Regatta and Sketching

The thrill of sitting out in the open and painting to your heart's content. 

The 92nd Regatta practice was held at College of Engineering Pune (COEP) last month. The Urban Sketchers of Pune held a sketching/painting event when the action was on. 

This was perhaps the last outdoor event held by the Urban Sketchers before the lockdown 

The college students were in full form, waiting for their turn to practice as the Regatta was to be held in a weeks time.  

As always noticed in the Urban Sketchers, the participants are from all age groups. 

Any point is a vantage point, as long as you get a clear vision without any obstruction 

Sometimes, sketching the sketchers is also a challenge and the results can be very impressive. 

As the sketchers were busy, the participants went about their regular activity 

Like the way these two were sitting. They were looking in the opposite direction but doing the same activity - sketching.

Some of the regatta participants were interested in the art form and were closely following the process of catching the action on paper. 

Exactly two years ago, I had covered another sketching activity by the same group. It was at the Heritage building of Moti Mansion in Pune. 

After sketching, the new members introduced themselves.

 The mandatory group photo along with a glimpse of their Sunday morning effort 

I had made a short video as soon as the event was over, but could write about it only now.

Kochi and Biennale Part 2

“So what is so great about a bathroom? Maybe it looks spacious” That was my first reaction when I saw this bathroom, one of the exhibits at the Kochi Biennale. 

I was standing at a corner and peering in. A sideways glance and I realized how the bathroom was made. Each tile, each item was made by paper rolls. Scraps of paper were cut rolled and glued, forming thousands of layers that make the papier-mache habitat.  

I just stood there in awe. The amount of planning and scaling that must have gone into it.  The creator, Dia Mehta Bhupal, originally from Mumbai, now lives and works in Hyderabad.  A young girl in her early thirties, has many creative work to her credit, and when she is not rolling papers, she is busy clicking, as photography is her first passion.

Moving on I saw these drawings by Orijit Sen. I was immediately drawn towards it and started taking photos. 

Somehow I liked the line work and it reminded me of Mario Miranda and R K Laxman. The subtle humour and the reality of the everyday life in India is very much evident in the drawings. 

  

I wanted to click more, but most of them were in glass cases, which causes reflections while clicking.  

As mentioned in Part 1, I was impressed by these kids quietly drawing on the stage. 

Their work was exhibited for all to see, a good boost for the kids 

Outside in the shade, there was provision for any kid to take up the oil pastels and start drawing. 

I wonder if this was a participant or a volunteer, but I liked her concentration.

More in Part III

Chuck Morris and his caricatures

Casa Bonita is a Mexican Restaurant in Denver, Colorado. Our hosts had already told us that the food over there was not all that great, but the ambience was something worth experiencing.

I am sure that all the guests to this place had themselves clicked in front of the fountain which was just at the entrance.

The place is colourfully decorated and the seating arrangements are at different levels.

Entertainment, especially for the kids was the order of the day (or rather night) with some one or the other jumping into this pool of water.

There was a small booth in which you could get yourself clicked with the full regalia for a small fee.

I found this girl making funny faces every time the cameraman said “ready”

There were musicians serenading and going around every table keeping the mood buoyant.  

But the best that I liked was the caricatures done by Mr Chuck Morris.

He talked to his customers and made them feel at ease while he sketched them. Transforming from a simple pencil sketch to an almost live colourful portrait is an art that he has mastered. You can see the transformation in the three minute video.

I noticed that whenever he drew, his left hand always went under the board. Could be a habit from the time he started sketching. His rates too were reasonable.

I had half a mind to get myself drawn but when the restaurant closed for the day, I found that Chuck still had customers waiting in line. So I had to forgo my aspiration of “looking funny”

Maybe next time Chuck J