FEVER DREAM ON THE CORNER OF N. STATE

 

I was once approached by a grizzled crone, indefinitely stoned. Stoned

myself, I couldn’t help but welcome the gnarled lump of a man. Man

we were both toasted. Toasted

in the quiet of that stagnant August night, he delivered a sermon. Sermon

for the damned, perhaps. Perhaps 

I looked the part to listen. “Listen”,

he croaked: “You can never imagine a new face. Face

the facts, kid”. Kid

you not, I was so stoned I dreamt the nomadic soul before me was God. God

himself had returned to visit me on that still evening. Evening 

out my eyes, I shook God’s hand, and gave him my only dollar as an offering. Offering

his thanks, God and I parted ways, never to cross again. Again,

I was more baked than a twice-baked potato casserole from hell. Hell,

I reckon I really did meet god in some form. Form 

your own image of God, but good luck trying. Trying

to picture God, I still think of that molted man’s face.

This week’s lyrics are from the first verse of Sorority Noise’s Art School Wannabe. Though the song is actually about the artist coming to terms with the fact that he might not be (or no longer is) the dark/unhappy person characterized by his music, I think the first couple lyrics are pretty relatable to many as we enter exam season. Here’s a reminder to take care of yourself while during this time of year and good luck to everyone! Link to check out Sorority Noise here.

Good morning everyone! I hope that you are all doing well. Hopefully this beautiful weather that we are having is here to stay, but knowing Michigan, we could get snow tomorrow!

I have written about a few different traditional-medium artists that inspire me. I thought that it would only be right to write about a wonderful Indian henna artist. Neha Assar is a Los Angeles project engineer in the oil and gas industry by day and a henna artist by night. I respect her so much as she was able to find a healthy balance working as a professional henna artist on the side while focusing on her full-time career in engineering.

The process of applying bridal henna takes anywhere from five to nine hours depending on whether the design moves up to the elbows up past the biceps. Generally, bridal henna includes adorning both sides of the arms as well as the tops of the feet. Assar’s artistic inspirations include patterns in nature, Rajasthani art, and world architecture. She’s even taken inspiration from the shape of a tree, she said.

As explained in an article with NBC News, Assar has applied henna on approximately 1,000 brides. Most recently, her work has been modeled during L.A. Fashion Week, where she designed a sari blouse on a nude model which took approximately three hours to complete. She has also created henna crowns for cancer patients which is a beautiful application of this Indian art form used in a way that gives other people peace and joy.

Henna is a beautiful form of art that Neha Assar is working to bring to the spotlight. Having done mehndi on celebrities like Rihanna and Shay Mitchell, Neha has earned her title as the “Henna artist for the Stars”. I have attached her links below as well as the article with NBC.

https://www.instagram.com/nehaassar/

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/neha-assar-henna-artist-stars-n662226

As always, if anything that I discussed in this post stands out, or if any questions arise please feel free to comment and share your thoughts!

Looking forward to next Sunday!

 

~ Riya

 

Instagram: @riya_aggarwal.art

Personal website: https://theindianartist.weebly.com/

Hello there! These are designs for a DnD NPC’s band member. They’re all lightning/thunder-themed because the lead singer is an air genie. I asked my DM for advice on band members and he suggested I add one based on a fluxcharger monster, which was a good idea! I shaped the lightning arching off a charger’s head into an afro-shaped and I played around with silhouette. I thought about making them like a mermaid but the movement seemed awkward. I like the octopus version more. I thought about giving them painted tattoos but those turned out really hard to draw.

The bottom pictures are concept designs for the entire gang.