Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Pressure!

Sometime ago, a friend tried to take some pictures of me for an interview.We went out into my garden where he aimed the camera at me and said "pose" shortly after which it occurred to both of us that I had no idea how to pose so we went to my studio instead, where I  just did my thing while he clicked pictures. Here they are -


Some of the black and white pictures are dramatic, so please allow me to indulge myself and post these on my blog, because where else can I post them if not here?



When I first started drawing with charcoal, I remember that I posted the drawings on my old blog where a former teacher chanced by them and emailed me; 'these are the best drawings I've seen of yours so far.' he exclaimed much to my bewilderment, 'this is what you are all about! You can forget about drawing fairies and cute little bunny rabbits forever...' 


Sometimes I have been asked how I do what I do with charcoal, how I get all those strong lines and textures. I feel a hundred years old when I am asked that and I have been chided for fumbling for an answer during such moments. How can I ever put process into words? 


When you have reached a place in your life where you have it all, everything that you worked so hard for, you have only one thing left to do – dismantle everything that you love, give up everything that you hold close to your heart and begin all over again. So that new adventures and mysterious emotions will reflect over and over in your art and there will be progress in this one life that you have been blessed with. 



*

I sang because I knew that singing is testimony to the gratitude we owe God - but not because I knew how to sing. I was so deeply committed to this task right from the first note that the peals of derisive laughter that broke out had no more effect on me than a distant breeze in the eastern mountains...I was standing there through the power of things which were so high above me that I no longer mattered.

~ The Fish Can Sing
Halldor Laxness


Erm, many thanks to S for the photography.



13 comments:

ArtPropelled said...

These photos are beautiful and the hand shots are so full of energy I can feel the creative power in them. Wishing you great adventures, Priya. I love the quote.... Talk about mysterious emotions!

Nancy // and while we are here said...

These are fantastic pictures! Especially those hand shots, the energy is almost tangible! And they say more than thousand words about your process...

Love your work. A lot.

Aarthi said...

In your element....you are beautiful Priya

Gwen Buchanan said...

So beautiful Priya!
You speak with your hands.
When I was younger I always wished I could explain to people answers to their questions not by words but by them touching my hands because that is where all the answers are.

Sharmon Davidson said...

Such beautiful photos... Those are such tough questions, but I think these pictures contain some of the answers...

zoe said...

thank you for this post--the quote at the bottom, too...the fear of those peals of derisive laughter can make it very hard to ever show gratitude, and that is a huge mistake...
and i love the perfect messiness of this process! exactly what has kept me from trying it...how's that for paradox :D

Priya Sebastian said...

I want to thank each one of you for your response to these photographs. They mean a great deal to me.

Robyn, thank you. I knew you would like the quote. The book is amazing too. The message in it is gratitude.

Thank you Nancy! Your photographs inspire me a lot.

Aarthi, when I am most comfortable :) Thank you for the compliment too.

Gwen, what you have said about finding the answers by touching the hands of the artist is beautiful and it is something I am going to remember. I wish I could touch the hands of all the masters I admire.

Sharmon, I hope so too!

zoe, true. As the quote says, gratitude is sometimes shown best in giving a damn about everything else but the process.
Oh and the charcoal I use is beyond messy to say the least!

Anonymous said...

beautiful photos and I love your words. dismantle everything after you got what you wanted. that takes the kind of guts that are hard to find these days!

Priya Sebastian said...

thank you petra :)

Tororo said...

More thanks to you Priya for sharing this: it was wonderful, watching you "doing your thing"!

Priya Sebastian said...

The pleasure was all mine Tororo!

Unknown said...

Wow. Fabulous. I feel as though I was just invited into something intensely personal and powerful. Thanks for posting these, Priya!

Priya Sebastian said...

Thank you for your lovely comment Karine! :)