,000? You are less likely to be audited now, than in 2000 (only category where the rate fell). 2150 in 2000, compared to 1547 in 2006.