Kids on Scooter - 36"x48" Painting

I finally finished a painting that's been floating around the studio for a couple years in a nearly done state. It always felt pretty near complete, but I never quite knew what to do with it. Then, the other day, while digging through some shelves, I stumbled across a bunch of charcoal.


Charcoal has always been one of my favorite drawing tools, but I'd never thought to use it on paintings, at least not in a late stage. It turns out it works out quite nice, especially on this door skin surface. The only downside is sealing up the charcoal once done. It still reeks of Aquanet in the studio. At least something good came of the big hair eighties - the best coal sealant (and bike handle bar grip stabilizer) ever.

More Ink, Wax and Paint

12"x14" mixed media on canvas.







Title: Cheap de Kooning Knock Off


9"x11" mixed media on paper.

Ink on Paper

All drawings below are in ink, pastel and charcoal on 11"x14" paper. I've been a little late posting these, but they were all done in the first month or so when I returned from the big trip back in the late fall of 2010.

This first sketch is from a great scene in Madrid during the Sunday markets. We were wandering through throngs of folks when I looked up and saw two brilliantly dressed mannequins dancing for us market goers.


I can't remember for sure where this one is from, but I think it's from Lyon. We ended up spending a wonderful week here while failing repeatedly to get a train to Italy. Warning: don't have an agenda while traveling in Europe in August. It is much more fun to have your plans tossed out by striking French train workers.


Drawn from a photo shot by my daughter Ananya, the missing family member in this shot out front of Notre Dame in Paris.


A beautiful mundir on route to Manali in Himachal Pradesh in northern India.

Super loaded truck, one of millions, chugging along the Himalayan roads of Himachal Pradesh.


On route to lunch in Preixan in southern France. I must have spent 10 minutes staring at this stunning bottle of olive oil.


I think this one is from San Sebastion in Spain - what an amazingly beautiful city.


Munshi Ram's hot pink meets Euro-ville.

Moving on to Canvas

Things move at a very gingerly pace these days. Perhaps its the heat. Perhaps its the temporal haze after 4 and a half months of traveling. In any event, we managed to secure a table to paint on after only 5 weeks. Well it is not actually a table, technically we are painting on a bed, but it is wooden, large enough to hold a good sized canvas, and it came for a decent price.


The 5 weeks were well spent. I got to learn how to read and write Punjabi. These words in blue are my first free flowing stream of conscience style writing in Punjabi.


Yes its true, I haven't been to a barber in 9 months, nor have I shaved since December. Its also true that I paint outside, in India, in the peak of summer. Though mostly in the early morning, and late evening, when the sun hasn't yet hit our 3rd floor veranda.

I really love that hot pink India ink. I swing by Munshi Ram, the best art store in Chandigarh, about once a night asking for another bottle of pink. Every night the woman kindly informs me that it is not pink, but red. I smile, convinced that I have enough, and will not be back tomorrow.

I Love Ink

All sketches below are snapshots taken from a 9"x 11" sketchbook while in Chandigarh. The media includes water soluble pencil, ink and acrylic.

Sketches from Punjab

All sketches below are snapshots taken from a 9"x 11" sketchbook. The media includes water soluble pencil, ink and acrylic.

Photograph - Parque de Fabrero - Buenos Aires