Focus:

With a background in the arts and computer programming, I started teaching myself web design in 1998.  At the time, I thought web design was a combination the two disciplines.  I had a lot to learn!  At least my misconception helped me get started with design.  My preference for working alone, the dot com crash of 2000, the outsourcing trend, and techno-fatigue have taught me to refocus towards the fine arts.  My web design skills are helpful when the Internet is the delivery medium.  My conceptions of art and design have been influenced by:

Art and Design...

Asian arts

Images of Japan's Momoyama Period (16th century): 
Pair of sliding doors (now converted to folding screens) at the Kyoto National Museum.
Dobuko coat with tsujigahana tie dying at the Kyoto National Museum.
Pair of hanging scrolls at the Kyoto National Museum.
Oribe and the Arts of Sixteenth-Century Japan (this was a special exhibition through 11 Jan 2004), from NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Shoin Room at The Asian Art Department, NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Asian Art Department at NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art

John Singer Sargent

Sargent at the Tate Gallery.
Sargent at Harvard University.
Sargent at NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art (this was a special exhibition through 24 September, 2000).  The Met has the famous "Portrait of Madame X" in its permanent collection, amongst other Sargent oil portraits.

Urban textures

Country colors and space

Michaelangelo's colors

Image of the Sistine Chapel, including the recently cleaned ceiling frescos, from the Hanover College web site.

Paul Klee

The Paul Klee Center (Zentrum Paul Klee) in Bern, Switzerland
Selected Klee works at the Guggenheim Museum's NYC facility.

Literature...

Rahul Pandita

In November 2005, I came across a writer, Rahul Pandita, whose work has had a positive effect on my creativity (a first, for me — I've never had my creativity triggered by literature in the past).

Rahul Pandita was born in Kashmir, and forced (with his family) into exile at a young age.  As a broadcast and print journalist, he's reported from war zones and regions of conflict in the Middle East and India.  Now working as a reporter and editor at The Sunday Indian, he was a 2005-2006 Sarai-CSDS Fellow, winner of an award for a novella, Chinar in My Veins, and he always has several creative projects in the works, including a novel about a 1947 attack in his homeland, Kashmir.

Rahul is an excellent story teller and poet. His work is evocative, lucid, humane, moving, sometimes humorous, and always enjoyable. The writing is always richly textured and vividly visual (though he doesn't use classical descriptive techniques). Besides all these goodies, I find it liberating and energizing in its sense of emotional openness. 

To read Rahul Pandita's work, see:
Rahul Pandita — at Intentblog.com
Rahul Pandita — at his personal blog, SanitySucks.blogspot.com
Rahul Pandita — remembering Kashmir, LalChowk.blogspot.com

Music...

Sting

Sting is the only living pop musician of whom I've been an active fan.  Besides his great songwriting and arranging talent, he's got a beautiful voice, which has gotten more expressive and textured over the years.  His lyrics show an intelligent understanding of people across class lines; he sees the humor and drama of peoples' lives. His comprehension of human life, the eclectic explorations that form the "plotlines" of his lyrics, and his wit make me think of him as a latter-day Shakespeare.  But my first hook into Sting's stuff was my reaction to the excitement and strength of his bass lines and rhythmic experiments.

Sting website history: There've been three great Sting web sites, the first two of which (both now defunct) were created and maintained by fans for fans.  "Fields of Gold" was designed and run by Martin Nickel in the days of Sting's "Ten Summoner's Tales" album; the site was taken down when Martin's university servers got too much traffic during the tour.  "Stingchronicity" was designed and run by Dave and Wendy Dunn, after Martin's was taken down.  Stingchronicity was deactivated shortly after the official Sting site went live.  Both sites were very well designed, reflected and supported a fan's POV, and were rich with resources like photos, lyrics and tour news.  Sting's official web site now seems to embody that POV, too. It's well-designed and has great, up-to-date (and accurate) content, perhaps because Dave and Wendy Dunn are involved with managing the fans' area of the site now.

Miles Davis, John Coltrane

I discovered Miles Davis in his "Kind of Blue" days.  The voice of his horn, and its wit and intelligence, infused years of my life.  John Coltrane's influence was deeper, and almost sacred..."A Love Supreme" (a theme that ran through the first great personal love of my life), Coltrane's work with Johnny Hartmann...his music will hold its validity eternally.  If I had to retreat to some desert place for the rest of my life with only two pieces of music, my choices would be Davis's and Coltrane's Flamenco Sketches, and Coltrane's and Hartmann's Autumn Serenade.

Al Jarreau

Al Jarreau's delivery of "Spain", "Morning", etc.  Lordy, what a voice, what musical intelligence!

Seal

Seal's work is full of emotional counterpoint, sung with a beautiful, powerful voice.  His new "SealIV" CD!

James Taylor

I didn't quite like JT when he was young.  I read him as slightly fey — too spoiled, too easy on himself, something like that.  As James Taylor has aged, he's taken on depth, and now I love to hear him.  There's a slight roughness from age in his voice that contrasts with his lyrical embellishments, giving them substance.  He projects a good understanding of life in his delivery.

A.R. Rahman

A composer, arranger and playback singer for the Indian film industry and beyond, A.R. Rahman grounds his work in the music of his country, especially vocal and rhythmic forms from southern India, and mines additional bits from many genres of music, to make pieces that are of the moment, yet connected to a past thousands of years old.  His work is often haunting, exhilarating, or both. 

