Finger Painting

As I vaguely try to recollect the episode of Adam & Eve where in Eve irresistably succumbs to the temptation of the forbidden fruit, these few words uttered by her in agony ring a bell in my mind, "Whats the point in even having a magic wand when your forbidden to wish something?? It's as good as not having it!". Should I call it a curse or a spell for having been blinded by ignorance all this while about the charm of my lovely little fingers which possessed such phenomenal instincts and could graciously work out such artistic wonders? Never did these fingers of mine bear so much pride when they wore a diamond ring or when they could touch and feel all the tenderness and warmth of life or when they held the highest grades of awards and certificates of merit as much as they did when their magic movements took guise of lively forms of birds, flowers, wildlife, portraits, scenery, etc. As simple as it could ever be, all I had to do was to patiently smudge the various shades of artist oil colours by the alternate clockwise and anticlockwise movements of my finger tips to bring into effect the wrinkles in a bird's mane, colourful petals of a flower or barks of trees, a trickling brooke and so on. But for all you know, I'm excited about the fact of having discovered a new reason to love and adore my fingers in the 21st year of my life!!

Some more Tanjore Paintings

Tanjore Painting

Neither was I a born artist nor did I judiciously practise art at point of time but for a few pencil sketches I made during my leisure and the extra 1% effort I pulled in to make my Biology records the most talked about in class! But the overwhelming appreciation and motivation I recieved from my peers and family made me feel that this might be my cup of tea. For ages I had been contemplating on the thought of seriously pursuing this little passion of mine and had occassionally made few futile attempts too until I was blessed with the acquaintance of my mentor. Man! She was a connoisseur blessed with profound aesthetic sense. No sooner was I lost into a new world of brilliant masterpieces, my head swirling 360 degrees and my eyes refusing to believe wat they saw. My excitement knew no bounds and my enthusiasm was at its toll. Even before I could make up my mind, she pointed out to a magnificient, grand portrait of Lord Ganesha and remarked that would be an ideal start! The richness and grandeur of the picture made me wonder if I would be able to do justice ( To Lord Ganesha.....???). But I went by my gut feeling and took up the challenge.
Being an amateur,I unassumingly abided by the orders of my instructor who briefed me on every minute aspect, right from griping the pen to the consummate finishing touch and skillfully elicited the best out of me. My pen glided so gracefully through the arches and curves as I traced out the skeleton of the portrait. My spirits were high and I worked for hours together without respite until my vertebral coloumn demanded recess. The richness intensified as I decked up the crown, throne and ornaments with glitering stones and lustrous gold, marking the glory of Tanjore Art! The garland was painted with pale pink flowers and lushy green leaves while the dhothi was neatly done in crimson and gold. Divinity was exemplified as shades of flesh tint and white blended in ratios of 2:1 constituting the body base. Then came the acid test!... The eyes....most integral part of any portrait reflecting all moods and emotions. Thankfully it turned out in my favour and my adrenaline levels rose as I witnessed the picture being almost complete. I twisted my torso in all angles to ensure perfection and eventually leaned back with a deep breath of satisfaction. I had never felt this good before. It was a real holy beginning indeed!