After a terrible non- arrival of visa and passport scare so I couldn't have my birthday with my beloved friends in India, I finally made the journey in high spirits. It's like going home. Everything about Philipkutty's Farm is embellished with love. if I had to pick just one word to describe it ( an almost impossible task) it would be LANGUID. Life flows as gently as the languid backwaters, an endless succession of colours and balmy breezes.
I love the monsoon.....it rains noisily, heavily and with intention. Lakes form round each villa like moats. Then, peace soon returns, the sun filters through the palms which shimmer and glow in this vivid light, saturation beyond the reach of any photo editing software.
As the sun dips, the world turns orange, then red, then a vivid pink. Sitting in a punt. watching the sun set over Lake Vembanad is without doubt, the greatest moment in existence. a few minutes later we enter the violet spectrum, until the sky is deep purple and indigo. The crows and fruit bats meet mid waters as crows go to roost and the bats come to gorge on the tree top mangoes on the island.
I also went to Rajasthan. I will never, ever forget the sights and sounds I witnessed. Massive royal forts, serene, flamingo- fringed lakes, bustling, gawdy bazaars, a succession of, restored havelis, family homes now hotels, and crowds and crowds of people. Ladies in neon saris, covering their faces as we pass, men with massive bright turbans which declare their postion in society.
Camels replacing elephants towards the desert. all these images engrave themselves in my brain, I get so upset that I just haven't got time to paint all that I have seen.
I lived like Queen Victoria in some of the hotels and guest houses....
I even fulfilled my dream of visiting the Taj Mahal - but, awe-inspiring though the place was, it was absolutely jam-packed with throngs and throngs of people, little regards or even lip service made to safety ( I could see a horrible stampede was very possible), and I suffered from an attack of claustrophobia, the first and only one in my life. Seas of saris, turbans and, above all, a volume of voices which would raise any roof - I couldn't stay long. Below is also my impression of the Taj Mahal, painted later in Ireland!
I was so glad to get back to the serenity of the farm, my beautiful birds, and where I belong.....
All good things come to an end...I had to leave, straight to the UK, then on to my next wonderful experience..."A Space for Dreaming" art workshop in Bantry, West Cork, Ireland. This was about to be another life-changing experience...
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| With Anu in the golden light of sunrise |
I love the monsoon.....it rains noisily, heavily and with intention. Lakes form round each villa like moats. Then, peace soon returns, the sun filters through the palms which shimmer and glow in this vivid light, saturation beyond the reach of any photo editing software.
 |
| Freshly-fallen raindrops sparkle like diamonds on the shimmering palms |
I also went to Rajasthan. I will never, ever forget the sights and sounds I witnessed. Massive royal forts, serene, flamingo- fringed lakes, bustling, gawdy bazaars, a succession of, restored havelis, family homes now hotels, and crowds and crowds of people. Ladies in neon saris, covering their faces as we pass, men with massive bright turbans which declare their postion in society.
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| Turbans and Saris |
Camels replacing elephants towards the desert. all these images engrave themselves in my brain, I get so upset that I just haven't got time to paint all that I have seen.
I lived like Queen Victoria in some of the hotels and guest houses....
I even fulfilled my dream of visiting the Taj Mahal - but, awe-inspiring though the place was, it was absolutely jam-packed with throngs and throngs of people, little regards or even lip service made to safety ( I could see a horrible stampede was very possible), and I suffered from an attack of claustrophobia, the first and only one in my life. Seas of saris, turbans and, above all, a volume of voices which would raise any roof - I couldn't stay long. Below is also my impression of the Taj Mahal, painted later in Ireland!
I was so glad to get back to the serenity of the farm, my beautiful birds, and where I belong.....
All good things come to an end...I had to leave, straight to the UK, then on to my next wonderful experience..."A Space for Dreaming" art workshop in Bantry, West Cork, Ireland. This was about to be another life-changing experience...
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