Calling All Artist-Mothers

I found out recently that I am one of the recipients of the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) Creativity Grant. I had applied for the grant to make my two-part project possible:

• My two-month self-directed residency An Artist Residency in Motherhood. (See previous post.)
• A four-month mentorship program Artist at Work: Cultivating the Creative Spirit, which I will offer to five artists who are also mothers. The grant will make it possible for these artists to participate in this program for free.

Here's the official invite:

*Calling all artist-mothers for an opportunity to participate in a four-month mentorship program Artist at Work: Cultivating the Creative Spirit with Priya Vadhyar. The program, part of a project initiated by Vadhyar, is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council. The mentorship program is at no cost to artists. Seats are limited to five participants.

The Artist at Work Program (Artist-Mother Edition) is a response to the pandemic, which has been a challenging time for caregivers in general, and mothers in particular. Existing cultural norms, inadequate institutional support, and other uncertainties brought on by the pandemic have further exacerbated the situation. The mentorship program hopes to help artist-mothers with their studio practice, provide a supportive environment, and add to the dialogue surrounding the work of artist-mothers.*

ABOUT ARTIST AT WORK:

Artist at Work: Cultivating the Creative Spirit is a four-month online program created by Priya Vadhyar for visual artists who have a studio practice that they would like to deepen in a supportive environment. The program focuses on studio work to help artists enhance their work processes and bring clarity and coherence to their work. Artists working on a new or an ongoing project/ body of work stand to gain from this program. Over the course of the program the group will discuss the creative process, seek inspiration from artists and makers through history and discuss elements of a studio practice. Through the program, participants will consider their work with a renewed perspective, create personal goals (for the duration of the program and beyond), review their progress, and discuss their wins and challenges.  

Program Features:

• The program includes group and one-on-one sessions held via Zoom.
• The Artist at Work Program is designed for a small group, and is limited to five participants. The aim is encourage dialogue between participants and personalized attention.
• The program includes a guest speaker session. The guest is invited to talk about her studio practice and answering questions from the group.

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Artist at Work Program Details: 

Dates: March 18 - June 30 2022

Group Sessions: Fridays, March 18, April 15, May 13, June 17, 6.30 - 9.30pm

One-on-one Sessions: TBD

Program Fee: $0

• Program capacity: FIVE participants
• Seats will be filled on a first come first served basis.
• Preference given to artist-mothers from Maryland.
• One seat reserved for an artist who identifies as BIPOC.
• All sessions are held via Zoom.

To enroll, 

Email studio.lineofsight[at]gmail[dot]com with subject line: Artist at Work Sign up

Last date for enrollment: March 10, 2022

QUESTIONS? Email Priya at studio.lineofsight[at]gmail[dot]com

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The Artist at Work Program (Artist-Mother Edition) is part of a project initiated by artist Priya Vadhyar. The project is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council, which will make it possible to offer the mentorship program to participants at no cost to participants. 

An Artist Residency in Motherhood, Winter 2022

It has been almost two years since the pandemic began. When I look back at photographs from 2020, it seems like a lifetime ago. My son was two years old then. Now he is four, a vastly different stage in his life. So much has happened in these two years, and yet everything seems to have paused. It feels reductive to say that it’s been a rough two years being a parent and an artist; it’s been rough for everyone in one way or another. I am blurry-eyed, tired to the bone, and frayed at the edges. But I’ve also been transformed for the better by the time I’ve spent with my child.

My work has felt the impact of the pandemic. For the first few months, my studio practice was at a standstill. I was between studios and exhausted by the long days. I then got the keys to the studio, but it took a while to gain access and move all my things. Everything took more time than usual, and long gaps between work sessions emerged before my eyes. By the spring of 2021, it was clear that I had to adapt to the situation. It seemed impossible to consider working at night after a full day with my son, not to mention that I was also exhibiting and teaching regularly, and doing all the ancillary work that artists do. All I wanted to do was throw a blanket over myself. But I made a start and began working in the studio four nights a week. These night shifts in the studio have now become something I look forward to, no matter how much I manage to do.

A few months ago, I began working on a new body of work called ‘A Wedge of Darkness.’ The title comes from Virginia Woolf’s ‘To the Lighthouse.’ This collection builds on the work I have been doing for many years. It’s been in the works for a while, but I began articulating my thoughts only recently. Given the fragmented nature of my studio practice, I have decided to do a two-month long self-directed residency. Unlike a regular residency I will be working in my studio given all the current uncertainties of the pandemic. I will be doing this residency under the auspices of ‘An Artist Residency in Motherhood,’ created by Lenka Clayton. The ARiM aims to be “…a self-directed, open-source artist residency to empower and inspire artists who are also mothers.” This residency seems apt given the circumstances. I am looking forward to this residency even though uncertainty looms. I hope this to be an opportunity to inhabit a different state of mind after almost two years of being in a state of flux. Will this residency spark new connections and forge the way ahead? I hope it will.

reflecting on a painting

Something I wrote last year...

