RAMADAN KAREEM

To all my friends, I would apologise for wishing you all little late as I wanted to send my wishes through a painting.

Here you can see a painting on 30 x 40 cms canvas, with acrylic paints. The canvas is 100% cotton and unbleached.

This oil painting is done on a 100% acid free, cotton, unbleached canvas, size 30 cms x 40 cms.

I wanted to highlight the traditional saree of Maharashtrian ladies. Maharashtriyan nauvari (nine yards) Kashta saree or Lugade is a typical indian traditional wear. This style of sari draping is common among the Brahmin women especially in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Hence the best way to do that was by focusing more on the style of draping the saree. Moreover I also wanted to add the Ganesh festival touch to the painting so you can see another form of Ganesha (known as Omkar)... and last but not the least.....I have painted the famous Warli art on this painting.

Warli art is a beautiful folk art of Maharashtra, created by the women of Warli tribe, which is found on the northern outskirts of Mumbai, in Western India. Warli Art was first explored in the early seventies. It is believed that the art originated in the early 10th century AD. Warli people express themselves in vivid styles through paintings which they execute on the walls of their houses. This was the only means of transmitting folklore to a populace not acquainted with the written word. Madhubani. Warli paintings were mainly done by the women folk. The most important aspect of the painting is that it does not depict mythological characters or images of deities, but depicts social life. Pictures of human beings and animals, along with scenes from daily life are created in a loose rhythmic pattern. Warli paintings are painted white on mud walls.

Thats how I have chosen the colour scheme to give an effect of a mud wall painted with warli art.

The famous Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Idol brought from at my sisters house. The thermacoal frame has been designed by me. It was fun to do that. Next year will get more time to do an elaborate one.

About the Lord Ganesh Idol

Shreemanta Dagdusheth Halwai was very famous sweet trader of the past era. He was a very virtuous and righteous man. Shree Datta Mandir placed in budhwar peth, Pune was their residentional Building. During those times in the outbreak of plague Shreemanta Dagdusheth lost his son. Due to this episode he himself and his wife were very depressed and disturbed. During the same time his Guruji Shree Madhavnath maharaj consoled him and advised him to make two idols of God Shree Datta Maharaj and Shree Ganapati.And asked him to worship them and to take care of them like his own son. In future just as offspring brings radiance to his father’s name these idols would do the same for him. And as per his guruji’s advice he made two idols of Shree Datta maharaj and Shree Ganapati, and this very idol is the first idol, now this idol is placed in Aakara Maruti Temple, Shukrawar peth, this idol is worshiped everyday with detailed rituals and rites. Lokmanya Tilak instilled this idol. And at that moment Shreemantha Dagdusheth Halwai, Baburao Godse, Bhausaheb Rangari, Shree Morappasheth ghadve, Narayanrao Bajiwale a.k.a Jadhav, Narayanrao Bhujbal, Ramrao Butler, Ganpatrao Vithuji, Sardar Paranjape, Shivrampant Paranjape, Gopalrao Raikar, Narayanrao Darode and many such people from different spectra were present on this auspicious occasion. And with all the faith and devotion this auspicious tradition was started with the blessings from all these great people.


In the year 1894 Lokmanya Tilak started the Public Ganesh Feastival. In the year 1896-second idol of Shreemantha Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati was ready and this was celebrated in the festival. During the same period Shreemantha dagdusheth expired. But the locals and his immediate social workers carried the tradition of Public Ganesh Festival forward. In that era Shree Dagdusheth halwai bahuli haud was renowned as public ganapati. This festival was organized and managed by Suvarnayug Youth Club. This idol is instilled at the temple in Pithashree old age Home, Baburao Godse Kondwa.


