Pinky, 2013

Pinky is my Car (2013)

My car looks quite old but it is not. It is an Indian Ambassador car which was often referred to as the “King of Indian roads”.  The Ambassador is based on an English Austin Morris design from 1957, which was available until about 10 years ago in India. I bought it during the last year of its manufacture. I love the shape with all the rounded edges and its spacious interior and big trunk. I had the car custom painted pink after I bought it to match a swatch of fluorescent fabric that I had.

This is the car of happiness wherever I go. People smile and take selfies with her as if she is a movie star. She has even appeared in magazines in her own right. Given how special she is, I thought l would make a nice painting of her. In this artwork l show Pinky as she goes down a road. It is the fluid flowing road of happiness!

Note that the trees painted on the sides do not conform to normal expectations. As you look you can see that the road swells and twirls the trees upside down or straight up. In fact, this is the fantasy car of my fantasy life (my other life). The little yellow car in the middle also belonged to me for a while but l let it go. l felt it was a ghost version of its original self! 

I do not create fantasies in my paintings, sometimes I live inside my fantasies. This car is one of the examples. I still use this car though it is almost 11 years old. I prefer it over any one of the other types of transport that are available to me.

She’s a Leopard Too: Tapestry

My mother, who is a tapestry weaver, really liked this painting. She made a beautiful tapestry based on it that is just the same size as the original. It is included here.