Angelique Kidjo at Grand Performances

I went to see Angelique Kidjo at Grand Performances. What an amazing show. The place was packed, the music was great and I managed to do some sketches during the show.

Angelique Kidjo

The band and opening act

Audience member who shared snacks with us.

beautiful sketch by my pal Eduardo Sanchez

LACMA Caricatures

I had the pleasure of drawing caricatures at LACMA today during a graduation event for their high school program. It was a lot of fun. I didn't take any photos as I was busy drawing, but here are some thanks to my friend Eduardo.

Rebetiko

I grew up reading comics, and other books. These days as I am working on my own, it is a lot of fun to pick up a book that really inspires. Rebetiko by David Prudhomme is one such book. It tells the story of musicians caught up in Greece's turn to fascism in the 1930s. It is beautifully drawn, with interesting characters and a wonderful slice of life feel to history told by regular people.

Abbas Premjee - Symbiosis Album Cover

Abbas Premjee approached me regarding album artwork for "Symbiosis", his latest CD. He wanted something abstract that would embody the idea of a symbiotic connection. I listened to the beautiful tracks on the album, then began sketching out ideas, which lead me to the process below. Listen to the album below. Purchase it here. 

Kaya Press' Mehfil Massive at USC

Here are some sketches I made during the performances at Kaya Press' Mehfil Massive event at USC. Organized by Neelanjana Banerjee, with D'Lo as the host who presented DJ Bandish Projekt, Amarnath Ravva, Salman Ahmad of Junoon, Kazim Ali, Brooklyn Shanti, Robin Sukhadia aka Tablapusher, Tarfia Faizullah, Gingger Shankar, Bhanu Kapil, Mandeep Sethi, Raginder "Violinder", Crowned Kinglsy, Jordan Palmer and Tabla Vadak.

Himalayan Festival Laguna Beach

I was a vendor with rHope at the Himalayan Festival of Laguna Beach at the Pageant of the Masters. Here are a few sketches I managed, from a fun celebration of food, art, dance and music from Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal and India.

San Jacinto Mountains watercolor

After a short trip to Joshua Tree we head up to the San Jacinto Mountains and I managed this small watercolor sketch.

1. joshua_tree_timelapse

Shivratri at the Malibu Temple with Shakti Bharat Natyam

I joined some friends in enjoying Shivrartri at the Malibu Temple, featuring a beautiful offering of a Bharata Natyam performance by the Shakti School, featuring my friend Akhila.It is inspiring to see the dedication of these students of all ages performing with such poise, delicacy, grace and fierceness.  I enjoyed this window into a tradition that has evolved over centuries, and today these dancers from Los Angeles, are still connected to dance forms practiced in Temples centuries ago.It's tough to capture poses in such quick movement, but I did manage some watercolor sketches, and an attempt to capture the energy they shared.

Devi Fair at Witzend Sketches

I went to a great music show called Devi Fair, at the Witzend. The lineup was incredible, and I ran out of paper before the last two acts went on, so I didn't get a chance to sketch them. Here are some sketches of Manisha Shahane, Dawn Norfleet, Avari, Pranidhi Varshi, Clinton Patterson, Sheela Bringi, Neelamjit Dhillon and Ben Shepard. I didn't get a chance to sketch Bhavana Reddy or Sheela Govindarajan, but do check out their beautiful music too.

Amjad Sabri Qawwali in Los Angeles

I went to a concert of Amjad Sabri, performing qawwali with his group in Los Angeles. Here are some watercolor sketches from during the performance.

Falu at Hotel Cafe

I hadn't seen Falu perform since I first saw them back in 2006 at Artwallah. I knew I couldn't miss a chance to see the band perform right here in Los Angeles at the Hotel Cafe. Here are some sketches from an amazing show.

Mad Guru prints at Convergence World Boutique!

I am proud to announce that my art prints are now available at Convergence World Boutique in Cerritos, CA. Convergence is a cool store with socially conscious products and art. Stop by and pick up some of my 11"x14" prints, Gul DVD/CD combos and Girnari Jogi Group CD/DVD combos.

Royal Cup Cafe in Long Beach

I joined rHope at Royal Cup Cafe in Long Beach, thanks to Raj. There was a beautiful gallery opening with photography by Nate Lubben, collage by Tabala Jala Thomas, poetry by Cristie Bennett and music by John "Fingaz" Caldwell and friends.  The music kept me moving, and it was a lot of fun to talk to people with all kinds of talents and interests. I met Hamid of the Callaloo Caribbean Kitchen, and along with Royal Cup, it seems there's another place I have to stop by for some food in Long Beach!Thank you for a great night and for supporting the Girnari Jogi Group!

