Report about "Deck of Textures" Workshop in Asilomar

Deck of textures workshop ran from Friday till Sunday (September 23-25, 2022) in the Asilomar Conference Grounds - which is located in the California State Park. Uma Kelkar, Suhita Shirodkar, and I ran three parts of the workshop consecutively. Everything was included - from inspirational surroundings to lodging, to food, all the materials, and an amazing glass room where we worked and which we filled with our artworks to the point that it became our home by Sunday afternoon. 

We drew with music, we drew from life, we created lots of textures and patterns with inks and all sorts of drawing tools. We did some experimental printmaking and collage, worked individually and collaboratively, but most of all, we tried to let go of the expectations of particular results and enjoy the process. 

I relished working side by side with my unstoppable co-teachers and such an enthusiastic crew of participants. Their discipline of sticking to doing hard things of trying new approaches and innovations which they showed during our work together inspired me immensely.

In the photos below you will see some glimpses of how things went. And we are already planning a revised version of this workshop for 2023 - if interested - drop me a line!

Team photo:

Sketching at the Asilomar with friends.

I spent a weekend with a group of likeminded people - teaching a "Deck of Textures" workshop alongside two wonderful friends and fantastic teachers Suhita Shirodkar and Uma Kelkar. We did not have much time to draw outside of the teaching agenda - but carved a little time here and there and went to the beach a couple of times. We braved the wind in the face and sand on the palettes to try and capture a little bit of the magic of the place:

Drawn reports in the form of the portraits - war in Ukraine. September 18-22, 2022

September 19, 2022. Day 209 since the russian invasion in Ukraine.
My parents were in a reasonably good mood and were singing songs when the call went through. Dad is still not going outside, but Mom does. She tells me about changes in the trees and about the new version of the book that she is reading/re-reading now. Dad gives me some questionable advice about restoring power batteries. 

September 22, 2022. Day 211 of the war.
Dad told me about his childhood activities of capturing tarantulas. Mom told me about soaps that they had in her childhood and how hair was washed with the soap but then rinsed with the vinegar. Special vinegar was sold as a "beauty product" in pharmacies. And for some time after washing hair, people smelled like pickles. Unseen to me, cats were participating in our conversation: chasing after the moth. We exchanges news about all the friends and relatives. Dad is excited about tomorrow's fish for dinner.

I have a new plant

This is Rubik. It is a ruby rubber tree or ruby fig tree. But it is small now and I hope it will like it on my table. So far it lost one leaf and I cannot get it to be shiny but the patterns on the leaves are driving me to draw it often! This is an acrylic markers version.

Sketching while waiting

Little things that happen everyday - waiting here or there, sometimes outside, sometimes inside, sometimes with people, sometimes without. These little glimpses into my everyday life took just a few minutes but I enjoy looking back at them. All of these were drawn with uniball pen vision (gray barrell) on a 4x6 strathmore drawing pad - by current pocket setup that is always with me.