I have a painting in front of me. Not on the wall, but stacked up against my other finished canvases. I keep this particular piece there so that I can look at it whenever I work in this space. It is no longer "a painting I made". It now has a personality outside of me. The painting seems to echo something from deep within. I feel a little melancholic, yet elated; both at the same time. I feel a certain limbo when I look at the painting; suspended, in a place that’s neither here nor there. (Enroute?) I stare ahead of me, in this moment of rest where all else falls away. I imagine my line of sight to be perched high up on a mountain. Something about the angle jogs a physical memory. (I sense/ smell rain.) From this vantage point, the horizon is below me, and is a wide sweep of land. As I write these words — wide sweep of land — I feel a physical sensation again. I feel cradled. Alone, yet secure. I feel the distance of a journey. Where am I going? I’m not sure. I am neither excited nor reluctant to reach. Instead I am immersed in that moment. I feel at home right there, in the middle of nowhere. 

exhibition news: continuum

Exciting news. I am happy to announce that I have two solo exhibitions coming up. Continuum features drawings, paintings and mixed media work across two exhibits - [Degrees of Separation] and [The Illusion of Edges]. The first exhibition, Continuum [Degrees of Separation], opens at Gallery Beyond (Mumbai) on September 6 and will continue until October 6. The second exhibit, Continuum [The Illusion of Edges], will be held at Carroll Community College in Westminster (MD) in Spring 2019. 

I am in Mumbai right now preparing for the show at Gallery Beyond. The opening is just a couple weeks away! Stay tuned for more information.

exhibition: 10x10

For the past few weeks I've been organising the 10x10 Invitational exhibition at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center along with Artistic Director Gretchen Schermerhorn. In its third edition, this exhibit will include more than 85 regional and national artists displaying prints, sculpture, paintings, drawings and a variety of other media. All work has been donated by artists, the sale of which will go towards funding programs at Pyramid Atlantic. The exhibition opens this Friday, November 3 at 6pm and continues until December 17. I am participating in the exhibition too. Below are the three mixed media artworks I am showing.

psyche structure I
mixed media on paper, 10x10", 2017

psyche structure II
mixed media on paper, 10x10", 2017

orbital realisations
mixed media on paper, 10x10", 2017

seed (rewind/repeat)

seed (rewind/repeat)
acrylic and water-soluble graphite on paper, 25x32", 2017

two states of being

two states of being

acrylic on canvas, 24x20", 2016

pulp painting

Papermaking is one of the many things I have tried my hand at in the past few months at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center (PAAC). And then a few weeks back Gretchen Schermerhorn (Artistic Director at PAAC) introduced me to pulp painting, a technique that involves the use of coloured paper pulp on damp handmade base sheets.

For pulp painting you need two things: pulp paint and base sheets. The first is your medium, the second is the surface you paint on. Pulp paint is very fine pulp that is made by beating fibers in a Hollander beater for a few hours before adding pigments. You also add something called formation aid that helps with better flow and bonding.

For the base sheets, I used abaca fibers that I beat for a couple hours. I then used a mould and deckle (a wooden frame with a screen and another frame that sits on the mould to hold the pulp) to make sheets, which you then couch on a damp pellon (polyester sheet). You build layers of sheets and pellons to create a post, which then goes into a hydraulic press to remove excess water. (If you want to know more about how paper is made, you can check out a cool video on papermaking and a glossary of common papermaking definitions here.)

You 'paint' by pouring pulp paint on the base sheet in layers. It's a lovely loose way of painting since the pulp paint is quite watery. You can also create specific shapes by making pellon stencils. You can be Pollockesque or Frankenthaleresque or (even better) do your own thing. The basic idea is that the pulp paint sits on the surface of the base sheet, layer after layer, and then fuses with it. Once you are done painting, you put all the sheets in the hydraulic press to get the excess water out. The last stage is putting these sheets in the drying box.

Below are some of my pulp paintings experiments. More to come for sure.

silent conversations
pulp paint on handmade paper, 17x22" 2016

rebirth
pulp paint on handmade paper, 15x18" 2016

degrees of separation
pulp paint on handmade paper, 17x22" 2016

---
pulp paint on handmade paper, 18x15" 2016

the distant other

the distant other
24x18" acrylic and ink on paper, 2014 

Deep in the puddle

the heavens - 

along its ripples
one orbits 

the distant other.

when you paint...

When you paint, you walk out the door...

