A Painting Unveiled and Missing shoes!

Friday was a huge day for me. My painting, Genesis, got unveiled by the CEO of ThoughtWorks Technologies Ltd at the inauguration of their new Koramangala office. It is one of the biggest canvases I have worked on in a long time- a massive 6 X 2 feet.

The run up to the event was crazy though! I left my son with my aunt, dropped Samarra to school at 1 p.m and headed off to the ThoughtWorks office where my hubby and his rocker friends were getting ready for the gig in the evening. I sat around listening to the band tune up and left around 5 to pick up my girl from school. I had her change of clothes and my dress, heels and jewelery in my back pack. The event was to kick off in an hour and I figured that since the school was walking distance from the office, I would have enough time to pick my daughter and head back, scrub off the dust and grime and get into my lace black number for the evening. But strange tidings awaited me.

I heard a familiar crying from inside the class room ( that's when I realized that every animal can distinguish the bawling of its young one no matter what. I always wondered how the seals and gooney birds on National Geographic found their offspring in a congested colony of seals and gooney birds but now I know how). Anyway, my offspring came out looking all distressed along with her apologetic teacher. Someone else had gone home wearing her crocs and she was barefooted. Of all days to lose a pair of shoes. I had like 45 minutes to get back and change.

The Principal came out to talk to me and my first question was if she knew any shoe shop close by. I also told her that I had to be at an event that I had been waiting all month for; and that I had to get my daughter shod. And time was a factor! A search party was sent inside for the shoes but they all came back with empty hands. 30 minutes to go...

I cracked a PJ about going to the event barefooted like M.F Hussain. Everyone except my daughter thought it was terribly funny. She thought it was just terrible. So I carried all 16 kilos of her and got onto the main road. There were parents taking their kids away in cars. I looked at the shoes of some of those kids. I had to think quickly if I was to get back to the event. I thought of asking one of the parents with a kid the size of mine if I could bum shoes. On immediate second thought I ditched the idea. Then on a desperate lark, I accosted a mum I have never spoken to before. She was getting into her car with her kid. I explained my situation and asked her about any shoe shop nearby. She was a godsend. She drove me to one and I jumped off, thanked her profusely and grabbed the first shoe off the rack. The salespeople must have thought me an odd ball because I shouted God bless! God bless! and shook hands vigorously with the main cashier before flagging down an auto. I bet I was the most eccentric customer he has ever met.

I arrived at the office to see the dignitaries at the gate. I raced to the elevator and well, if you have latched onto to the frequency of this story, I don't need to tell you that it wasn't working. so I bolted up the stairs with Samarra, her bag, my bag and the shoes. I changed into my dress and stilettos, rubbed war paint under my panda bear eyes and gave myself Donatella Versace lips. I doused myself with perfume, scrubbed Samarra, changed her and gave her something to eat. I opened a packet of salted peanuts for myself and dashed to the lobby where I did a terrific skid on the vitrified floor that would have got me a place in the Olympic figure skating event. I stopped skating a few inches short of the satin ribbon and looked at some 100 people and the chief guest. Just that they were on the OTHER side of the ribbon. I raised my hands ( opened salted peanut packet in one) and dived under the ribbon and joined the amused crowd.

The CEO cut the tape, everyone cheered and I realized that Samarra was missing! I pushed through the crowd and heard the familiar bawling again. Everyone had moved to the lobby where my painting was about to be unveiled and people were looking around for me and calling my name. I raced to the area with Samarra and the evil new shoes played up. The poor thing tripped and the carpet claimed a good share of the skin on her knees. Fresh bawling started. Mercifully, my hubby had surfaced by now and I tossed him the kid and bounded over to explain my work. Just that I was so out of breath and confused by now that everything was spinning and the painting made no sense to me!

I did an impromptu explanation of the piece which people later came and said they liked ( I swear to God I don't remember anything). In the photos I am carrying my daughter so I guess at some point I must have taken her from my hubby.

Well, the adventures stopped there, thankfully. the rest of the evening was great fun. My husband and his office band ( they are called Vp and the Cookie Cutters. Err, I named them by the way) played some awesome numbers. The food was great, the people were great. It was fun...


Before leaving, I spent some private time with my painting. It was a very satisfying and humbling experience seeing it make it the journey from my studio to the lobby wall of a prestigious organisation. I remain in a space of deep gratitude to the Universe as ever :-) Missing shoes, dysfunctional elevators and scheming carpets not withstanding! :-D

Well, you know what they say about modern artists being cons heh heh. For those of you interested in what the painting stands for here is the explanation:

Genesis is built around the themes of Creation, Ideation, Energy and Positivity.

I have planned this piece to work not only at the level of theme but also colour, myth and symbol. Let me explain each of these:

The palette is primarily reds, oranges and yellows. In color therapy, red is the hue of dynamism, passion, excitement and enthusiasm.Orange and yellow stand for health, happiness, optimism and vitality.So a painting done in these shades is meant to exude the overall vibration of well being.

If you look at the left panel of the painting, the reds and browns give the impression of an aerial view of the outstretched wings of a dragon in flight. Mythologically, the dragon is considered to be the most majestic being in the Cosmos, standing for power, wisdom and strength. If you look at the way the colours move, the strokes are directed upwards, representing ascent.

At the level of symbolism, the painting represents a sun flare. The sun is the centre of all life and growth. The painting thus comes to represent Genesis at a primal level. In the creation myths of so many traditions,all thought and ideas are represented as emerging from this primodial soup of Matter. The blue streaks represent exactly that. The flame of the bunsen burner is hotest at the blue centre. Ideas are thus most potent and the blue streaks represent moments of inspired thought in their raw form. The white patches are symbolic of the tranquility attained through meditation- a reminder that all great enthusiasm must be balanced with deep introspection.

So, this energy painting is meant to uplift and energize one in the work environment ! The beauty of Expressionist art is that every time the work is viewed, new forms and new ideas seem to emerge from the interplay of colours. The enjoyment of the painting is enhanced by the fact that it is always open to interpretation.

Here are two snaps of my husband and his band VP and the Cookie Cutters. Congrats Risha, Jayant, Vishy, Nadeem, Angshuman, Manish and Vp. And there is Samarra up there too with her dad!