Do join us for a Café Haiku book launch this Saturday, online on Zoom.
The date – 20 January 2024 at 7.30 pm IST
The Book – longing for sun longing for rain is by Cafe Haiku’s own editor Geethanjali Rajan, published by Red River and is available on Amazon.
You can scan the QR code or click on the link for the very simple registration after which you will recieve the zoom link. The link – https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScXb0u85HMxtbCCfji3HCBBKjXuzitCZ0g6Mc_fU7_7-F5tbw/viewform?usp=sharing
The Art of longing for the sun
Artist Dhaatri Vengunad speaks about the art of the book.
Illustrating longing for sun longing for rain has been an immense joy and honour. The best part of the project was studying the subjects that are word images in the poems, finding suitable compositions and translating them into the style followed in the book. The book has each subject in its own habitat. Each of these subjects needed their own character and energy. Moreover, the illustrations also needed to be in sync with the words and not be in competition with the words or be a stand-alone art piece. It was therefore crucial to tie together, the energies of the subject, the words and the art.
I worked with contrasts between the subject and the white space, as this I think is important in minimalist art. I also played with contrasts in values since the illustrations are not in colour. For instance, I had to make the Buddha Mayuri butterfly in black and white when it is actually blue-green. In the koi, I worked with creating a contrast in texture between the scales of the fish and the water. And finally came the task of creating movement to contrast stillness and vice versa.
Working on this was exciting since it is the first print book that I am illustrating. Needless to say, Mr Dibyajyothi Sarma of Red River has worked his design magic to make the words and art fit together by placing them beautifully.
Cafe Haiku 