I went back home to India for the winter break, and I had an incredible time. I spent time with my family, with my cats and going on dates with my loved one. I enjoyed my vacation, but now I'm back to the gruelling PhD life.
P.S. I might post pictures from my vacation here sometime
I'd spent weeks on a theoretical result for a study, only for it to be shelved 🙁
My PI decided that a different topic would be more relevant. No hate against him! I'm just glad I get to work on these things. Just posting the file here in case I ever need it again.
I’m not particularly certain why I chose this design. In all honesty, I simply wanted a pattern which was “shape based” so I am not forced to add nuances like lighting effects. I was also looking for something with enough structures that I can explore a variety of colours and see how unusual colouring pairs look. The Mandala fit that description and so there you have it!
I obviously didn’t pick this design completely randomly. Mandala designs are often associated with the works of local artisans from Rajasthan. Their iconic use of bright floral and geometric patterns contrasted against a darker background has been a long time fascination of mine. They have such a rich culture that they draw from and yet add wonderful twists of their own. I am often reminded of the need to support these locals when I see such works. Rajasthan is one of the more casteist states in India and the artisans face massive poverty because of this. Yet surprisingly, this in no way diminishes their cultural background. The carpet makers and the garment designers still remain true to their tradition and find creative output far more enriching than financial gain. It only goes to show that humans yearn to express themselves creatively and not sell their desires for a capitalist system.
There is another personal dimension to these designs as well. Indian artisanship often draws inspiration from mathematical fractal patterns. Whether this connection is accidental or intentional, I do not know, but it remains that I have often seen tiling which bear beautiful fractals. I’ve been longing to dip my creative fingers into making such designs but at the time being, I possess hardly any skill to pull it off. I am thinking some sort of wall-hanging or mini-painting with a dark background contrasted against a bright fractal, and the sub-fractals of the fractals having an even brighter colour, and so on. It seems like it could work, but will it come to life, only time will tell.
I must say that I am very aware of my novice showing in the colouring. For instance, in my attempt to give the purple gradient, in some petals I gave a steeper gradient than in others. This disaster is particularly obvious in this picture, where the bottom right petal has a much darker gradient than the one just above it.
What I wish I had done more in this project was try out more varied techniques. Except for the occasional gradient, all the other shapes were solidly filled. Arguably that’s a good thing because I found it difficult to just stick to the lines, let alone experiment with different techniques.
However, I am optimistic about my future projects. Getting into these small art projects has been good for my mental health, and I’m not planning to let it go anytime soon.
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