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

Brittani Sonnenberg reading of Home Leave at Skylight Books

In celebration of my friend Nasia's birthday  a bunch of us met at Skylight Books for a reading by Brittani Sonnenberg from her book "Home Leave". Here is a sketch I created during the reading.

Sikh Monologues

I went to a performance called Sikh Monologues, featuring pieces based on stories of Sikhs all over the US, based on their experiences. Here are some sketches I created of the musicians opening the show.

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.

Urdu Writer's Society Los Angeles May 2014 Mushaira Sketches

I went to the May 2014 Urdu Writer's Society Mushaira put on in conjunction with Pakistan Link. A non-profit org dedicated to promoting contemporary Urdu poetry, it was great to see so many people come out to support. The food was amazing (don't want to know where those amazing shahi tukrai were from, deep fried, heavily sugared bread goodness), and the lineup of poets was inspiring. I made these sketches of the poets sharing their poetry during the mushaira. It's fun to see what I can jot down quickly.

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

Elephants with Guns at Tuesday Night Cafe

I went to the season opener for the Tuesday Night Cafe in Downtown Los Angeles last night. As usual, there was great community and talent on display. Here are a few sketches I did while my friends Elephants with Guns performed.

Grand Park's Downtown Bookfest watercolors

I enjoyed Grand Park's Downtown Bookfest today with friends. There were all kinds of hands on writing, art and book making activities, a well curated selection of books from various publishers courtesy of Writ Large Press, as well as panels, poets and musicians. I managed a quick sketch of Gia Scott-Heron, talented poet and daughter of the great Gil Scott Heron, though I enjoyed pieces by several poets, including David Kipen's piece on Union Station and Bill Burgos' piece on classical music on the bus in Los Angeles. Beautiful images were created with words, set to improvised music, by a talented band. I picked up a handful of comics by a variety of artists with fresh styles and interesting points of view. I'm sure the inspiration will seep into my own comics. Afterwards I walked around Little Tokyo, and ended the night with some music in the courtyard by a band called One for the Road. Just another beautiful day in Los Angeles. Thank you.

ISWO International Sindhi Women Organization Dinner

My friend Rosie told me about the International Sindhi Women Organization Dinner, as she was one of the Sindhi women speaking about her career there. It was great to see a community come together from both Pakistan and India, of various faiths to raise funds to help refugee families fleeing from growing religious persecution in Pakistan, who find themselves stuck in a sort of no man's land in the desert of Rajasthan.There were great examples of diverse Sindhi women in diverse careers, providing inspiration. In addition there was a dance and music performance by Meena Makhijani. Here are a sketch of her and her father sharing Sindhi music.I hope to connect with the community further and support their good work as well as help to promote the Girnari Jogi Group, who are wonderful Sindhi musicians I have had the privelage to work with on my film "Gul" as well as on the crowd funded album I put together for them after their homes were destroyed by floods. Watch the video below for a sample of their beautiful music and consider purchasing to CD/DVD combo to support their livelihood. Without support for their art it will disappear.

Girnari Jogi Group 01 Raag Malkauns from Adnan Hussain on Vimeo.

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.