In the year 1896 the idol got a bit tattered and in the year 1967 they celebrated Amrut jubilee of the Ganapati Bappa. And on these basis instantaneously Head of Suvarnayug Youth Club Shree Pratap Godse, Digambar Rasne, Raghu Kedari, Shankar Suryavanshi, Chandrakant Darode, Umaji Kedari, Prahaladsheth Sharma, Ramakant Vasant Kodre, Kanta Rasne, Dattaray Kedari, Ulhas Shegde, Uttam Gavde, etc activist decided to make a new idol and for that purpose they appointed famous sculptor from Karnataka Shree. Shilpi. They asked him to make a small idol from mud and that was shown to the workers using the projector by Shree Balasaheb Paranjape and got the approval of his co-wokers about the similarity of the new idol with old. Once approved the work on large idol was started. After completing the idol Shree Shilpi offered his prayers to Lord Ganesh on the banks of Sangam River on the day of eclipse. He worshiped Lord Ganesha till the end of the eclipse. He also worshiped the Shree Ganesh Yantra and after that he conducted the rites on the place where he made the idol and with all the devotion he worshipped the Shree Yantar and implanted it the belly of Shree Ganesh. It is said that one must worship Lord Ganesha with all the devotion and faith and must carry all the rites and rituals regularly. Till date this tradition is followed with all the sincerity and so this Ganapati Bappa blesses everyone. Thus, this beautiful idol of Shree Ganesh fulfilling the vows of his worshipers is present in this temple.

We really enjoyed having Lord Ganesha home. During this period all those chants and aarti had a very positive effect on all of us. It gave me immense pleasure and satisfaction to be a part of this ritual which my sister carries every year. May God bless her and everyone of us.

"Jai Ganesh Jai Ganesh Jai Ganesh Deva"- Lord Ganesh Aarti

Bringing home Ganesha

Ganesha Chaturthi or Ganesha Festival is a day on which Lord Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati, is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees. It is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chavithi in Sanskrit, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu, Chavath ( चवथ ) in Konkani and Chathaa (चथा) in Nepali.
It is celebrated as it is the birthday of Lord Ganesha. The festival is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). Typically, the day usually falls between 20 August and 15 September. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi .
Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati, is widely worshipped as the supreme god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.
While celebrated all over India, it is most elaborate in Maharashtra, Goa (Biggest festival for Konkani people all over the world), Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, and other areas which were former states of the Maratha Empire. Outside India, it is celebrated widely in Nepal which was only Hindu Kingdom in the world and Tamil Hindus in Sri Lanka.

Two to three months prior to Ganesh Chaturthi, life-like clay models of Lord Ganesha are made for sale by specially skilled artisans. They are beautifully decorated & depict Lord Ganesh in various poses. The size of these statues may vary from 3/4th of an inch to over 25 feet.
Ganesh Chaturthi starts with the installation of these Ganesh statues in colorfully decorated homes and specially erected temporary structures mantapas (pandals) in every locality. The pandals are erected by the people or a specific society or locality or group by collecting monetary contributions. The mantapas are decorated specially for the festival, either by using decorative items like flower garlands, lights, etc or are theme based decorations, which depict religious themes or current events. The statues are worshiped with families and friends.
The priest, usually clad in red silk dhoti and shawl, then invokes life into the statue amidst the chanting of mantras. This ritual is the Pranapratishhtha. After this the ritual called as Shhodashopachara (16 ways of paying tribute) follows. Coconut, jaggery, 21 modakas, 21 durva (trefoil) blades of grass and red flowers are offered. The statue is anointed with red unguent, typically made of Kumkum & Sandalwood paste . Throughout the ceremony, Vedic hymns from the Rig Veda, the Ganapati Atharva Shirsha Upanishad, and the Ganesha stotra from the Narada Purana are chanted.
For 10 days, from Bhadrapad Shudh Chaturthi to the Ananta Chaturdashi, Ganesha is worshipped. On the 11th day, the statue is taken through the streets in a procession accompanied with dancing, singing, and fanfare to be immersed in a river or the sea symbolizing a ritual see-off of the Lord in his journey towards his abode in Kailash while taking away with him the misfortunes of his devotees. All join in this final procession shouting "Ganapathi Bappa Morya, Purchya Varshi Laukar ya" (O father Ganesha, come again early next year). After the final offering of coconuts, flowers and camphor is made, people carry the statue to the river to immerse it.

Street festivities in Hyderabad during the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi.
The main sweet dish during the festival is the modak (modagam or modakam in South India). A modak is a dumpling made from rice flour/wheat flour with a stuffing of fresh or dry-grated coconut, jaggery, dry fruits and some other condiments. It is either steam-cooked or fried. Another popular sweet dish is the karanji (karjikaiin Kannada) which is similar to the modak in composition and taste but has a semicircular shape.
Public celebrations of the festival are hugely popular, with local communities (mandalas) vying with each other to put up the biggest statue & the best pandal. The festival is also the time for cultural activities like songs, dramas and orchestra and community activities like free medical checkup, blood donation camps, charity for the poor, etc.
Today, the Ganesh Festival is not only a popular festival - it has become a very critical and important economic activity for Maharashtra. Many artists, industries, and businesses survive on this mega-event. Ganesh Festival also provides a stage for budding artists to present their art to the public. The same holds true for Hyderabad too.


Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated outside India also. In Dubai there are large number of Indians celeberating this festival. Among them is my sister....she brings Ganesha home for 5 days. Yesterday the Idol was brought home from the temple and today was Pranpratishtha.....

SUZ CUTIES

I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited and happy that I tried this one..

I really enjoyed.....
I hope you guys also like them
I have made them with clay......and then painted them with acrylic
थैंक्स Somak (Indianbydesign) to encourage me to try my hands on this one.
After the satisfactory achivement I want to master this one.....will try making more of these now.

Till then Happy viewing!!!!!

MOONCHWALA JAT

PONGA PANDIT

CHARLIE ANNA (cool cap n glasses - dude)

Excellent table tops......look good if kept together!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Take a look

Thank you all.........

Stay fit n stay safe!!!!!!

Thank you Pash for playing this song for me...

I love you for this.......

Actually this song has become my favourite since I saw this movie....

This song was my inspiration for this sketch.....

Should I make this as a painting or no..????????????????????
Awaiting your comments on this

Thanks

Su

INDIAAH...AAHA

Happy Independence Day

Celebrating 62 glorious years of Independence.....

INDIA

The land blessed with a vivid culture and abundance of flora and fauna,

The land renowned for its heritage and history,

The land strengthened by it's economoic balance, and

The land which is mystically unique.

This was inspired from a picture from webshots. I thought was perfect for this day. I have used the Indian flag colours in this painting. I felt this had a look of Mother India. It symbolises the richness of its diversity.

To me, being Indian means progress, co-existence, success, innovation, oppurtunity and responsibility. I feel proud to be Indian because inspite of its imperfections, it is perhaps one of the best places in the world to be from - India is a model for the modern world. Despite being traditional by nature, it embraces change and moves ahead with the modern times. This is one of the reasons why it has been one of the most resilient countries during the economic crisis.

I am proud to be part of this great nation

and

salute its glory on its Independence Day.

I miss living in Mumbai, the noise & chaos, the very loud & colourful presence of hindi movies....the energy, the madness, the warmth, the spirituality, the devotion and dynamism.

And I miss the city even more at this time of the year when during .......

Janmashtami it witnesses the exuberant enactment of the god's childhood endeavors to steal butter and curd from earthen pots beyond his reach.

This is taken from wikipedia

Janmaashtami, popularly known in Mumbai and Pune as Dahi Handi

is celebrated with enormous zeal and enthusiasm. The handi is a clay pot filled with buttermilk that was positioned at a convenient height prior to the event; the topmost person on the human pyramid tries to break the handi by hitting it with a blunt object, and when that happens, the buttermilk is spilled over the entire group, symbolizing their achievement through unity. Various Handis are set up locally in several parts of the city, and groups of youngsters, called Govinda, travel around in trucks trying to break as many handis as possible during the day.
Many such Govinda Pathaks compete with each other, especially for the handis that dole out hefty rewards. The event, in recent times, has gathered a political flavor, and it is not uncommon for political parties, and rich community groups to offer prizes amounting to lakhs of rupees.
Some of the most famous handis are at Dadar, Mazgaon, Lalbaug and some in Thane a neighboring district of Mumbai and Babu Genu, Mandai in Pune.
Cash and gifts are offered for Govinda troops to participate; for over 4000 Handis in Mumbai, 700 Govinda troops compete for the prizes.


This custom follows the habit of Lord Krishna who used to steal butter in this manner from villagers along with his friends. The reason for this is that Gokul; the place where lord Krishna spent his childhood used to generate a lot of milk and the people used to sell it in Mathura, thus depriving their children from milk and butter which is very essential for young boys and girls.
In South India, Janmashtami or Gokulashtami is celebrated with prayers, devotional renditions and offering of fruits and special prasadams to Lord Krishna. In some houses, a typical setting of 'Gokulam' is arranged with mud images of Devaki, Vasudeva with little Krishna perched in a basket on his head, a cow, besides other things related to Krishna's legends.

