Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from July, 2011

Bhag bhag D.K Bose

" Better complete your homework. Else I will e-mail your teacher that I reminded you and yet you goofed off."
"Maaa! Will you snitch on us?"
"Of course!"
"Okay, then we will call up your publisher and sing 'Bhag bhag D.K Bose'. In chorus."

 I am still  chuckling as I type this  :)
And guess who is not writing that e-mail ... LOL  :D






PS:
Edited to add:
And for all those shocked people who are asking if my children have seen the movie--no they have not. And no--they do not know any Hindi swear words either.
17 comments
Read more...

An experience to cherish

Though I had taught Art before, this was the first time I was conducting a portrait workshop which I had announced hereand the FAQs were here. Everyone was a complete beginner in the class. I was very strict about taking ONLY five participants as the level of interaction  was huge.

The last two week-ends have been truly a delightful, fulfilling and a totally amazing experience, not only for me, but for all the ones who joined in for the workshop as well.

It was truly an exhilarating experience and a total high to see them completely getting what I taught, to see them absorbing the techinques and then applying them in  producing stunning pictures. It was almost incredible to see the difference in their work, after applying the techniques I taught them.

Let me show you a few pictures which elucidate what I am raving so much about.


Here are two drawings by one of the participants, BEFORE he attended the workshop:
 Now after applying the techniques taught, this is what he made:


Can you b…
20 comments
Read more...

Take responsibility for your happiness today!

This is a mail which I got from a reader after my previous post--It's all okay reallyand I felt very good reading this.(This is being published with her permission of course! She wanted her name withheld )

Hey Preeti! Hope you are doing well! This is V. I am a regular reader of your blog for more than 3 years now.  I also leave my comments sometimes. I was reading your most recent post 'It's all ok, really' and couldn't stop myself from hitting the Compose mail button on Gmail to write an email to you. It has happened several times, that whenever I am confused or worried or happy or in any mood, your most recent post always has answers to my questions! One can call it fluke, but I would like to call it telepathy and leave it there because it makes me happy ;) :) Some such incidents that I remember are: 1) I have a loving boy friend and your post on the importance of saying "I love you" and being vocal about one's feelings changed my life, dramatically. 2…
22 comments
Read more...

It's all okay really!

Can you be happy ALL the time? Is it possible to not feel angry, hurt, upset, resentful, annoyed,frustrated, when things do not go the way you planned? Is it possible to always keep smiling and go on 'being positive'? Is it possible to not crib and to be 'accepting' and to 'move on'?

Of course not!  Not unless you happen to be the  smiling clown at Mc.Donalds or the Laughing Buddha, stationed at the entrance to a Chinese restaurant. It is indeed okay and natural to feel down when life throws bricks at you. It is indeed okay to take time to recover from the blow.

Most people I meet tell me that I am one of the most down to earth, friendly and approachable people they have come across. They compliment me about how 'grounded' I am. They say I am an icon to them and they want to be like me. All that is very good and I thank them. (But  deep down, I am always suprised that they want to emulate me!) Then I get the 'You're-my-inspiration-and-you're…
25 comments
Read more...

Just let it be

A good friend of mine has a mantra to deal with things which are beyond our control.
"Let it be" he says.


He offers no advice,he does not attempt to give suggestions and he does not even pass judgements about whether one is doing the right thing or whether something else ought to have been done. He does not sympathise and does not say "Life is unfair" or that the other person was wrong or that it is a bummer.
He listens patiently instead and he just says, "Let it be."


And you know what? Surprisingly it works.


The next time, things go wrong, do not send out negativity into the universe.


Just let it be.


Do nothing.


Breathe deeply. Relax. Drink a glass of water (or hot chocolate).Go to a place which fills you with peace and comfort.Call a friend who exudes positivity.


But mostly, Just let it be.



22 comments
Read more...

A letter to my twenty five year old self

Dear me at twenty five, You don't know this yet, but you will lose him. He will not ever come back.You will cry and weep. Everyone will tell you that life goes on. No one will tell you how hard it is and  no one will understand. Worst of all, nobody will tell you that you will never move on and you will still break down when you see his picture and recall the happy memories. But you will learn to channelise the pain. You will learn to write and write. And nobody will tell you that you will become a published author of two national best-sellers. And if they did, you'd probably think they were high on weed for saying so.
You will indeed have two lovely children. Yes, TWO--a boy and a girl. You will give up your corporate career happily and willingly. Nothing will make you want to entrust your precious  babies to another's care even for even a few hours. You will stay at home and look after your children. Bathing your babies and caring for them and reading to them will be the …
37 comments
Read more...

Pencil portait and FAQ about workshop

I made this on Friday.I'd be doing some further work on it later on.

Before I moved to the UK, I desperately wanted to learn portraiture. I tried  in many cities in India, to find a portraiture course or a workshop, but almost every art college I enquired, I was told that portraiture is a small part of a five year course that they have in Fine Arts. Nobody offered to teach just portraiture, that too exclusively pencil portraits which was what I wanted. When I got a chance to do a course in the UK (which would give you an Internationally recognised qualification) I jumped at the chance, I remember how I'd never miss even a single class.I used to walk 45 minutes (up and down)  in sub-zero temperatures, lugging my heavy art paraphernalia. I used to be half frozen as I walked through the snow, but to me, learning it meant more than anything else in the world.


Ever since I relocated to Bangalore, India, many many people have been asking me if I would teach them how to make realis…
6 comments
Read more...

Yes, you can. ACT now.

 Close your eyes for a moment. Think of your deepest desire. (Not your secret sex fantasy, silly! Not that desire!) Think of a goal or wish that you have had and have secretly nurtured. Maybe you want to become a published writer. Maybe you want to have a body that make heads turn when you walk into the room. Maybe you want to be able to sing in front of a crowd of hundred people. Maybe you just want a loving companion. Maybe you want your marriage to improve.
Now answer this question--How badly do you want to achieve it? How willing are you to put in the hours and practice required? Most importantly are you prepared to fail? Are you prepared to get up, dust yourself and walk on with a shrug, in case you fall flat on your face? Are you prepared to commit yourself to discipline?
It is indeed hard. It is easy to wish. It is easier to make a fifty excuses. (I don't have time. I have to do this-this and this, I don't have talent)
A lot of people walk upto me and say " Oh--just l…
38 comments
Read more...

Pencil Portrait workshop--Bangalore

Hi all,
Ever since I relocated back to India, many people have been asking me if I would teach Portraiture. (Incidentally, I now hold an Internationally recognised qualification in Portraiture from the UK.)

I would be doing a four day workshop on 'Drawing realistic pencil- portraits from photos', in Bangalore, this month. It would be a ten hour module, two and a half hours at a time.  The workshop would start right at the basics and you need not be scared even if you have never done portraits before! I would be limiting the intake to  just FIVE students per workshop. So, you can be assured of a high degree of personal attention.

In case you are a working professional, the workshop would be spread over two weekends.

If you want to know more details, you can mail me on ps(at) preetishenoy.com

If you want to see my work please click on the following facebook album:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.144520361212.124817.518321212
Cheers
Preeti

Addendum:
Batch full.Sorry! Ma…
6 comments
Read more...

Ten day challenge. Post 10. One picture of me.

Last day of the ten day YOU challenge that I startedhere. Day 10 is 'One picture of me'. My son clicked this pic 5 days back. It's my most recent one. It had been raining the whole afternoon, and the moment it stopped raining,We went out into the garden. He stood on the garden chair and clicked this snap.


24 comments
Read more...

Ten day challenge. Post 9. Two songs

We're almost reaching the end of the ten day challenge that I startedhere.


Post 9 is Two songs.

Just two songs?!! ONLY two?! How in the world  am I to pick just two?! Fifty would be more like it truly. To pick two is truly a challenge.

But rules are rules (but i think they can be twisted a bit :P )--so here goes. If I had to pick just two, these two would be my choices. (arrived at after a lot of debate!)



The other one I'd pick would be


Another piece which totally does something to my insides is



I play it often when I am painting.

Okay--there are 47 more actually! :) But it would take a long time to share them all :)
If you're doing this challenge I'd love to listen to your choices of two songs too.

____________________________________________________________
ps: Tomorrow--last post. One picture of me :)





10 comments
Read more...