Creative Release

I mentioned in a previous post that I was in search of a painting class in order to release some creative energy. I emailed the local art school and checked out the cultural groups that offer language and dance classes. However, I didn't find any classes for painting or any other art form so I went on search for paints. After not finding any on my own I asked roomie last weekend if she knew. She pointed me towards a stationary store in town. I went on Saturday and met a VERY friendly and funny Indian man. He only had barbie watercolor paints (meant for children) and poster paint. He tried to get me to buy the poster paints because he hadn't been able to sell a single box (he had 6). I told him if he ordered some brushes I would buy it. He's promised to order some and I promised to come back in 2 weeks. As I was about to leave disappointed (yet again) I saw a box of oil pastels and decided that would be my medium. I'm glad I bought them because they are so much easier to blend than paint. So I bought 2 boxes of pastels and 2 Arabic drawing books (they open from the opposite side).

Saturday evening, before my Diwali outing, I played and drew a beach scene, which I will not share (because it REALLY sucks), but it was the MOST FANTASTIC exercise. I felt so much more balanced after that one drawing. So Sunday morning I woke up eager to do more. I sat on the terrace and closed my eyes and thought of where I wished I was at that moment. Though it is an elementary drawing I am comfortable sharing what I saw:

What I pictured was a photo (which I later used for reference Yes I did cheat a little) I took when I was with a small NGO, SST, in Andhra Pradesh India. Behind the NGO was a small pond and hills. The kids from the NGO and I used to walk there in the evenings and watch the sunset. They would teach me how to skip rocks in the water and sometimes we would play badminton there. I loved sitting there watching the sky blaze like fire and transform the hills into silhouettes. It was beautiful and oh so peaceful. It is hands down one of my most favorite spots in India...Ramapuram Village, Andhra Pradesh.