Art

I have been an artist since I was a child, if I couldn't find paper to put paint on, it went on my face! I loved colour, and my parents encouraged me with using it! I loved drawing, painting, etching, paint-by-numbers etc.

I painted my first oil painting when I was fourteen, it was a portrait of Princess Vicky (of course copied from Majesty magazine, yes, I am an avid Royalist!!). I was so proud of that painting, with all it's ugly flaws, ill presented compostion, and verbatim colour. I took art classes in school, and also studied at a private school in Calcutta. However, age sixteen arrived, and with it, a new interest developed, BOYS!!
Although, my primary focus was boys, painting was still my secondary focus. I painted on cloth, made all kinds of pillowcases, napkins, tablemats, etc. It fell in this order, boys, painting, film and reading.

When we immigrated to Canada, my life was suddenly very different, I had to find a job, get used to a new environment, new people, new accents, deal with the sadness of leaving my homeland etc. My drawing and painting was put on hold, and it wasn't until four years later, in 1992, that I was able to focus on it again.
By now, I had lost touch with so much technique, compostion, colour and form. I found a teacher, who taught in the Classical Italian style, and began taking classes with her.
It was just wonderful, she was a fantastic teacher, and I loved her methods, her approach to art, her patience and presence.
I was only able to do a year with her (a day a week), and produced about 4 canvases. One of which my mom has, one remains unfinished and two completed portraits, that I have.

One of which is my favorite, it's of Rabindranath Tagore (or as we Calcuttans call, Robi Thakur). It is a value study, and I am pleased with it. At the time I didn't really see the importance of a value study, but now I do, it really does help me see colour in a whole different light.
The other portrait is of a woman praying in a river, it's in colour. However, I vanished it with some sort of pre-made varnish, and it has destroyed the surface. I don't think it will survive the test of time. It's not my favorite, but it has good form and structure.

I haven't painted in a longtime. I will go back to it someday. I am always grateful to it, it helps me in my current artistic ventures, of sewing, knitting and my newest passion, weaving. Yes, I am looking for a loom, but that will be another post.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone! I know I haven't blogged in a very long time, but life has been quite busy over the Christmas season.

Christmas was fairly quiet, which is fine by me, I have had many smashing Christmas holidays as a child, and nothing can match them. I like to think back on all the wonderful memories of Christmas in Calcutta. Parties, fruit cakes to die for, decorations, Christmas trees (with fluffy cotton wool for fake snow), rosecookies, kulkuls (a sweet made with coconut milk and flour), salt meat, new clothes, new furnishings etc. Oh! what lovely times they were!

I have been doing quite a bit of sewing and knitting over the holiday season. I made two pairs of pants, knitted about 10 scarves (eight were ripped out), and two were presented as gifts. I have had fights with my Superba, which just refused to knit DBJ, which it's so famous for. However, I am glad to report, we are friends again, the tension mast was our common enemy all along!!!!

It's now January, and my big resolution this year, is to find a new job! I want to work in a pleasant, friendly, courteous, and intelligent environment, with smart people who have small egos.
In a fibre field would be nice, and I want a small environment, not a big organization, where one feels like a little elf slave! No, thanks, been there, done that!!

My last manager in my present position was wonderful! Sadly, she moved on to greener pastures, and I miss her dearly. I mean, how many of us can boast of a manager who sews and quilts, who goes with you, fabric shopping? Not many, I am afraid!
I remember how we would come to work, bursting with excitement about the sales at Fabricland. We had one up the street from work, so of course, off we went at lunch time, to add to our already full stashes! Oh, good times they were!

I miss you Catherine!