A Day of Drawing

One of those ENTIRE DAY OF DRAWING days. This time a second visit to see A.Ramachandran's exhibition. 10 am sharp in the morning until 5pm. Sketchbook and foldable sketching stool. Fortified with ammunition: None of that sugar water NGMA canteen tea. I brought my own masala chai in a flask. See the reflection of the beautiful trees from the campus inside my cup. At the end of it all I feel a rejuvenating kind of tiredness which is such a wonderful feeling to have.

The friendly security is just so damn bloody strict when it comes to taking photographs. They keep an eye on you all the blessed time so I managed to sneak this one above as a reflection through the window. 

I risked it all with this photograph below during that one brief second when security wasn't looking. As long as there is no flash, it is all right in the best of museums. Will I be hauled up and reprimanded severely? Will I be banned from future exhibitions? It remains to be seen.But I am doing this for the love of art and as a service to society (hand on my heart when I say this). And what is an artist anyway if she doesn't break a few rules?

This is my absolute favourite painting - A village wedding under a Gulmohar tree.The folds of the pink cloth travel from the groom towards the bride in the center and the lines flow upward into the flowering tree.

In the foreground you can see my kutti Made in China foldable stool on which I sit on to sketch. It created a biiiig sensation at the gallery. One by one the security guards silently came over to stare at it intently. Then one of them called a director type of person."We must have seating here sir" he implored, "See, people are actually resorting to bringing their own seating!" The director said, "Haan, haan" and went away.

When you walk up the ramp to the first floor, you are met with the large beautiful Selfie Mirror. It is a ritual for all women to stand in front of it,adjust their hair, take a selfie and then go inside the gallery. Of course the men do it too, but they do so quickly and surreptitiously so that they won't be jeered at.

So this is me, older, wiser and wearing my favourite faded cotton t-shirt and intense Getting the Selfie Right expression. Had I worn a faded Khadi kurta instead, I would have definitely fit into the Kannada artist look which I've managed to steer clear off till now. But one acquires the look with time. First grey hair, next the crushed clothes, then big paunch and finally the khadi. By the next visit I should get the last two right. I might even end up making strange work like the rest of them.

Do take a look at this early post:
THE TREES AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY