Hello Fuji-san,

Hello Hokusai-san,

Hello Matsuo Basho.

You have made me lose all my money, my sleep, my balance and I thank you.

“The months and days are the travelers of eternity. The years that come and go are also voyagers. Those who float away their lives on ships or who grow old leading horses are forever journeying, and their homes are wherever their travels take them. Many of the men of old died on the road, and I too for years past have been stirred by the sight of a solitary cloud drifting with the wind to ceaseless thoughts of roaming.    Last year I spent wandering along the seacoast. In autumn I returned to my cottage on the river and swept away the cobwebs. Gradually the year drew to its close. When spring came and there was mist in the air, I thought of crossing the Barrier of Shirakawa into Oku. I seemed to be possessed by the spirits of wanderlust, and they all but deprived me of my senses. The guardian spirits of the road beckoned, and I could not settle down to work.    I patched my torn trousers and changed the cord on my bamboo hat. To strengthen my legs for the journey I had moxa burned on my shins. By then I could think of nothing but the moon at Matsushima. When I sold my cottage and moved to Sampū’s villa, to stay until I started on my journey, I hung this poem on a post in my hut:   kusa no to mo         Even a thatched hut   sumikawaru yo zo    May change with a new owner   hina no ie                Into a doll’s house.

“ 

月日は百代の過客にして、行かふ年も又旅人也。舟の上に生涯をうかべ馬の口とらえて老をむかふる物は、日々旅にして、旅を栖とす。古人も多く旅に死せるあり。予もいづれの年よりか、片雲の風にさそはれて、漂泊の思ひやまず、海浜にさすらへ、去年の秋江上の破屋に蜘の古巣をはらひて、やゝ年も暮、春立る霞の空に、白河の関こえんと、そヾろ神の物につきて心をくるはせ、道祖神のまねきにあひて取もの手につかず、もゝ引の破をつヾり、笠の緒付かえて、三里に灸すゆるより、松島の月先心にかゝりて、住る方は人に譲り、杉風が別墅に移るに、草の戸も住替る代ぞひなの家

Shirakawa-go.

For the first time in my life I watched snowfall. I have been to places with lots of snow before,  but I have never seen snow fall. I watched it gently cover green leaves.

Bird Song

Somewhere there will be a poem that says something like ” The feathers that fall, will paint the air, of things that a bird has seen” This Kalamkari piece is an illustration of that idea. 

A few years ago when I was working at the community studios at the Lalit Kala Academy Chennai.  I wanted to be inspired and I decided to travel Varanasi, I used all the money I had to book a train ticket.

 I completed this piece a few days before my journey and had left it at LK. Couple of days before my trip, someone came to the studio and bought this painting when I was not there. On the day of my travel, the cheque cleared and I had enough money to make the trip. 

I did not have a proper photograph of this work, and yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to find a low resolution photo of this work.