Andy Pandy
Jacarandy
In the Milky Way
Goodbye I say
Sunset Thames
Till we meet again
Let you melt free
And hello Delhi...
...A universe and stars. The Milky Way as part of my scroll. Light bleeding into dark. Candour ends paranoia. Andy loved Allan Ginsberg and even met him. Andy and I often communicated with each other in rhyme, as it forces you to be succinct and silly at the same time, and we understood each other fine, now forever for that I will pine. Liquid glorious paint, as taught to me by...
…my dearest departed friend, mentor, teacher, general life advisor Andrew Stahl...
…Andy was one of my greatest friends, my teacher, mentor, studio mate and wise man all in one. I feel like one of my anchors has been cut loose. I am so lucky I saw him on the very last day to say 'Goodbye', and even gladder that he spent it in the best way possible - with his family right next to him. He was surrounded by love on all sides. I have known him for over 20 years and he was a massive part of my life, beyond our art. He saw me through boyfriends, then The One, marriage, and 2 kids.
He let me share his studio with him so I could paint my own works in exchange for me assisting him with his. It was a great honour, and also really intense, to be his artist’s assistant and help him with his paintings and art life, applications and beyond. Because we lived close by, he gave me his keys and told me to come 'whenever', to keep it warm and paint in it.
He never once asked me to clean his brushes. We became very close. It was an immense privilege and I am so grateful to have spent the time with him laughing, joking, painting, arguing. I’m slowly writing more about the 7 or so intense studio years we spent together in his studio and piecing together the memories, the teachings, the late nights, the hard graft, the 2am phone calls, mournful Thai country music, his cluttered desktop, his silly passwords, the jokes, the whining, the paranoia, the moments of clarity, the chocolate, the kitchen table, the laughs, the tears, the ordinary extraordinary, fountains, Askew Road, Bangkok, London, Rome, Hong Kong, Sharjah, Euston Road, the Westway, Allan Ginsberg, Andy Warhol, Blade Runner, nights, days, his kids, then my kids, bills, BT, Leverhulme, the Slade, parking tickets, HMRC, his strangely long arms, his giant fish, his terrible shoes, his dangling socks, his great hair, his warm smile, Cass Art, Payne’s Grey, Indian Yellow… all of it wrapped up in one exceptional, extraordinary man I am so privileged to call my friend.
What a ride. I don’t want to forget a single thing. “No-one can take away the dances you’ve danced”. Enjoy the bread crusts up in the stars, my dearest Andy Pandy. I miss you more than words can say...
...I even miss this, the slightly peevish grumpy random lectures with humour but laced with I-told-you-so ...
...and I will forever remember you like this, calm, a rare instance of a good night's sleep, relaxed and smiling. Patrik and I enjoyed our whirlwind tour of Bangkok with you and this moment in your favourite hotel, the Oriental. Rest well in the stars my friend...
Come to our studio!
...still in Asia, my painting The Four Friends - the miniature version - is on show at Ojas Art Gallery in Delhi. Their framing is good and matches the hue of the oil on copper. The show is on till 24 November and you'll see a bunch of wonderful miniatures by amazing artists including my friend Jethro Buck: https://ojasart.com ...
Visit my show if you're in Delhi!
...Get a print of my miniature A Recreation of the Court of Gayumars using this introductory discount code: GAYUMARS10, extended in honour of a great teacher. Go to: https://www.vaishaliprazmari.com/product-page/a-recreation-of-the-court-of-gayumars and add it at checkout...
Buy the print here
Book classes
...November classes start in late October (and December classes start in late November) to account for Christmas week.
The 1001 Nights reading group is going strong and we're in a 'good bit' - I've made it 'dippable' so join at any time, wherever you are in the book.
Or if you're in London in November or December, come to our studio and make books with us in-person or paint! All here: https://www.vaishaliprazmariteaching.com/book-online...
Get your Aladdin toy theatre here
More brushes and beautiful tools here
...The British Library small exhibition on the Silk Road was stunning. Small but perfectly formed (the BL has never done a truly bad show that I've seen. The BM, on the other hand...). The focus was on manuscripts of course, and they brought the Silk Road to life by presenting it through various characters, such as the Nun, the Scribe, the Diplomat and the Artist (highly important). More on the Forum - check regularly as I upload lots of photos here that are meant to be shared with the world.
