Monday, April 23, 2018

Urban Sketchers


Its been more than four decades that I have been in Pune and I found this gate at Koregaon Park always locked with a board outside saying “Botanical Survey of India” 


I took it to be one of those government offices where getting in won’t be easy as you have to obtain the “permission” from the right quarter.  Well, yesterday I did get a chance to get in, as the Urban Sketchers of Pune were visiting the place to sketch the Heritage building Moti Mansion which happens to be in the premises.
Moti Mansion was the home for some renowned elites of the first half of the twentieth century.  More on the heritage part later. 
I was fortunate enough to be in the midst of so many artists and to see them produce wonderful sketches and paintings with ease in a short time. 



Each one had their own comfort zone for painting, like some were comfortable standing and painting while others had an easel stand. 





Some had low slung chairs while others just squatted on the floor. 





Many used the brush directly (without any preliminary  sketches) I found sketches being made by fountain pen, sketch pen, charcoal and finger, marker pens which goes to prove that creativity is in your hands and you can create it by using any medium. 


You can see some of them in action in the ten minute video I created.

I was worried about this lady as her water colour bowl was perched at an impossible angle always threatening to tip off and ruin her creation.  


It was good to see that people from all age groups took part in the sketching. 



Coming back to the historical background, this piece of land belonged to Sir Shapoorji  Bharucha of Bombay. It was jointly inherited by his family members after his death in 1920. One of the owners , A Nanjee built this large house here and named it Moti Mansion. 


 You can see the etching AN (A Nanjee) on the glass of the doors and windows.
Moti Mansion was leased out for some years to Mir of Khairpur, who lived in the Mansion. (Khairpur was in Upper Sind and was forcefully annexed to Pakistan by the British) Thereafter the property was looked after by the Shapoorji Bharucha Charity Trust till 1977 when it was bought by the Government of India for the Botanical Survey of India.  




After having a look at all the paintings, I am tempted to dabble with the paint and brush.











On second thoughts, I think I will stick to telling stories with my camera.
One version goes to say that it was known as the Poona Willingdon Soldiers Club and this is how it looked in 1900

Getting together for the mandatory group photo after the session.  









46 comments:

Sumeet said...

Wow! What a creative blogger you are! You have that ability to make reader stick to the content you write with great vocabulary. Such a treat to read. And not forget the level of photography.

Thank you Joe so much.
See you soon

Unknown said...

It looks a beautiful place.

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
There are some grand skills on show there - but they are only seen because there was a great photographer to record them! YAM xx

DUTA said...

The video at the end of your post sums it all up nicely. What a bunch of creative people of all ages, gathered in a beautiful place to make art.
I greatly liked the background music of the video.

Neah Chandel said...

Cool blog! Thanks for the write up and some great photos of our group!

Unknown said...

A verbal and visual treat!

Anonymous said...

Joe this is fantastic and it does interest me..... I just love history and it's tales. You have captured everything and your captures tell every detail. Your composition, explanation is flawless and its so interesting, one just can't leave midway. Thanks and God bless. Keep them coming brother.... looking forward for more. - John Marcedo

Anonymous said...

wonderful capture joe! the writeup and the documentation. got to relive moments from the session. cheers/ m

Unknown said...

I too have been fascinated by that closed gate hiding a majestic building and the greenery. Great to now know more about its history and see it up close. Great show Joe. As always. Chetan

Anushree said...

Wow I had always wondered what's in that property whenever I passed it, you helped answer my curiosity by the blog. Happy to see so many artists and their wonderful painting, thanks to your awesome photography.

Jeannette said...

I am so glad that you were locked out so that you could be let in with such beautiful people to populate your photos and challenge your own artistic sense.. I like how you captured the scenes and other interpretations of those views. What a fun post, Joe, thank you.

Cobalt Violet said...

What a fantastic post! It definitely made me want to be there! So many talented artists ... and such a lovely place to paint and draw! Thank you for sharing! Lovely photos!

padmaja said...

Interesting and informative post. I think you should try Paints, atleast once for the motivated moment you had!

Elephant's Child said...

What a wonderful day. I am an observer and appreciator rather than a creator, but watching artist is always a joy. And creates a lot of awe too.

Anonymous said...

Loved this blog. Had no idea such a magnificent mansion existed behind those gates of botanical survey of India grounds. - Aiman Wordsworth

karuna demla said...

