Saturday, December 15, 2012

CELESTIAL UNION !


Ramaya Ramabhadraya, Ramachandraya Vedase,
Raghunathaya Nathaya, Sithaya Pathaye Namah:



Very often, I keep asking myself this question - Does one really need a reason to celebrate? Doesn't every minute of this beautiful life call for a celebration?
I am a typical cancerian, a total homebody who is extremely house proud. As much as I like to socialize and have a good time, I also find comfort within the 4 walls of my home and it's important to me that my house reflect my personality. Since I am big on celebrations, I have aptly named my house ‘Sambrama ‘, which loosely means celebration in Kannada.
Faced with the challenge of decorating the huge bare walls of my new home, I painted murals on them depicting the happy folk art of India. Be it the rustic Warlis or the bright and bold Madhubanis, the walls in my house have a story to tell, a story of celebration!!

According to Aristotle "A friend to all is a friend to none" and I couldn’t agree more.
By choice, I have very few friends and as you all know by know that Vandana is one of them ( my posts are incomplete without mentioning her). I believe that she is lucky for me & I keep pulling her leg by saying that she is my Kajol and I am her Karan Johar. She helps me out by editing my texts and is a part of Sage& Slingback in some way or the other.
She is an amazing cook & loves to entertain. During one of the dinner gatherings at her place, she introduced me to this fun loving person, Aashima Dogra. Aashima is a hotel management graduate who bakes gourmet cakes for a living. Light, airy cheesecakes and mousses are her forte.
After a few meetings, when it was my turn to return the hospitality, I arranged a "women only" lunch at my place and during this visit, Aashima saw my wall murals and loved them. She then told me that she would like me to paint one of her walls someday. I casually brushed it off since quite a few people have said this to me in the past and forgotten about it later.

But exactly nine months after our meeting, Aashima , true to her word, invited me to paint the family room wall of her new home. YES, a promise was kept and a huge, framed white wall had been readied for me. It is a very satisfying experience for any artist to see his or her work in another’s home.
So I decided to paint a Madhubani mural with an auspicious theme depicting "celebration" on this humongous 16 by 5 foot wall at Aashimas. And what could be more auspicious than the joyous occasion of Lord Shri Ramachandra and Sita Devi's wedding as this is considered the epitome of celebrations in Ramayana ( The second one being "Shri Rama Pattabhishekam", coronation of Lord Rama).
Aashima trusted me completely and gave me a free hand. Not once did she question my decisions regarding the theme or color choices. We finalized December 14th as the unveiling date and I then took charge of bringing this "CELESTIAL UNION" to life in colors and form!!
Today, through S&S, I would like to congratulate the Dogras on their new home and wish them a life filled with happiness, good health & cheer. May Lord Rama bestow his blessings on this family!
























































Aashima & I








46 comments:

  1. Wow! I am absolutely and totally floored! Just...wow!!

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  2. absolutely gorgeous , it was an additional feast to watch the artist work step by step on it. Jay has great talent and confidence in things she does and thats what makes her special. The wall is a " conversation piece" , it has bought the whole house alive...absolutely in love with it !!!

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  3. Wow, Jay, I am in love with this Madhubhani painting. Hats off to You.

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  4. Stunning Jaya.....Let me take a momemt to bow in respect..... I am spell bound and have no words.....your art calmed me down....and all I can wish is someday maybe even I have such a mural at home....I love love love traditional art forms...and have a few madhubani paintings at home...but this is spectacular....you are gifted .....

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    1. Rupa,,,,, thanks, Like you I am big fan of Indian Folk art.

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  5. My first ever comment! HAD to! Like I wrote on my page, there aren't enough words to express thoughts and emotions when it concerns people close to you. What a gift from a friend to another! May you always be blessed and may you shine your light on all those whose lives you touch!

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    1. Thanks for your first comment... It means a lot to me.

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  6. Phew..what a piece of art!! Amazing drawing Jayashree. Loved the drawing and more so the step by step details of the drawing. You are truly a gifted person and may God Bless you!! - Suma

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  7. Goose bump moments reading Jayashree. Love it love it love it !!!

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    1. Shreeni, I take this as a huge compliment, thanks!

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  8. Bold colors and a fabulous art piece........that is Jayashree!!! I was Amazed by your talent the day I saw the "sambhrama" worli wall at your house and you can create magic time and again!!!

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  9. Talented and beautiful, Jayashree! This is an amazing piece of art you created!!!

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  10. Wow..... it is absolutely gorgeous! I love it....I'm in love with it. Now I'm even more inspired to have a mural like this on my walls! I'm actually getting impatient :)

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    1. Don't get impatient.... Take baby steps, you will have a mural on your wall soon.

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  11. Jay, what a remarkable piece of art you created, it's magical! This thing of beauty will be a joy forever. It's not just enriched their house, but also our lives who got to witness and celebrate it. - Poonam

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  12. Jay, what a remarkable piece of art you created, it's magical! This thing of beauty will be a joy forever. It's not just enriched their house, but also our lives who got to witness and celebrate it. - Poonam

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    1. Thanks for being such a strong supporter of Sage&Slingback!

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  13. WOW, You are so talented! If you would spare some time to travel to rural Iowa I would be honored to get a wall ready for you. Love your work and talent! Simply awesome

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  14. Jay...you live up to every expectation however big the hype and the anticipation!!! I have all sorts of creations going on my head....all I can say dear is the future is bright and bold and beautiful! Anna

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    1. Hey Anna... Thanks for your love & support, means a lot to me.

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  15. Absolutely Gorgeous!! Beautifully described! your hard work is a treat for our eyes:)
    Anu

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  16. Absolutely stunning jayashree.....u keep outdoing urself each time you creata mural....each one is better than the previous one.....love the intricate details on the clothes that the bridal party wore and on the varamala..wishing u the very best for all the future painting projects.....shami

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  17. Out of this world !..Those colors , those tiny details in your paintings ..simply awesome !...I Loved it ...I felt you took us on a beautiful , colorful journey..Hats off jay akka !

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  18. I am in awe....it's soo beautiful....you are an amazing woman jayashree....

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  19. Jay,
    What a beautiful/colorful wall mural this is. It can immediately lift your mood.
    I loved the details of each figure & expressions on their faces.
    You are absolutely amazing creative thinker Jay!
    Love: Reshma


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  20. Jayashree, thats absolutely gorgeous! How long did it take you to do it? Its amazing. WOW!

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  21. 20 days, approximately 65 hours kamini, Glad you liked it!

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    1. Breathtaking! Beautiful peice of Art! Hope you get tons of chances to exhibit your artistic talent. Wish you all the BEST!

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  22. 'Magnifique'!! Loved the bold cheery palette of colors and the minute details...Be it Sita's nose ring (Bigger), Anklet (ornate), Jade kuchhu :) etceteras which sets her apart from her bridesmaids! And loved the depiction of the Sun as masculine, moon as feminine and the Trimurti witnessing the union.

    Good luck with your future ventures.

    Sudhakiran

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  23. Jay.. stunning work. Love the details and story was wonderfully depicted. Loved Lord Rama and Sita and their celestial union beautifully shown through your art brought the whole house alive. Congratulations!

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  24. Beautiful...beautiful..beautiful.......so much attention to the details....drop dead beautiful..

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  25. Clearly I am behind the eight ball here....but this is sheer brilliance!! Congratulations!

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  26. WOW! Absolutely stunning Jayashree... Creating such a masterpiece while balancing on a ladder... Just mind-blowing. Hats off to you.

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