Sketching in Mumbai - Day 0

In January, we went to Mumbai. I participated in a workshop with Suhita Shirodkar and Zainab Tambawalla. And Brendan did lots of street photography. Head over to his Instagram @beebeepix1 to see his photos. 

We arrived in Mumbai on the Sunday afternoon, and went for a little exploration. I swear I was having a panic attack that evening, lying in bed and thinking about how hard it was for me to cross the street between the Gateway to India and our hotel. On the Monday, we went for a guided "Essential Mumbai" tour with the fantastic Faredoon from Khaki tours, and I felt a bit more confident about managing to survive in this buzzing city. And had vada pav for lunch!

On Day 0, the Tuesday, there was no workshop, but Suhita and Zainab invited anyone who wanted to to go sketch with them at Matunga market, which specialises in goods from South India. I took an Uber over with a few fellow workshop participants. We sketched on the footpath first, where I had my first taste of chai, then we moved inside the market. I instantly loved it, the interaction with the people, the buzz, the visual and aural vibrancy of the city. And I had a great time sketching. 

That evening, we had a tour with Juzer, Zainab's husband, who also is part of the Khaki Tours heritage group, then we had our welcome dinner.

Feeling stuck?

Hard to move forward with this idea. Lots of anticipation going on in my head today. I find transitions hard. How can I think of the cool Atlantic waters when the Arabian sea is calling out to me? Plus, it's a cold January day as I'm trying to paint this. But the memory is from a scorching May day. But, at the same time, it's good to have these A2 thumbnails to anchor this moment. When I'm ready to paint this memory, I will have a few options in front of me.

4 crops

Cropping the image I painted on cartridge paper the other day. In a way, it's easier to do it electronically, but on the other hand, too many choices does not lead to a decision. Is any one of them better than the other? Or are they all one and the same?

 

What's on my wall

What's on my wall at 15 January 2026. I really want to move on to stormy skies and crashing waves, but it appears I still have a lot of rocks and mountains to work through before I'm ready.

Plunging, Holding

Exploring the water and rocks about 50 meters down the road from the previous paintings. The big slabs of rocks plunge into the water, and it feels like they're holding the water in an embrace. I haven't fully identified what my feelings are with this one, or what the energy is. This version is on cartridge paper, A2. The paper is a lot thinner than I expected. Not ideal with my vigorous way of painting and drawing. I did tear the paper. And I have painted something similar, but in a very different way, a few months ago. So this might take a while before I can figure this one out.

How do I use these acrylic markers?

Everybody I know is using these acrylic markers, so I had to try them too. But I have no idea how to use them! Self-portrait at the hairdresser's was a good excuse to experiment.

Une chanson douce - remix

 

I'm not sure this will go anywhere yet, but I do enjoy the mix of shapes and lines. There is a softness to it

Soft pastels to the rescue - Birth-Day

There is more energy now. I used some soft pastels to repeat the shapes that I see pushing through this landscape. And a little bit of extra splashing. I have Suzanne Vega's song stuck in my head.

Studio book notes

Sometimes, I think the notes in my studio book are more interesting than the paintings themselves.

 

Birth-Day

For this one, I felt a square format would work better, to express the tectonic push that I see in the landscape. the making of the landscape by forces beyond my comprehension, and the idea of a creator, or mother, giving birth to the landscape. 

But I think I'm still being too literal in my representation. I really need to push the abstraction much further. This is a big square (about 50cm) on Hahnemuhle Cornwall paper. Also a few thumbnails and notes in my studio book.

Cradling - Une chanson douce

Had to try something different after the previous one didn't express what I had in mind. I reverted to quarter sheet and Fabriano Unica paper, for a gentler flow without jagged edges. I must try a few crops of this to see if there is anything interesting in it.

In the Pub

The Long Hall is a great pub. It's a bit too dark for sketching, but I wanted to at least try. Interesting to compare the original line drawing done on location and the final version with colour and text added at home. Colour definitely enhances the feeling of being in an old pub. The colours are used are from my unused art supplies, which I am dedicated to leaving on my desk until I empty them.

Pigeons everywhere

I went outside to sketch for a bit - January in Dublin isn't easy, one week it's really cold, the next one, it's mild but damp. I think I prefer cold. But I always manage to find a sheltered spot. Me and two dozen pigeons! I do not like pigeons. But I couldn't ignore them. Can't say I planned this page very well.

