"Flute Choir: Winter Concert" (2022)

Drawn with ink. Figure on the left is a Hindu goddess, Sita Devi, daughter of the earth. Figure on the right is Sri Rama, the Hindu god of the epic "Ramayana." Here, in the Chitrakootha forest, we see Sita playfully stealing Rama's quiver of arrows and twirling one arrow out of Rama's grasp. Rama holds Sita's waist and shoulders his bow. Intricate linework shows the movement of the arrow, leaves and flowers stitched into Sita's skirt, jewelry, and crown, and lotus flowers in Rama's pants. He wears a thread and prayer beads around his body, and the fabric tied around his waist shows his sweeping movement towards Sita. The marks of divinity are on Sita and Rama's foreheads; they are surrounded with halos and hearts. Thicker lines outline key features of their bodies, and their hair is elaborately styled. The thin, simple bowstring is meant to contrast with the details of their garments. Their feet and faces are drawn stylistically, to show loving gazes and surreal beauty.

Watercolor and ink painting depicting the threat to freedom of expression in the world, in society, in culture, and under oppressive governments. This freedom is crumbling and reflected in the shadows of vulnerable, multicolored dominoes. This piece demonstrates use of a vanishing point beyond the page.

Watercolor pencil painting which incorporates elements from folk-art styles across India. Accepted for display at Sochi Winter Olympics exhibition in Citibank's office in Moscow, Russia. Included in printed booklet displaying artwork made by students at the Anglo-American School of Moscow. PIECE INFO: *Upper-right corner* contains peacock, dancer, trees in Warli style from west Indian state of Maharashtra. *Diagonal floral border* inspired by borders in Mughal paintings of Sita's kidnapping in the epic, "Ramayana." These paintings were commissioned by India's Mughal emperors and hence, Islamic styles of art, which highlight nature and geometry, became part of the epic's portrayal. *Left side* features leaves and a parrot. *Right side* is a woman wearing a bottu/bindi (mark of spiritual third eye) in the Bengali style. *At the bottom* is a chakra (discus/wheel), representing an Ashoka Chakra (symbol of Indian unity, featured on India's flag, named for Emperor Ashoka). Chakra also symbolizes cycles which guide Indian philosophies, such as Samsaara (cycle of reincarnation) in Hinduism and the Eight-Fold Path in Buddhism. Finally, the chakra is an ancient weapon used by gods in Hindu mythology.

Drawn with ink. This sketch shows a slender hand holding a cigarette, and the illusions inside the smoke cloud. There are two eyes, fanning out like wings, and multiple crescent shapes are present. One crescent holds a ladder which pours down towards a figure, reaching out to climb it. Another crescent holds a swing, while yet another serves as a bed. A crescent ship with a figure on top sits next to an ocean. A crescent swings beneath the ship in the form of an anchor. The last hidden crescents are in the bindi/bottu of the face and in the eyes themselves to mark a line of symmetry. Finally, a face peers from behind at the cloud and the smoker. The style was meant to be surreal, dreamy, yet frazzled. The figures are inspired by Warli folk art from the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Drawn with pencil. The focus of this piece was to draw human eyes, brows, and a nose in accordance to correct proportions and realism. Note the shading, detail in the pupils, and how color is shown despite its absence.

CUSTOMER REVIEW: "Excellent, much more vivid [than company's previous pitchdeck].” Pitchdeck for potential investors, designed using Google Slides, for Bloqcube Inc., a pharma-tech start-up. Integrated logo by breaking cube into bars with arrow motif to represent forward-thinking solutions and the secure movement of patient data via blockchain. Created patterns from logo to fill space when needed.