Yashoda with Krishna

This painting is also among one of the faces of a woman....as a mother.

I had reserved this painting for today as it is appropriate to publish it in my post on the day of Lord krishnas Birth.

I have made it on 30 cms x 30 cms acid free canvas. I have added some glitter to the painting...I hope it is visible. I feel it adds more feel to it. If you notice the background has been painted with sponge dipped in flame colour and on that sponge with green colour has been printed. I just tried my hand on this as I wanted the background somewhat like a wall paper look.....

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare

As we all are celebrating Janmashtami, we should also remember to be careful about the swine flu. I hope everyone takes precautionary measures....

Take care n stay fit.....

I m in process of restructing my blog......hopefully I am able to do complete before Ganesh Festival....

Also wanted to know if you all like the name Domestic Goddess or I should change it to SuzCorner....as all my friends and family call me Su so I thought to keep it SuzCorner.......

Do tell me what you guys think of the name....

Love Su

Sorry everyone.....I know I was not regular and have lot of catch up to do but I must share something with you guys. I was browsing the net the other day and I stumbled upon this website - http://www.cyberkerala.com/

I must say it is one of the best site for any information or artworks of our own great painters.

I also got inspired by one of Raja Ravi Vermas painting and I couldn't resist myself....and guys I painted it as a small tribute to this Prince among painters....I am hence dedicating this post to him.

Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906) was born in Kilimanoor Palace as the son of Umamba Thampuratti and Ezhumavil Neelakandan Bhattathiripad. At the age of seven years he started drawing on the palace walls using charcoal. His uncle Raja Raja Varma noticed the talent of the child and gave preliminary lessons on painting. At the age of 14, Ayilyam Thirunal Maharaja took him to Travancore Palace and he was taught water painting by the palace painter Rama Swamy Naidu. After 3 years Theodor Jenson, a British painter taught him oil painting.
Most of his oil paintings are based on Hindu epic stories and characters. In 1873 he won the First Prize at the Madras Painting Exhibition. He became a world famous Indian painter after winning in 1873 Vienna Exhibition.
Many of his oil paintings are classic and his unique Indian style has later influenced artists and designers worldwide, including me.

I played around with my blog layout. I want to to have a nice background now.

This is what I am doing today:

learning all about hyperlinks

finish a painting!

After few days Ganpati Bappa is coming home to all of us.....before that happy Janmashtami n watch out for my Independence day painting.......

will keep you all updated...

till then happy viewing.....stay fit.

Expressive eyes

This is named as Expressive Eyes!


My husband loves collecting artifacts and we have a lot of his collection at home. Out of all those that he has collected over the years, a leather mask of a woman is his favourite, which he bought from Turkey....the moment I saw that I said wow what expressive eyes)...and so I had to add it to dreamz factory as a painting....


I must say he has always been a strong pillar for me and like a true friend always has supported me in everything I do. When I told him about this dream of mine (dreamz factory - anything n everything creative), he was the first one to say why not? Dream bigger than your dreams and I know you can fulfill them. I have faith n confidence in you. Thank you so much Pash for your unconditional love and support all the time...whether it is handling kids, handling the house, me or any problem that I face, i know you are always there with me.
Hence this post I dedicate to you.......love u!!! and thank you for everything

Dreamz factory's 1st Addition

Finally sat down to doing something which I wanted to do from a very long time. I have received emails from all of you - family n friends and you have really encouraged me to take this step forward and make this post.


I am introducing you.....

Different faces of Women - I got inspired with.....

I hope you guys like them too as much as I liked making them.....

This is the 1st one that I have made with Acrylic paints on Acid-free, 100% cotton, unbleached canvas. This painting was inspired from a photograph of a black, Indian bride, whom I thought was so beautiful that I couldn't stop adding her in the faces of women. Lot of people think woman should be fair then only she is beautiful but I must say black is also beautiful. Hence, I thought I will start with this one.

This was also made on canvas and portrays a confident woman of today.

yet another one which I feel is special as this is my daughter's favourite and mine too.....

I m working on yet another one.....

These kids keep me on my toes. If I am not busy making these paintings,

I m busy running behind them...

Got to go as they need me.....

Will keep posting my work as promised to you all.....

Love u all and thank you for your support!!!