Totally Radical Muslims Zine Release LA

Last night I enjoyed painting at the Totally Radical Muslims Zine launch at the Last Bookstore in Los Angeles thanks to Taz Ahmed and Writ Large Press. It was a release for the second issue of the zine, entitled "Voices of Fired Resistance." It featured stories by diverse muslims. The night featured a great lineup of poetry, prose, music and dance, and challenged ideas of what constitutes a muslim. I'm proud of the reclamation of identity, and the adjustment to what it means to be totally radical. I hate the term Islamist, as it brands the madness propagated by horrible people on both sides of a disgusting war as being representative of over a billion muslims worldwide. We are a diverse group of individuals from different cultural backgrounds, varying interpretations of religious values and various gender identities and orientations. Let no one else define us, but ourselves. Thanks to Taz for hosting and inviting me to take part. These were very quick sketches, during a succession of inspiring, short performances.

Zehra Fazal and Saba Waheed

Pia Ahmed Meymuna Hussain Cattan

Asma Men and Sasha Ali

Taz Ahmed and Amir Abdullah

Saleem and Nasia Anam

Alicia Virani and Naazneen Diwan

Maya Jafer

Thanks to Zehra Fazal, Saba Waheed, Pia Ahmed, Meymuna Hussain Cattan, Asma Men, Sasha Ali, Taz Ahmed, Amir Abdullah, Saleem, Nasia Anam, Alicia Virani, Naazneen Diwan and Maya Jafer.

Novi Maleševski Zurli at Discostan

I had the pleasure of seeing Novi Maleševski Zurli (Milo Destanovski and Jessica Ruiz on zurla and Dominique Rodriguez on Tapan) live at Discostan along with some of my favorite DJs playing some of the most diverse music from around the world. Their sound reminded me of the murli played by Jairam Jogi.

Gonzalo Bergara Quartet at the Blue Whale

Went to see some the incredible Gonzalo Bergara Quartet at the Blue Whale in downtown Los Angeles with a few friends. Here are some sketches I painted during the first half of their set. 

Whalesound at Crossroads Sam Francis Gallery

I went to see my friend Whalesound perform at the Sam Francis Gallery at the Crossroads school. It was the gallery opening for an exhibition curated by Christine Nguyen of Sea Moon She called "Relative Dimensions" with work by Deborah Aschheim, Matthew Brandt and Christine Nguyen. I managed a few sketches of Whalesound performing with Varuna on tabla.

Whalesound Intimate Sea Album Cover

Album Cover

My friend Azeem Khan is a talented musician, working under the name Whalesound. He came to me with a concept for his album "Intimate Sea", that I made into this album cover for him. Below you can see pencil sketches and some watercolors I did for the piece as well as the artwork on the cd itself.

sketches

cover drawing

watercolor study

watercolor study

cd art

Pakistan Day Celebration with Zanbeel Art

A month late, we celebrated Pakistan's Independence in downtown Los Angeles. Thanks to Zanbeel Art, and the organizers of the celebration, there was a booth for children's art activities. Kristeen, Azeem and I shared art with kids, encouraging and facilitating drawing and creativity along with Dario Mellado and the art project that he was sharing. It was such a joy to see kids walk up and participate in several activities, all for free. Some kids grabbed a marker and just zoned in on their creativity, leaving everything else behind. Others needed a little guidance before they were convinced that they too could draw.

There's something really beautiful about working with kids and creating art together. So often, as adults we live in fear of failing or not being good enough, and so to see kids draw freely and express their rich thoughts and imaginations is an excellent reminder of how it could be. One little girl, probably not even 3 years old, came up and sat at the table. I handed her an orange marker, and she started "drawing" with it, without removing the cap. She did this for about a minute, before I gently removed the cap and slipped the marker back into her little fingers. She spent the next ten minutes drawing curved lines with such focus and dedication.Other children drew what they love about Pakistan, from flags, to fruit and clothes. Kids drew rocket ships, worms eating snacks, sunshine and all kinds of things that flowed freely from their rich minds. One little boy asked if he could draw Bangladeshi culture, and it really made me happy to say yes and encourage him to draw anything he wanted. In the end we had rolls of paper full of art, after an exhausting, but rewarding day.So often our cultural celebrations do not include hands on creative activities or art, and yet when given the opportunity, people of all ages enjoy creating art, or connecting to pieces that show them another point of view. All it takes is a little space, and a chance to share.Some photos from the parade that preceded the event.

Tarek Yamani at the Blue Whale

I went to see Tarek Yamani's solo piano performance at the Blue Whale. There's something special about being lost in music, and letting the brush flow. These are some watercolor sketches, before and during the performance.