the nightingale's excuse

I title this piece "The Conference of Birds" (yes, that is a reference to Farid ud-Din Attar's title for his mystical poem). But surely these little birds must have their own story... I did some extensive research, so that each bird would be based on a unique specie that really exists in nature. The leaves are all gold, including the leaves on the lone olive tree on the horizon. The yellow of the sky is ever so slightly brighter than in these photos. I can't get enough of the gold as it glows when it basks in natural light...You may or may not have noticed a certain little dove with an olive branch in it's beak...

lemons & birds: through the looking glass

I am painting a new series involving thousands of different species of birds lately, & it seems to be flying into everything I do. I will post about those works very soon. In the meantime, I wanted you to see the revamping of a large old mirror collecting dirt in our garage, coated with a particularly undesirable shade of dark brown paint. I decided to paint it all white with birds perched on lemon tree branches, & was pleased with the result.

jean-jacques sempé

Currently inspiring me: the wonderfully simple drawings of Jean-Jacques Sempé. This series of children's books are illustrated by him & have been recently translated from the French.

the illuminati

No, I'm not referring to some treacherous underground secret society, rather my newly discovered obsession with illuminated calligraphy & miniatures. This piece is titled "The Flower Sellers of Kashmir." It is a small reflection of my childhood visits to Kashmir. You may notice the "water" in the painting is done in the Kashmiri tradition of decorative flowers outlined in gold to add a surreal note. I couldn't quite capture the highly reflective quality of the gold, it has a mysterious glow in the early morning light.



These are some childhood photographs of my brother, my mother & I in Kashmir.

a tiny trade

This one is titled "They were all just happy to be together again."




Here is a painting I recently completed for Dawbis of Lovely Paper.
She is a fantastic artist, & I am eagerly awaiting her piece. I imagined the characters in this one as being four dysfunctional siblings in matching outfits, who have only one hobby in common.

the art of small things

I am completely riveted by the art of miniatures. This book has been a particularly stunning source.

hello world

Welcome to Limonana! I am an artist & this is the little place I will be documenting my quest to create. Thanks to this lady who convinced me that this would be a good adventure.

This one is titled "Holiday".