I challenge you to stay seated and still while listening to songs like Chaiyya Chaiyya, Haiyayyo Kanasa, or Urvasi Urvasi.  If you want to be haunted for weeks by pure beauty, listen to Rahman's Yengae Yenathu Kavithai from the Tamil film Kandukonden Kandukonden — especially Chitra's glorious voice from 1 minunute 45 seconds through 2 minutes 30 seconds in the song (approximately). 

A good place to find Rahman's music on the web is Raaga.com.  Look for him in both the Hindi and Tamil sections, under Music Directors, as AR. Rehman (the correct pronunciation of his name).

Rahul Pandita: Many thanks for pointing me to Raaga.com.


Rahman is currently scoring the London musical version of Lord of the Rings.


"...Pagalile colorgal poraamal
Iruttile kannadichchenna payan
Sudhandhiram mattum illaamal
Swargane irundhum enna payan
Figurigal yarum illaamal
Vaguppugal irundhum enna payan
Iruvadhu vayadhil aadamal
Aruvadhil aadi enna payan!" — from Urvasi Urvasi (Tamil lyrics)

Luther Van Dross

Though I've listened, dreamed, exercised, danced and skated to Luther Van Dross since his Never Too Much in 1981, his work was never an influence, for me.  Recently (during a long commute) a few Luther songs hit me hard.  What they triggered was a sense of the very rich dance structure in the arrangements, complete with some partial choreographies.  Something interesting may evolve from this.

Film...

Robert Redford

Robert Redford's work in recent years has caught my attention because of the unusually pure visual scope and open pacing of some of the films he's made in this period.  Two films with these qualities in particular are: The Horse Whisperer (1998), which he also produced and directed, and An Unfinished Life (2005).  I also deeply admire Redford because of his advocacy for film arts with his Sundance Institute.

Shah Rukh Khan

Shah Rukh Khan is currently the highest-paid star in Hindi films.  He also runs a production house, Red Chillies Entertainment.  I became attached to him because of his charm and energy, but he has something deeper to offer, too.  Whatever it is, it took me into learning more about Indian films, and helped me through a 2 year depression after my Mom passed away.  I have a sense of personal gratitude for his contributions to the film industry.  Four Shah Rukh Khan films I'd recommend as starters for American viewers are:

Devdas — lush, exotic and melodramatic, this film is the American viewer's most common intro to SRK's work. Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and co-starring Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit, Jackie Shroff and Kiron Kher.

Kal Ho Na Ho — set in New York City, lots of fun and easy to digest for Americans.  Produced by Karan Johar, directed by Nikhil Advani, and co-starring Preity Zinta, Jaya Bachchan, and Saif Ali Khan, with brief cameos from Kajol and Rani Mukherjee.

Dil Se — directed and written by Mani Ratman, with Santosh Sivan as cinematographer, and scored by A.R. Rahman (see above), the film has one of SRK's finest performances, and includes Rahman's Chaiyya Chaiyya with Farah Khan's choreography of the famous train dance. Shekhar Kapur (see below) is executive producer.  Dil Se's opening scene is one of my favorites of all time.  Dil Se co-stars Preity Zinta and Manisha Koirala.  Malaika Arora is SRK's partner in the Chaiyya Chaiyya train dance.

Swades — directed by Ashutosh Gowariker and scored by A.R. Rahman, with SRK's best acting (to date), and an excellent supporting cast that includes Gayatri Joshi, Daya Shankar Pandey, Rajesh Vivek, and Kishori Balal. 

If you respond to these films, then step into the river with your other foot by watching Paheli, Main Hoon Na, Kahbhi Khushi Khabie Gham, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Baadshah, and Veer Zaara. 

I've listed these SRK films in the order in which I think they'd engage an American viewer's attention. If you enjoy having both feet in the water and want more, e-mail me for a list of personal recommendations of other Indian films and actors.

Shekhar Kapur

Shekhar Kapur started in Indian films as an actor, and moved to directing.  His Bandit Queen made a big stir, and a few years later he directed Elizabeth, with Cate Blanchette — one of the most beautfully conceived, designed, acted and directed films of all time. 

A expert at managing the creative process in himself and others, his work is filled with incredible visual beauty and fine performances.  Besides directing, Kapur has produced several fine films (including Dil Se, above), as well as the London and New York musical Bombay Dreams (with a Rahman score and Farah Khan choreography).

Kapur is currently working on a sequel to Elizabeth, called Elizabeth: The Golden Age.  The sequel again stars the sublime Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I, with the wonderful Geoffrey Rush returning as Walsingham.  Clive Owen, one of my favorite actors, will play Sir Walter Raleigh.  As usual, Shekhar Kapur has lined up a brilliant cast.  And Kapur is a brilliant filmmaker.  I can't wait to see this film. 

For more about Shekhar Kapur, and to read his writings and thoughts, see:
Shekhar Kapur — at Intentblog.com
Shekhar Kapur — at his personal blog, ShekharKapur.com
Skekhar Kapur — his complete filmography at IMDb

My personal take on Shekhar Kapur's management of the creative process of making films is this:  Kapur seems to cast a netting of unfocused energy over his projects.  Others' energies are caught on the wing in the net.  As they struggle in his net, they flash all the colors of their wings, and something extraordinary comes to be on film.