If you want to make a beautiful painting you need beautiful brushes... All my brushes here: https://www.theperfectbrush.co.uk/shop
And if you want to paint your own Carpet Page, here's the link to my Make a Carpet Page e-course. Once downloaded it's yours to keep forever: https://vaishaliprazmaricarpetpage.thinkific.com/courses/make-a-carpet-page or purchase some easy-watching, relaxing painting films.
You can get your own ALADDIN toy theatre here: https://www.theperfectbrush.co.uk/product-page/aladdin-paper-toy-theatre...
Watch painting films
...The small books below were written in blood (by the way!). I like the clay sculpture of the man hailing a camel ride (just joking, I have no idea what he's doing). I didn't take many photos in the British Museum Silk Roads exhibition, which felt like an introduction to the Silk Roads for beginners but I wanted more. This 'Route to the Kingdom of Gao' was interesting as a really sparse map and I liked how inclusive their idea of the Silk Roads was. A show I really loved and didn't expect to see was the British Library's Medieval Women in their Own Words. I was expecting a small show but it was huge! Only a few photos here but the rest on the Forum. Here is a birth girdle and also some marginalia...
If miniature painting is your passion, head to our Forum via this link: https://www.miniaturepaintingforum.com The monthly meeting link is also over at the Forum, which now is a real hub of information. You just need to scroll around or use the Search tool to find information. It's sorted into broad categories too.
Join our monthly meeting on Zoom
Monthly Miniature Meeting on 19 November 2024 from 6pm - 7pm London time. It's FREE and all welcome!
Meeting ID: 880 3812 5134Passcode: 040682
...Again, more photos at the Forum but I couldn't resist these manuscripts. The Luttrell Psalter, nice to see it in real life, and on the left if you look closely, see how the tower escapes the frame into the margin.
Below, at the Wellcome Centre there is a show called Hard Graft which is an important educational show for everyone to see. It reminds you of what labour really is and its effects on the body. Imagine being so poor that you are a garbage collector and you have to take your baby to work with you because you have no choice.
Compare this with medieval women who also worked several jobs. 'At least 18& of working women in 14th century Exeter were engaged in more than one occupation [that's nearly a 5th]. All recorded female brothel proprietors also worked in other professions, such as brewing or embroidery.' This show really is a must-see and I recommend pairing it with Hard Graft across the road. You could have your own Labour Day... and learn about Silk Road jobs, Medieval Women's work and Hard Graft all in one day. (Get a discounted entry at the BL if you book both at the same time, and entry to the Wellcome is free).
I was out of action for a bit as I sprained my ankle. I enjoy looking at X-rays so here's mine. Nothing broken and no pain now but I am still taking it easy, because I am lucky enough to have that option and don't do difficult physical labour...
...Patrik's pumpkins are always laborious and works of art. Here are his 3 creations so far (I think a 4th is in the pipeline but not sure). The kids choose a design from the iPad, and he makes it. That's how they 'make their own pumpkins'! They did carve a bit apparently according to their ages but you can imagine how it went. They'll be up for a while, come visit our studio!
Book an in-person class at our studio!
Page control: Pause and download FREE Geometry of the Page resources
...This little boy is working really hard at slurping noodles having given up the chopsticks. He worked really hard to sit still while having his face painted (a 'green dragon butterfly').
Here he is also doing the polar opposite of hard labour by Tower Bridge.
Laboriously yours,
Vaishali Prazmari
P.S. To add to my collection and ongoing mini-series whenever I can find them, here are some more of London's eye-catching or otherwise bewildering shop signs. Blow Out - hairdressers take the trophy for fun shop signs.
But the best is below, in Shepherd's Bush Market (Andy's neck of the woods), although we never went in, and my other dear friend took her friend and he got food poisoning from... SHAM LAND. The clue is in the name. BUT in defence of small businesses they clearly have a big shop and know what they're doing, as evidenced by their very prominent and massive sign that is obviously not meant to be read exclusively in English. It's not a sham, nor even a scam - it's really there, big bold and beautifully serifed. Apparently they do good fruit.