 

Silk Road Café

My mind was a little dispersed. No clear focus as to what I wanted to sketch. So I did a bit of this and a bit of that. Still, it's always enjoyable to sketch with Dublin Sketchers, despite the damp weather.

Someone ordering their food at the Silk Road Café

Here is the full spread, but I think the bit on the right works better.

Testing Testing

The day is getting dark already. I need more light for watercolour. That's a good excuse to try out my new Arrtx markers. I tried them on brown paper. I think dark grey paper would be better. Need to ask a few people how they use these markers - maybe just for highlights? I don't seem to have enough darks?

The Cradle

I zoomed in some more and found some interesting shapes, evoking a mother's warm embrace. But I haven't gone past the first layer. Sometimes, I feel that there is no point in pushing a piece further. That's watercolours for you. Plus I went too heavy with oil pastel. I do like the colour mixes. And the lines on the stones. But I want something more fluid.

We are strong

This one felt more like a wall, rather than a gentle embrace. More about stopping the outside. Less about protecting the inside. 

 

The Weaver

She's protecting us, with her weaving, building strong defenses. All these words are coming to me, bit by bit. Reminding me that tectonics, textiles and architect are all connected via their Proto-Indo-European root. Strong roots are important, no matter where you are.

Another painting inspired by the Beara Bowl.

Here is what the first layer looked like

One of Us/Not One of Us

I've spent the last few months travelling and experimenting. Now I need to start proper painting. I don't mean go all serious and stiff. But just paint with watercolours and whatever other media I want with the intention of creating something, whatever that something turns out to be. I never know how a painting is going to look. But I need to concentrate on one thing at a time, rather than jump around like I have over the last while. Although it has been fun, but I have just thrown lots of crap pieces in the bin, and now I want to create new work that will stay. And, yes, Beara is still pulling me in. And the idea of "one of us"/"not one of us" playing on my mind.

Also, did you know that the words tectonic and architect are related? From the greek tekton, builder, carpenter, apparently, and the Proto-Indo-European root teks-, which means to weave, to fabricate. Hence also the connection with textiles and text.

And buying new art supplies

So much for using up old art supplies. I had forgotten I had ordered this box of Arrtx acrylic markers. New shiny things. Loooove them. No idea what to do with them!

 

Using up old art supplies

The theme in Liz Steel's Patreon is using up unused art supplies in our stash. Anything we want. So the other day, as I was grabbing some watercolours for the session with Suhita, I grabbed these little boxes I haven't used in a long long time. I sprayed a little water on top and they were like new.

I think the Sennelier set (on the left) was from the goodie bag in Amsterdam (2019), the half pans in the middle was a set I put together with some colours I wanted to experiment with. Some half pans are missing. The one on the right was the original Sennelier box in which the 8 colours on the left fitted, but I replaced them with 4 Aquarius colours I bought in Amsterdam. I have no idea where the yellow comes from. The dark colour in the bottom right is Aquarius's Caput Mortuum, which I bought in the hope it would help me paint the houses of Amsterdam!

Let's see what I get to do with these over the next couple weeks.

A riot of boats.

I guess the proper word is probably a fleet, but mine look more like a riot. I enjoyed drawing this with Suhita's Substack group. I wasn't at my best, but I'm glad I turned up. How do you tackle busy scenes where it's hard to make sense of anything?

I pushed my Seawhite of Brighton cartridge paper to the edge, working with Stabilo Woody, watercolour, watercolour pencils, acrylic markers (they sank right through) and some oil pastel.

Painting while I'm sick

Painting while sick doesn't give the best results. But I'm glad I showed up. The following day, I was so wiped out that I actually slept more or less all day. Don't know if this is a cold, flu or other virus, but that's not the start I had hoped for for 2026.

Crops from previous pieces

While I was at it, I decided to crop a couple of pieces that I wasn't sure about. Also included here are crops of pieces I did on location in Allihies - as I didn't want to cut up the original, I printed them and cropped the printout. I'm trying not to be precious, but it's not easy! They're now safely glued in my studio book. They will be there when I need inspiration.

More crops

 More crops done, from those pieces that didn't look like much. I like these!