Hemu's Art Blog

I am an architect with a crocheted sense of perception always searching for the rest of the pattern.Reader, writer, self-proclaimed artist, traveler and star gazer. This is a collection of my artwork and sketches.I'd love to hear from you. You can...

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Merry Christmas from my face on the wall! I hope y’all had a great one! :) Pen and ink (black/white) on original papyrus. Also, it’s for sale...so hit me up if you want to buy it. :) (here or my gmail) #merrychristmas #papyrusart (at Columbus, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6hRuG9DoYK/?igshid=1rtjn1mxo7kgt

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Had a great time exhibiting/selling my art last night at @columbusmuseum ‘s ‘Think like an artist: Holiday Wow and Wonder’ event as a part of @streetlightguild ‘s crew (alongside art-god @artwithduarte and the super talented @sankofa_arts). I totally stole pictures@from @scottwoodsrules and @l_emond 😬 I have postcards, bookmarks, original teabag art and miniature pieces, and prints for sale. It’s December and so, if you want to gift your folks some of my art, send me message or an email. Let’s make their holiday more artistic together. 😬 (at Columbus Museum of Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5vb0YyD_Qy/?igshid=1fe15tc1n0ibv

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Had a wonderful time giving the talk for this month’s ‘Creative Columbus Mornings.’ Thank you for the swanky cool space to talk at, Prof.staley and the CCM team for having me! 💛 photo credits from @cm_columbus page, By @tiffyphotog ! (at Smart Columbus) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5Qh0DwDPn3/?igshid=145ahtv9pi03q

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Shakespeare Sonnet Marathon

Please join us as performers, writers, and educators from all over Ohio come together to read well over half of Shakespeare's sonnets! These amazing people are coming together to create video that will be featured in the sonnet section of a free, public facing, online, open education resource that will replace a $125 dollar textbook for every student whose teacher chooses to use this text and will be available in January for free to anyone with access to the internet. What a gift from the community to the community! And you can witness it's creation!

I’m pleased to be one of the poets for this occasion. :)

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Six years ago, this day. My first Tedx talk, 22 years old. #tbt (at IIT Madras) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4vR_fGj4ky/?igshid=1bfs5j79t20hb

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A Silent Silhouette | Pen and ink on original, dark papyrus (zoom in for details) It’s up at the group art exhibition “Between Worlds’ at @wildgoosecreative , and available for sale with the rest of my pieces which I’ll be sharing with you soon. 🙂 (at Wild Goose Creative) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4sd118jqtg/?igshid=126yanzh43mss

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‘Between Worlds’ | Pen and ink on papyrus (you can catch this piece in person at Wild Goose Creative until November 20th of this month). (at Columbus, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4dxJ9qDEB7/?igshid=cie1ohxl3dda

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Group art exhibition opening (‘Between Worlds’) night at @wildgoosecreative last evening. It was a lot of fun- great conversations and many new acquaintances! 💛 check it out when you have some time! (at Wild Goose Creative) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4aIC47D5SY/?igshid=ummme11l8nem

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‘Threshold’ | Pen and ink on original papyrus paper This is one of my latest art pieces for the group art exhibition I’m going to be a part of this weekend called ‘Between Worlds’ (opening at 6 pm on November 2nd, at Wild Goose Creative). I really enjoyed working on this medium...and this piece in particular, has all my heart. I’m not going to into details for it’s rather personal. But the art itself is here for you! ❤️ (at Kafe Kerouac) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4Q1eCmDtoj/?igshid=3xzrs5c2lzvb

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#Inktober2019 | Day-18 | "Misfit" "In a field of purple cornflowers, I'm a shrub of jasmine." Quick 15-20 minutes sketch before I head to work this morning. I hope you have a breezy day! <3 #DigitalDrawing #Procreate #FieldofFlowers (at Columbus, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3610eMDJ6Z/?igshid=jk6f5zeg9d1p

