Puja preparations

A 'Chandmala' is an indispensable element in Durga Puja.

They adorn the Goddess during the festivities and are hung from the deity's hands.

The design consists of three circular disc-like colorful pieces strung together and

finished with pompoms at the end.

Traditional Chaandmalas always have a white outer rim and

a generous splash of silver and gold work!

The 'Shankha' or conch-shells are used for 'Mangal-dhwani' or 'auspicious-sounds'

during the puja.

The 'Mangal-ghot' or the pot with the coconut on top adorned with mango leaves

is a must-have on almost every puja or festival in India.

I have used all the auspicious Hindu symbols

traditionally used in the puja mandap.

I am posting in a bit of a hurry, this is the last week of decoration and

everything needs to be in place by this week-end.

Wish me luck!

Maa Durga

''Maa Durga''

60 cm x 80 cm

Acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु मात्री रूपेण संग्स्थिता

(Yaa devi Sarvabhuteshu matri-rupena sangsthita)

(Ode to the Divine Goddess who resides in all existence in the form of

the Universal Mother)

नमस्तस्ये नमस्तस्ये नमस्तस्ये नमो नमः

(Namastasyay Namastasyay Namastasyay namo namah)

(We bow to her)

Shailaputri (daughter of the mountains) in front of her abode

The lion inspired by the lion sculptures of Mehrangad Fort, Rajasthan, India

Durga puja preparations

Preparations for Durga puja here in Geneva are underway.

Having been asked to help in designing the puja mantle this year,

I am excited about the possibilities!

This is a sneak peek into our decor elements, some of 'em,

we have handcrafted each piece from the scratch.

Hours of work but loads of fun.

We talk about everything from mouth-watering Bengali recipes

to the nuances of French grammar, me and a friend as we sit together with

the heavy-duty cut-fold-pleat-paste operation!!!!!

On the weekends, everybody else joins in.

It is this month-long team work that brings people together and

these are the memories that stay with us even after the puja is over.

The Durga Maa painting that I was working on all of last month is complete.

You may have seen the sketch in one of my previous post.

It is a bigger piece, 60cm x 80cm and I can't wait to take some snaps and post here.

It has been raining all of this week in Geneva and

I have to wait for a bright day and the correct light for my next post.

Hopefully, soon!

Next three weeks are going to be completely dedicated to the Durga Puja work,

but I will try to keep you updated with snaps from our team at work.

Much love.

dee

'Shubh-Janmashtami'

It is Janmashtami today, Lord Krishna's birthday.

This is 'Krishno-thakur' that used to be in my 'thamma'/grand-ma's puja room,

now He is with us, here in Geneva. I think He was brought home from Vrindavan,

along with brother 'Bishnu-thakur' (Lord Vishnu).

This is one of the very first CDs that Arnab gifted me when

we had just known each other for a little while.

It is has a collection of bhajans (devotional songs)

by Pandit Chhannulaal Mishra,

his voice weaves magic!

Listen to this song (one of my favs from this album):

'Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare'

View of the city & the Airshow 2009 from

the North Tower of St. Peter's Cathedral,

Old town,

Geneva

Shop update

These two cuties are now available in my Etsy shop!

Click here to go to this listing.

Listed here :)

Enjoy!

'Maa Lokhhi', workshop and some pretty frames

Title: Maa Lokhhi

Size: 33cm x 41cm

Medium: Acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas

Click here to see an enlarged version.

This was a request I got right after I painted this one.

This is a lot more detailed, thought the composition

had to be pretty much the same, as per the request!

Another little art update: I am taking this workshop by Jane DesRosier.

I made my first art doll in her Colth-and-Clay Doll workshop back in 2008.

She gives me company in the kitchen!

Note for my supporters: I got a bunch of very sweet emails

from some of you over the last few weeks,

encouraging me and giving me a lot of support,

thank you for writing to me, thank you for your love!

I am inspired to learn and experiment right now.

Here is a sample of some frames that I wrapped up my prints with,

they make, to my mind, sweet one-of-a-kind gifts with

and Indian flavour! My friends just love these :)!

Have a great week !

Sketch for a commission: Maa Lokkhi

This is the sketch I did some days back for a commission

that I am working on right now.

Medium: Pencil of watercolour paper

Size: 33 cm x 41 cm

To see an enlarged version, click here

(*this piece is not for sale*)

It is not complete but I have moved on to the painting

as I am seriously behind schedule :((

I am adding details to the painting and the process

is in its turn, is teaching me to be patient,

at least for the time-being.

So much for now....

d

And the winner is......!!!!!

I know, I know, I know :)

I am 48 hours late in announcing the winner.

There is a lot going on in life right now,

last two days I have had to prioritise and hold back blogging.

I am sorry.

Now, the good news, the winner of my Give-away is:

Zaara!!!

Congratulations!!!

(I numbered your comments, also for those of you who emailed me

when the blogger problems surfaced while posting;

then used the random number generator on my laptop this time

to draw the winner for my lovely participants,

for sheer lack of time.)

Do send me , Zaara, your address by email

and I will ship off my beautiful parakeet asap.

I post a picture of how I have framed it for our home...

if you look closely, you can actually see a reflection of me taking that snap :)

For all those who participated:

your participation was heartwarming,

to say the least, thank you all :)!

I will get back soon once I am a little settled.