...Into the hurried blur of the busy streets, the little shops and big buildings, the cars, and dogs walking their people. Later, you find yourself in a bus, which turns this way and that, until finally the city is behind you. The view changes to green fields and wild flowers, and a large sky that is a wash of blue. The view is wide, and it makes you not-think. You get off the bus when the urge strikes. Standing there, in the middle of nowhere, you look around to take in the view. Soon you are walking. Maybe something far away catches your eye. Now you find yourself climbing a hill and down the other side. There is a dirt road leading to a farm. Along this dirt road you see cows grazing. You stand there, enjoying the scene and the sounds of the earth. Some time later a farmer drives your way, and you hitch a ride. You say goodbye as you get off near the railway tracks. The winding track is quiet, without traffic and goes on for miles. On either side are tall trees obscuring everything else. You come to a tunnel. Inside the tunnel the air is damp and there is a deep darkness that seems to go on forever. But soon you come out into the sunshine. The clouds in the sky are moving just as you are. Up ahead, you see a dusty old sign post that says '...... Trail'. Intrigued, you take this trail through the woods. The birds are chirping, and a deer stares at you as you walk past it. The evening light, orange, peeps through the trees. Now, night is falling. You don't know where you are, but you sense you must keep walking in a certain direction. Suddenly you reach a clearing. It's a meadow. Stepping into this clearing, you see the lights of a town far away. Then you look up at the sky. The same sky that was a brilliant cornflower blue is now a deep violet. The stars are out, and they are twinkling.

When you paint, you walk out the door and then come back inside.

the dive

the dive
acrylic and charcoal on paper, 24x18", 2015

mesa

mesa
mixed media on paper, 18x24", 2013

remembering fierceness

On the brink of life 

the path was clear -

dusty feet, the orange sun,
paint,

the sound of the flute 

and cutting chai.

My mind has been wandering. Apart from looking back at the great year that was 2015, I've been thinking about the past 15 years.

It was in 2001 that I decided what I wanted to do with my life. I decided, or rather realised, that I wanted to be an artist. I was a student then, studying Economics. I liked the subject, but painting held my attention without me trying. Something changed that year. I remember the fierceness of that realisation. It gave my life meaning - a form that was truly me. The fierceness has since evolved into a calmer way of life. But it's good to revisit that fierceness to remember why you do what you do.
Happy 2016... May the force be with you!

untitled

untitled
watersoluble graphite on paper, 24x18", 2014

owt snoom

owt snoom
acrylic and chalk on paper, 24x18", 2014

The desert, the hint of dawn

Deep ink blue, dark earth

And diamonds

A great silence.

untitled

untitled
acrylic and watersoluble graphite on paper, 8x8", 2015 priya vadhyar

In the desert
My eyes scanned the horizon
For the emerald waters
Within me.

exhibition, a point and line to plane xi: paintings

The exhibition 'A Point and Line to Plane XI' at Gallery Beyond in Mumbai opened today. Below are the paintings I am displaying. The first painting, titled 'The Mirror', is an acrylic painting on canvas and is 48x36 inches in size. The second, also acrylic on canvas and the same size, is called 'Once upon a Breeze, a Magpie'. The third painting, titled 'Once Upon a Breeze, a Magpie (II)', is acrylic on paper. The fourth, untitled, is acrylic and watersoluble graphite on paper and is 24x18 inches in size.

As mentioned in the previous post, the exhibition features abstract paintings by nine artists. The exhibition is on at Gallery Beyond until the end of August.

the mirror
acrylic on canvas, 48x36", 2015, priya vadhyar

once upon a breeze, a magpie
acrylic on canvas, 48x36", 2015, priya vadhyar

once upon a breeze, a magpie (II)
acrylic on paper, 24x18, 2014, priya vadhyar

untitled
acrylic and watersoluble graphite on paper, 24x18", 2014, priya vadhyar

exhibition: the 377191 wall

Starting May 23rd, I am going to be part of an exhibition in Mumbai. Gallery Beyond in association with Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is hosting an exhibition titled 'The 377191 Wall: Freedom to Express, Freedom to Choose'. The exhibition postcard explains, "238 artists come together to express their solidarity with the fundamental right to freedom to speech and expression and the freedom to choose whom to love. While Article 19 (1) (a) protects the freedom to speech and expression, section 377 of the IPC is a law that criminalises same sex relationships. The group show of 279 mixed media works reflect on both these issues." 'The 377191 Wall' is about an individual's right to be who she is, to live with dignity and equality. It is about the right to express one's self without censorship. Artists and activists come together in this unique show to say that being human means being able to express oneself and love another without fear.

How awesome is it to be part of such an affirmation?

'The 377191 Wall' is a small works show. I am showing two paintings, both acrylic and watersoluble graphite on paper. The exhibition opens on May 23rd at 6.30 pm and will run until June 27th. Below are the two paintings in the show and the exhibition details.  Do drop by!

still, I stand,
the wind speaks
acrylic and watersoluble graphite on paper, 8x8", 2015 priya vadhyar

with a map of winds,
I traverse
acrylic and watersoluble graphite on paper, 9x9", 2015 priya vadhyar

3. 2. 1. 0.

3. 2. 1. 0.
acrylic on paper, 24x18", 2014 priya vadhyar

whale song

whale song,
acrylic, ink and chalk on paper, 24x18", 2014, priya vadhyar

There's a secret place,

Where the heart sings,

Whales go there too,
Always alone.