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#Inktober2019 | Day-17 | "Ornament" This is based on a photograph (self-portrait, actually) of me trying to recreate MS Amma's iconic photograph. In this picture, I am donning my late paternal grandmother's 9-yard sari and a traditional besari Mookuthi (nose stud) that both my grandmothers wear. I struggle with digital drawings, not too technically in as much as I do mentally. A few times, I use a base drawing (when I do portraits) to get a contour line to nail the proportions...it feels like cheating to me. Of course, I am still doing all the shades and values and bringing the drawing through but I struggle, because I think I am technically not doing everything from start to finish. I am somewhat of a purist, I think, and I hate using 'cheating aids.' I don't logically think of it the same way, but it's how I feel. But I think it's important to push past discomfort. If I'm going to experiment with media, I need to be vulnerable to it, right? I'm learning on this tool...and once inktober ends, I'll be back to a lot of regular 'analogue art.' It'll be interesting to see that transition after a month's use of more digital art than regular. Anyone else who struggles with this? #Procreate #DigitalDrawing #Selfportrait (at Columbus, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/B33ou01jA0-/?igshid=1dtzodeuukwfh

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#Inktober2019 | Day-16 | "Wild" This illustration is based off of a photograph shot at a studio in 1937, in Madras. The story goes that two women walked in, wearing saris but changed into western-style pajamas and posed for a photograph, unlit cigarettes in hand. These were none other than Bharatnatyam dancer Balasarawati and my solace, the world-renowned Carnatic vocalist M.S. Subbulakshmi Amma. This photograph was released to the world only in 2009, 73 years after it was shot. We all remember these women, particularly MS Amma as demure and 'homely' but they are but wild spirits who secretly hit a photo studio to assert their independence (especially as they come from really strict households). I love MS Amma as is, but ever since I saw this picture, I was just so tickled and happy to see the absolute badass that she was at the time to do something like this. :) Photo in comments for reference. Photo in comments from Balamma's biography. “The two teenaged friends both became world-famous artists,” wrote Douglas Knight J in the biography Balasaraswati: Her Art & Life. “From strictly disciplined households, the two asserted their independence by secretly arranging this photograph of themselves dressed outrageously in Western-style sleepwear and pretending to smoke cigarettes.” #Procreate #DigitalDrawing #MSSubbulakshmi #Balasaraswati (at Columbus, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/B30_o5pD1Tn/?igshid=bhans6e3b6oz

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#Inktober2019 | Day-14 | "Overgrown" A quick half hour study sketch in memory of a piece of personal writing titled 'A Hundred Thousand Lotuses.' #Procreate #DigitalDrawing #ThinkingThroughDrawing (at Columbus, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3vVGSejlRI/?igshid=no1p1y6i9yhh

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#Intkober2019 | Day-13 | "Ash" Shiva, smeared in Vibhuthi (holy ash)– a reminder for detachment, and power of his transformative anger and destruction. (Not in good health today and so, rolled with a fifteen minutes sketch!) #Procreate #Shivaart (at Columbus, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3qfbcgDt1P/?igshid=1gag238vop8lr

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#Inktober2019 | Day-11 | "Snow" Reimagined one of @madras talkies Mani Ratnam's best movies and @arrahman ‘s first musical- a poster for 'Roja' (translates. "Rose"). It's been 27 years since this movie was released and it stills stays fresh in my mind. Growing up at the time Mani Ratnam embarked on nuanced, brilliant filmmaking and Rahman's music pretty much defined my childhood. Every time I revisit one of these movies, I find one more detail, a little more depth, and it leaves me awestruck at the degree of detail present. Also, I'm going to maintain that @thearavindswamy is still one of the most handsome actors ever in Tamizh cinema, till date. I hope all of them keep creating their art for the time to come. #Procreate #tamizhcinema #roja (at Columbus, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3laW_XjoRp/?igshid=nlu838v7nqmn

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#Inktober2019 | Day-10 | "Pattern" Creating a study sketch that I would probably refine at a later date. I've always dreamt of building my own house. I'd use exposed brick, vernacular methods, have a small courtyard that lets the rain into the house, a large wooden south-Indian oonjal (swing)...it's an elaborate picture in my mind. Of one of those little firm wishes is my desire to have Aathankudi tiles. They're handmade artisan tiles made in Karaikudi district and are some of the most beautiful pieces of art you'd ever see. I dream of a comfortable bed, a tall Madras roof, streaming light, and the pleasurably-chill feeling of Aathankudi tiles as I step out to face the day every morning. What are some of your little dreams? #Procreate #Athankuditiles (at Karaikudi) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3iu1JND39f/?igshid=1wcnpqucd29am

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#Inktober2019 | Day-8 | "Frail" Just going to go with one of my haikus for this. "Frail heart grows roots out- side(s), picks up gold blooms like vine, I still feel ugly." #Porcreate #digitaldrawing (at Columbus, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3dTS8XjBn9/?igshid=1jbgypapxvnjo