So……hello there again, it’s me; yes really!! I’ve been here all along, I just haven’t been blogging. I know, I know, quick slap on the wrist and a waggle of the finger as a reprimand, now let’s move right along. The last you heard from me, I was getting ready to leave on a …
A very dear friend of mine was supposed to visit DC this winter, and had asked me for suggestions of places to visit and things to do while she was here. Unfortunately, her trip has been canceled due to all the nasty rumors out there of an impending terror attack on DC. My heart feels …
My problem is that I am a big city girl living in a small town. I grew up in the hustle and bustle of London, and get antsy if I go for too long without being in a proper crowd, getting yelled at by a bum, or using public transport. I’m happy where I am, but when …
“It was a cold and wet December day, when I touched the ground at JFK…” I know how you felt, Bono, I know how you felt. We (me, my husband, and the kids) have been in Disney World (and Universal Studios) for the last six days. It was golden, t-shirt weather. When we got off …
The last summer camp is done, and I’m off to England for my very well-deserved break (Says who? Says I!) feeling tired, bruised, but incredibly happy. I’m going home. I know, I know, Vienna, Virginia is my hometown now, and it is indeed lovely and welcoming, and I like being here. However, there is always that feeling …
I have just spent a relaxing weekend by the sea, comfortably ignoring all of my tasks and deadlines, and focusing on just swimming, eating, playing with the kids, and wandering around. While ambling along thus, I happened to stumble upon a beautiful little shop – The Main Street Shop and Coffeehouse – in Chincoteague VA. …
Boy has it been a busy few months. I have a persistent daydream that consists of me lying on a sofa watching the Godfather trilogy with a block of chocolate next to me. Maybe one day… Last month I bit off more than I could chew, and it is only now that I am beginning …
“What was your favorite part of the trip to Chennai?” I asked my six year old. “Dakshina Chitra” She replied without even blinking first. I’m not surprised, it really is a wonderful place. Dakshina Chitra is a heritage center just outside Chennai, on the way to the beautiful beach town of Mahabalipuram. According to my …
When I was 19 years old, I convinced my parents that I was mature enough to travel around Northwestern India on my own. I obviously possessed greater powers of courage and persuasion then.
My idea was to travel around with a sketchbook and camera, and produce an amazing portfolio of work that would help me to get into an Art college of my choice.
It worked.
While on this trip, I often ran out of art materials in places where there were no stores that sold them, so I improvised. I painted with spices such as turmeric and chilli, and used old pieces of fabric and packaging to draw on. But my favorite of these ad hoc materials by far was a stick from a neem tree that I had carved to a point. I happily filled sketchbooks with big, drippy ink drawings, and actually had a period of mourning when the stick finally broke, exhausted by my furious scribbling.
Many years later, I would range around woodlands like a crazed yeti, collecting sticks and branches for my students to dip into ink and draw with at school.
I have recently rediscovered the joys of drawing with ink. It is really so much fun.
It is hard not to relax when you draw with ink, because you have less control over the sorts of marks you produce, every line has an unexpected beauty to it. Try it.
I am in London, and all is well with the world. It is fantastic to be back in the city where I grew up, where everything is so familiar and comfortable. I feel like a missing puzzle piece that has finally been popped back into it’s place. I grew up in a leafy part of South …
