Sonu and the Taj

I took a day trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and the Agra fort. It is beautiful and much like the beautiful architecture in Lahore, Pakistan. There was a crazy number of people hawking and annoying tourists outside to eek out a living, but inside it was much more peaceful. It really is a beautiful place, but it seemed so familiar having been to Lahore.On the train there I saw a young boy with an impressive mustache named Sonu. Sonu, along with his drummer sister is a performer who dances and rolls through the train cars for money. It's quite sad really. These sweet children perform much the way street performing monkeys do. I hope he and his sister are well fed and loved. I asked the little sweetheart his name and he said "Sonu".

Manzil Animation Workshop in Delhi

Thanks to Kristeen Singh I had the pleasure of doing my first animation workshop in India with the amazing people at a very special org in Khan Market, called Manzil.We met up with some of the folks from Manzil at Lodhi Gardens, where there was some beautiful old architecture and a picnic for special needs kids and kids from Manzil. Afterwards, Jimmy who is volunteering there took us to Manzil's Khan Market location where we cut used paper to be used as small flipbooks for the workshop. The idea was to use readily available, recycled materials to show the kids how to create animation in a way that they could continue long after I was gone, without materials they did not have access to.There were many things going on that day, and so our first round was with some adult volunteers including Ravi's mom and his sister Sonia. That worked well as a testing ground, before the children arrived later on. There were a lot of wonderful animations created that day by children and adults.We took a break in between and shared some singing and dancing. There's a lot of warmth and love there from Ravi (who was at a conference but joined us afterwards), his mother and sister Sonia (founders of Manzil), Shalu who shared dance and insights and to all the people who teach there and the children who come there (whose parents work for richer families in the neighborhood).Afterwards, a group of kids and young adults joined me for a session on filmmaking where I shared my short film Gul. It was fun to introduce the piece and the wonderful Sindhi music from Pakistan. The discussion afterwards was a lot of fun and I felt humbled at the appreciation and even more so at the amount of thought that people put into expressing their interpretations of the film. This after all was my wish with the piece, so it was a lot of fun.It's amazing to share the joy of animation through the medium of flipbooks which is accessible to all. Thanks to Jimmy and everyone else for helping to make this first effort a success! It was really great to share art, laughter and some great food with my new friends in Delhi.

Delhi, Nizamuddin Auliya's Dargah

So, I arrived in Delhi, tired, but happy. I went to Nizamuddin Auliya's and Amir Khusro's tombs. These are two amazing figures in the history of North Indian Classical music, Qawwali and various other forms of music.These were two important figures in the Chisti Sufi Order who are remembered not only for their musical contributions, but by people of all faiths in India for their life long efforts to bring people together.

Moving on out

So, I moved out of my apartment in LA and took to the road...er air. I'll continue doing freelance work as I travel. It has been a crazy busy month with the Montezuma Film Festival, CTN Expo, moving out and prepping for India, but well worth it.

Montezuma, Costa Rica

I painted these while attending the Montezuma International Film Festival in Montezuma, Costa Rica. This was the fourth festival to screen my short film Gul (flower).

Forgotten Musician

Sometimes I do a watercolor sketch and just forget about it. This is from a live music show, but I don't remember who and where.

Fair and Kind

Saw Fair and Kind perform in Chinatown in LA and knocked out some quick watercolor sketches.

Motel in Culver City

Went watercolor painting with my friend Terry and came up with this based on a motel in Culver City.

The Kominas and Sarmust in Los Angeles

So, I had a couple punk bands stay with me a few days while they were in town in LA. It was like an 11 person camp in the living room. Here are some sketches of the Kominas and Sarmust as they performed at Silver Factory Studios in downtown LA.

Hilltop Culver City

Went to a hill top in Culver City and created this watercolor sketch with many shades of green.

Hyderabad Musicians

 

  

Here are some Musicians I sketched in Hyderabad. I met them while searching for folk musicians for my short film "Gul" (flower).

Los Angeles Forest

Went to the Los Angeles Forest on an overcast day and created this watercolor sketch.

Jamshoro, Sindh

 

  

Here are some small sketches I created in Jamshoro, Sindh. I was there looking for the musicians who eventually recorded the music for my short film "Gul" (flower).

China Sketches

 

  

Here are some sketches created during travels in China last summer.

Culver City Sketches

 

My friend Terry lives in a condo complex with beautiful gardens in it. We went painting there one day and here's what I came up with watercolors. 

Holy Sites in Pakistan

 

During my travels in Pakistan last year, I went to Data Darbar in Lahore, Nankana Sahib and Panja Sahib. Here are some small sketches I created there. The ones of Nankana Sahib and Panja Sahib were created in the morning as people worshiped inside. I waited, and watch as the morning flow of people going to work, and children off to school passed me. I was not allowed to enter until the morning prayer was over and everyone had left. I bide my time by drawing the front gates and fielding questions from passing kids on their way to school with backpacks bigger than them.

Venice Beach

Venice Beach Watercolor Sketches

Sketches from Mongolia

 

  

 

  

 

  

Here are some sketches I made in Mongolia last year. The first is a band at an Irish pub in Ulanbataar. The next 3 are Mongolian and Korean musicians playing out in the planes during the Nadam Festival. Then there are two landspaces painted out in the beautiful country and lastly some wrestlers also from the Nadam festival.

Elephants with Guns

 

Here's a sketch of Elephants with Guns Performing at Seva Cafe in Long Beach. The second sketch is of band member Andy Bauer.

Not Achieved By

Not Achieved By