Sketchbook 16: From Loss to Light

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Legacy in Lines

Two portraits anchor this collection, each holding a universe of memories. My maternal grandmother, who left us at 78, was our emotional North Star. Not because we depended on her for tangible things, but because her mere presence made the world feel right. 

The second portrait is of my grandfather, an army veteran whose strength ran deeper than his military bearing. Despite being deafened by a bomb in the Indo-China war, he somehow always heard Grandma's call. Our conversations in sign language never quite captured my career path, but his love transcended understanding. His passing sneaked up on me - a slow-burning realization of absence that grows deeper with time.

Wanderings of Mind and Spirit

The collection then spirals into more experimental territory. An equation becomes poetry in "Girl Who Played with Fire," exploring how solutions can transform unknowns into certainties. 

"Detox" submerges us in liquid contemplation, while various doodles capture fleeting ideas for stop-motion and my enduring love for animation.

The digital sketch of mathematics on a bean bag reveals how equations shift under altered perspectives. There's nostalgia in the neighborhood cabin piece, standing sentinel over memories, while childhood curiosity comes alive in a sketch of young explorers.

Dreams and Darkness

The collection takes darker turns through melancholy blues and haunting seascapes, where abstract spheres hover like questions. Intimate moments contrast with stark imagery - a colorful skull trapped in concrete speaks to permanence and decay. 

The series closes with an insomniac's clarity, where Star Wars meets 'shravan sampla' in pre-dawn revelations.

These pieces track a journey through grief, memory, desire, and those strange moments of clarity that come when we least expect them. Each work is a fragment of experience, some too personal to fully translate, others universal in their reach.

Until next time, keep your brushes wet and your imagination wilder. Share your own watercolor tales:  Instagram | X