NDNJ's studio blog

  Over the course of 3 weeks, everything I was learning was being translated into a large-scale self-portrait in charcoal and then in color. These almost allowed me to understand my face, my expression, and my physical form. When diving into this, I knew that I had to go beyond that physical form and bring out the thought behind the expression. Other than the Second Face website, I also looked at masks from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and some other apps/sites. I heavily immersed myself in the different possibilities of mask-making. The interconnections between culture, society, identity, character, and design came together most interestingly and beautifully to deliver a sense of reflection and contempt to the viewer. The interview created a very open space for me to let go, I also went back to old journals, sketchbooks, and notebooks to understand what was going on. Many times you don't realize the kind of situation you put yourself in at the moment. I got the chance to recolle...

"still life" - a newer outlook? My ventures with art began in charcoal, I would draw images of anything around me, magazine covers, candles stands, photographs and souvenirs. My sketchbook was my camera, my way of journaling without knowing how to write words, my escape into a world where got to reimagine these objects in my surroundings.  Today I have acquired a hint a skill and an overload of creative expression and flow when it comes to my artwork. I enjoy really deep and intense shadow work, so bold marks, sharp turns and all that.  Well more recently, I also put together a collection of objects that capture the feeling which was projected in that moment and time when I drew he piece. I put together a wooden carved box, a table mat and these large dried droppings from a tree, made a lighting setup and spent about an hour and a half on it.   Another one-    India, where I am from, is the body of rural handicrafts, from cotton textiles to pottery and cera...