Drawn with ink and colored pencil. Goal of the design was to showcase multi-cultural unity between symbolic figures from historic art, music, mythology, and film- this aligned with the showcase theme of bringing diverse music to the flute choir group. (From center to outward layers) Moana, a Polynesian princess from Disney's film "Moana" stands center, since "How Far I'll Go" was being performed. She poses with with two extra sets of limbs, at the center of a square and circle, with a line and short marks, all drawn in a nod to the famous "Vitruvian Man" drawing by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci, to represent human anatomy. Her arms make up the branches and her legs make up the roots of a tree, representing nature. So, this combination was meant to show Human + Nature = Human Nature, since "Human Nature" by Michael Jackson was being performed. On her right and left, there is a symbol of "Unity" or "Umoja" from the seven principles of the African holiday of Kwanza, since "Umoja," composed by Valerie Coleman, was being performed. Excerpts from the OST of a Japanese animated film, "Weathering With You" were being performed, so the title was written in English and Japanese at the bottom, while a character (wearing a red bow and yellow boots) was drawn at the top of the page. Three Korean folk songs were represented: "Blue Bird" was shown in two Korean blue birds, which carry special symbolism; "Gold Grass" was shown in two bunches of the plant on either side of Moana's tree; and the word "Arirang," from the Korean patriotic song of the same name, was written on the left side. 1. "Mala Sinha as STYX" represents the sullen character played by the actress Mala Sinha in the 1963 Hindi film "Gumrah." "Tujhko Mera Pyaar Pukaare" from that film was performed, alongside Thomas Whitman's "Styx: Goddess of the River Styx and Personification of Hatred." 2. "Jaya Bhaduri as ARTEMIS" represents the heartbroken character played by the actress Jaya Bhaduri in the 1973 Hindi film "Abhimaan." Her song, "Tere Mere Milan" was performed alongside Thomas Whitman's "Artemis: Goddess of the Hunt." The Greek goddess thus has a bow, arrow, and quiver, while wearing a sari. 3. "Bhagyashree as ATHENA" represents the actress Bhagyashree in the 1989 Hindi film "Maine Pyar Kiya." The song "Dil Deewana" was performed alongside Thomas Whitman's "Athena: Goddess of Wisdom." Hence, she wears the costume of her character along with the helmet, spear, Medusa shield, and owl symbol of the Greek goddess Athena. 4. "Kajol as LAKSHMI" represents the lovestruck character played by the actress Kajol from 1995 Hindi cult film "DDLJ." Her song, "Tujhe Dekha Toh" was performed alongside "Flower Duet" from the French musical "Lakmé." Since "Lakmé" is the French word for "Lakshmi," the Hindu goddess of beauty and wealth, Kajol is dressed in the clothes of her character along with the lotus and ornaments of Lakshmi. Hence, the cultures that are featured in this piece include: Polynesian, African, American, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Greek, Indian, and French.

Drawn in ink. Commissioned for a couple's anniversary: the wife was named for Vidhya Devi or Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of wisdom (figure on the right); the husband was named for Kumara or Karthikeya, the Hindu god of war (figure on the left). Both Kumara and Vidhya have a peacock as their vehicle, so the peacock was used as a unifying symbol between the figures. Vidhya is shown with lotuses by her ears, carrying a veena, a stringed classical instrument, with a third eye on her forehead to mark her spiritual knowledge. Kumara carries a spear with his father's symbol on his forehead and on the spearhead. They lean towards each other, and the arc of their bodies and their instruments are meant to create a general sense of symmetry with the peacock feathers. They also have halos around their heads. Their limbs are drawn stylistically, in a cartoonish manner. Sharp angles and thick, flowing lines are featured in both their garments.

Drawn with ink. Each dancer is based on reference photographs of traditional Chinese classical dance costumes and traditional Indian classical dance/music costumes (Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Carnatic). Motifs associated with each culture, including a parasol and a sitar, are included. Each figure's costume, makeup, hairstyle, and accessories is distinct. Figures are arranged and layered on the poster to show people sharing classical arts and cultural spaces with each other. Motifs of the moon and the stages of love, which was the showcase theme, is included to the bottom left (moon phases) and bottom right (small hearts). Symmetry and balance was achieved by keeping figures in parallel poses and parallel colors. Finally, the cursive script used for the description stands in contrast with the showcase information, title, and the dance clubs' names (Mei-Kala). A bold, curved script was used to match the curves and angles of the performers' bodies. See "Indo-Chinese Classical Dance" (2024) to see final version of this poster.

Ink drawing of a Bharatanatyam (South Indian Tamil classical) dancer. The hand gestures are "Mayuram" which means peacock, and the pose taken by the dancer is a peacock pose. Hence, the body is surrounded by peacock feathers. Intricate details in the jewelry, lotuses in the hair, delicate feathers, and bold eyeliner are the focus of this piece. The pleats of the skirt, painted marks on the feet and hands, and bells on the feet, are all features of a Bharatanatyam costume.