Wish me luck.

much love.

d.

'Runa'

'Portrait of Runa'

30 cm x 30 cm

Acrylic on Canvas

When Pam sent me an email, last month, inquiring about

the possibilities for this commission, I was thrilled!

It was a request for the portrait of a beautiful Bengali bride...

Pam wanted me to do a portrait of Runa, her boyfriend Jake's sister,

who recently got married in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The photograph where Runa wears the flower head-piece is

from the traditional 'blessing ceremony'

(notice the slight hint of turmeric on Runa's forehead,

something I tried to retain in the painting.....)

Here are a couple of close-ups for the details:

We were discussing possibilities and preferences so far as a bird in the background is concerned.

We finally agreed upon the peacock ....its magnificent plumage adds to the portrait,

a sense of joy and celebration, don't you think?

Click on the images to view bigger!

update

Work-in-progress.....

I am almost through with this one,

this is a snapshot from a couple of days back..

Keep the comments coming in for the lucky draw in my 'Give-away' post,

great participation, I am so excited!!!!

Thanks x

d.

Give away, thank you readers!

'Runa'

Pencil on paper

30 cm x 30 cm

(sketch for a commission I am working on right now)

More about this when I post the final piece.

Youtube has introduced new channel designs.

if you haven't upgraded already, watch this video!

I really like the new format and am now

slightly more incentivized to upload more frequently.

Deezden now has over a 100 lovely readers!!

I am giving away a signed print of my ''Parakeet'',

that is also my new Youtube channel background!

All you need to do is leave me a comment after this post

latest by the12th 0f July, midnight (Geneva time)!

I will draw the winner and announce on the 14th....right here

(no video of my crazy dance this time).

You have given this blog a lot of support, encouragement and

your interest in the work that I do always keeps me motivated.

Thank you! All the best, enjoy!

Maa Durga

''Maa Durga''

Pencil on acid-free, medium surface, heavyweight (150g/sqm.) paper

Two A3 sheets combined

The quintessential 'Tiya-pakhi' or parakeet sits in the upper left corner.

A huge marigold flower gives him company.

The ''Laal-jhuti kakatua'' or the red-tufted-cuckattoo adorns the upper right corner.

He sits next to another exotic-elaborate-fragrant flower.

My first elaborate Durga drawing could not be complete without the fish motifs!

After all, just as Bengalies cannot do without their adoration for Maa Durga,

they are just as incomplete without their sweets and fish-curries.

So, for the lower corners, I chose the fish motifs, also to signify the

all encompassing presence of Durga maa in the world that we live in.

Durga puja is a time when everything around is in celebration!

Finally, a very interesting detail, for me at least.

Vineeta from Artnilght had made this post in April about the lions of Mehrangad Fort in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. The photographs she posted stayed with me, in fact, I had commented on that post that when I draw Lions, I will use these as my references,

they are so wonderfully folk and rich in detail.

So, there you go, my inspiration for Maa Durgadevi's Lion!

I am happy with this.

Now, I am tempted to try to colour the white background with acrylics

and see how the different mediums, namely, pencil and acrylic paints, look against each other.

I am a little anxious that this experiment may spoil the pristine quality about this sketch.

Do you think I should try that or just stop here?

Finally , I have to start rendering this in canvas.

Thank you all for the lovely comments on the Maa Lokkhi post. I really enjoy reading your feedbacks and consider myself lucky for the fact that inspite of my irregularity in posting of late, you guys have been patient with me and came back to write when I finally did.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Durga: Sketch in progress

'Durga' puja is sometime in September this year but the preparations in Kolkata

are underway already.

This is a sneak peek into a sketch in progress

for a painting that I will do this month.

I planned on doing a rough sketch but am getting carried away into filling in

every little detail.

I have taped in two sheets of water-colour paper so

it is BIG and therefore

time-consuming.

Once the sketch is complete, I will post the references and research that went into this drawing.

Till such time.....

Maa Lokkhi: Bengali Lakshmi Devi

Title: ''Maa Lokkhi ''

Medium: Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

Size: 33cm x 41cm

The painting has a typical village scene from Bengal in the backdrop,

with golden crop fields and mud huts with thatched hay-roofs.

''In Bengal, Lokkhi or Lakshmi is worshiped during a night in Autumn when the moon is full -- the brightest night of the year. It is believed that she showers wealth on this night.

She, along with her mount, the great white owl, descends to Earth and takes away the

darkness of poverty, stagnation, anger, and laziness from our lives.

Her 'vahana', the white owl, is that it represents the royalties and riches, which always serve at her feet; and over whom she has full control.

She is also referred to as 'pranadayini '(giver of life-sustaining energy).

She wears ornaments of gold and a ruby-studded golden crown. Her hair is long, dark and wavy. She holds a pot of gold with her left arm and a crop of rice in her hand.''

-source: wikipedia

This is an image of a traditional Bengali depiction of Lakhsmi Devi.

-Image from this webpage

A rather sweet Bengali folk song, often sung by the little ones on the day of the puja

is written around Lokhhi thakur's 'mukut' or crown:

It goes like this:

''Esho maa lokkhi bosho ghore

Amader e ghore thako aalo kore''

Transliteration:

Welcome Maa Lokhhi, welcome to our home

Come, stay and fill our home with your radiance and blessing.