I have been following your blog for a while but posting a comment this time. I just want to tell you how much I love your blog,the way you describe things and of course all the photographs. I hope you never stop. Thanks Karuna

Sujatha Sathya said...

wow! that's a whole army! beautiful sketches too!
the city's treasure - this one is - surely

Anonymous said...

Beautiful place .... (Palace), great artists and fantastic coverage....with your camera.
I fully agree with the comments made by Sumeet Jaiswal - Sanjay Chandane

Christine said...

very interesting, wish I could've been there!

Chris Lally said...

What a treat in reading about this adventure and enjoying the numerous photos! The video at the end was icing on the cake.
Great post, Joe!!

Rike said...

Gorgeous! My favorite is the last group photo!

Patsy Irene (Chillin' with Patsy) said...

Lucky you to experience such talent first hand!
Drawing/sketching is not my forte but I wish it were!

Sandee said...

What a lovely way to spend so quiet time. Excellent.

Have a fabulous day. ☺

Alice Lim said...

Wow, what a beautiful building. You guys are so lucky!

carol l mckenna said...

What a lovely time for you and the artists ~ what a beautiful place too ~ I always love to see each artist's rendition ~ each being so unique ~ hope you try the brush and paint!


Happy Days to you,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

Anonymous said...

WOW! Enjoyed your post! So impressed to see the artists. Each one are unique in their drawings.
Beautiful buildings. Interested to know about them:)

Unknown said...

Wonderful description !

A Cuban In London said...

Great place. As it happens, one of my favourite programmes in the UK is Landscape Artists of the Year on Sky Arts.

Greetings from London.

kaykuala said...

It is a privilege to be surrounded by a creative and talented group. Paintings can be archived and may even generate some income. Thanks for sharing, Haddock!

Hank

Pixel Peeper said...

Lucky you got to hang out with so many artists in such beautiful surroundings!

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

Wow such interesting things to sketch. Large group is so neat

Anonymous said...

I feel like carrying my paints and canvas along too, that's how good your blog and video makes me feel. Laid back relaxed music too. Love it. - Deepti

Alka Gurha said...

Love the pic of elderly gentleman sketching on his notebook. It's infectious, I'm not surprised you wanted to sketch too.

diane b said...

Thats a big group of painters. Lucky you could get into the gardens. It looks beautiful.

Lisabella Russo said...

What a beautiful place to visit. The artists seem to have done such beautiful artworks.

Tammie Lee said...

looks like a wonderful outing. Fun to see so many people sketching at the same place.

Bijoux said...

What lovely work and it sounds like a good place to find peace and inspiration,

Anonymous said...

That is awesome documentation Joe !!! Hats off to you and thanks a tonne on behalf of Urban Sketchers Pune. - Yatin Moghe

Anonymous said...

Beautifully captured...... loved every bit of it......including the awesome video - Maj Harmit Grewal

Radha said...

How I envy those who can capture the surroundings with their sketching and painting skills rather than the click of a mobile camera. The personal touch brings the object to life. Great post.

Nas said...

Sounds awesome. I wish I could capture with pencil and paper. But alas...no. Its a talent!

AK said...

Awesome place, awesome group and an awesome post. Wish I could be part of such a group. Well, for now will have to do with your posts and continue painting solo!

Krisha said...

What a lovely place to sketch. Love the pictures and the film you made. Best wishes.
Krisha

Anonymous said...

Very inspiring!! Such a beautiful place. - Marita Krüger

mario said...

Parbens for the video, wonderful, this is a vitalizing and enjoyable activity. I really liked the first song in the video, what's the name?

Anonymous said...

Fantastic!! I love seeing everybody's different medium choices and some were as bright as a carnival and others simply pencil (which was my favorite. I love the one the man did in graphite pencil and it appeared he only used down strokes in the exact same direction for almost his entire drawing! I think that looks so cool!) I subscribed and look forward to seeing what's next. Awesome picture of everyone holding their masterpieces. And my favorite was when you put in the still shots of a person smiling. Art is so therapeutic. I am disabled due to chronic illness and just found that art helps me feel productive when being stuck in bed all the time, or in the hospital. I have found such freedom and peace and I have come out of situational depression after 4 solid years of watching TV if I'm not asleep. I love to sleep because I don't feel as much chronic pain. Now I fight sleep to draw or paint. I usually ruin my picture by falling asleep with a pen or paintbrush in my hand, sleep always wins. But I absolutely love it. I wish I could get out to do some urban sketching but the best I can do is use free references which I have found extremely helpful. Thank you for sharing this and thank you to your group for sharing their art with us!! - Six Mercer