Creativity for Wellness
As I made a mental list of all the fruits I have eaten and had different experiences with each, I re-lived the emotions I have attached to each. My favorites were the strawberries because it had nothing to do with the fruit but with pizza. And the guavas… that’s a fond one – again little to do with eating but hanging upside down from the tree like a bat and later when scolded, dozing off to sleep as a rebellious response!
This week I am fascinated by mushrooms. When I first went to San Francisco to film my first set of classes for Creativebug, I saw some interesting mushroom in the pier. I think I could keep painting mushrooms for weeks to come.
Vegetables have their own stories of love and frustration and delight – how I started cooking red cabbages upon reading a book on Ayurveda, how no one had my Kale soup, that Jia buys brussel sprouts because she thinks they are cute, how I prefer roasted broccolis over steamed ones, how my onion has sprouted many little green arms, how my grandparents became each other’s trusted comrades over cooking eggplants…
Sometimes I am so engrossed in the details… the tomatoes in their boxes with colorful labels, interesting packages, memories of delicious artichoke hearts paired perfectly with salmon and capers, bland pears, fennels and how I love every bit and form of them… running my fingers over the dried sprig of fennel flowers in my California travelogue and remembering Ayush’s toothless smile. He was barely 5 months old at the time and we celebrated Nini’s 3rd birthday on the day we came home on a red-eye.
Every piece has a story. These stories that have been woven somewhat guilelessly into the tapestry of my life. Insignificant by themselves but connected to defining moments, old patterns, new practices, show of love, quirks and sweet memories of grace… when noticed they become significant.
The stories that take me back – to school field trips, road trips, neighbors, cruises, house-warming gifts – memories are multi-sensory… I can still feel the heat of that day when I walked to Chichen Itza, the feeling of dust between my fingers rummaging in the weekend flea market in Franklin, North Carolina, the fragrance of the vetiver candle… this project is expanding beyond the painted images in its richness for me.
More memories – very easy time travel in my mind – the decades and places roll smoothly in their own order – all I do is allow.
This week, my attention revolved around my houseplants – ones I had, ones I want to have and ones that I loved without claiming ownership.
Each painting has a story, a memory imprint that led me to choose the objects that I paint. The memories are varied ranging from childhood experiences to recent shopping deliberations. It’s the stories that are leading me.
This year, I am doing the 100-day Project.
Medium: Acrylic Paints
Surface: Watercolor Paper
Dimensions: 8.5 inches x 10.5 inches
Genre: Whimsical Still Life
Goal: Show up every day. Paint. Post on Instagram daily.
Let’s see what emerges.