Drawings

2007-05-10T07:48:00.025-05:00

THE DRAWINGS WERE MADE BY UG STARTING IN JANUARY 2005 IN BAVENO, ITALY, THEN AGAIN IN SWITZERLAND ALSO IN JANUARY. FINALLY IN MARCH OF 2005, SOME DRAWINGS WERE DONE IN PALM SPRINGS. SOME OTHER DRAWINGS MAY HAVE BEEN LOST ALONG THE WAY BUT THIS IS UNLIKELY AS THE WORK IS CLOSELY MONITORED AND HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE! THIS WORK REPRESENTS A NEW PHASE OF ACTIVITY IN THE UNPREDICTABLE LIFE OF A GREAT UNKNOWABLE SAGE.

2007-05-10T07:47:00.008-05:00

IN JANUARY OF 2005 UG RETURNED TO EUROPE AFTER TWO AND A HALF MONTHS OF INTENSE TALKING IN THE LIVING ROOM OF SUGUNA AND CHANDRASEKHAR IN BANGALORE, INDIA. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO FLY BACK WITH HIM AND CONTINUE ON TO BAVENO, ITALY WHERE HE STAYS ALONG THE LARGO MAJORE AT THE RESIDENCE DEI PIORI IN THE AZELIA SUITE. I WOULD SIT NEXT TO HIM ON THE COUCH AND TRY TO WRITE OR SKETCH IN A NOTEBOOK WHEN HE WASN'T HITTING, KICKING OR SPLASHING ME WITH HOT WATER. ONE DAY I ASKED HIM TO MAKE A DRAWING AND TO MY SURPRISE HE ASKED FOR A PIECE OF PAPER AND STARTED TO DRAW. HE SAID THAT WHEN HE WAS STUDYING BOTANY HE USED TO DRAW PLANTS. HE WONDERED OUT LOUD IF HE COULD STILL DRAW. HE HANDLES A PEN WITH STYLE AND THE LOOSE QUALITY OF HIS LINES IS REALLY NICE.

2007-05-10T07:46:00.011-05:00

I THINK THIS IS THE SECOND DRAWING UG MADE IN BAVENO. HE STARTED WITH THE FLOWER. SINCE I WAS SITTING NEXT TO HIM HE DECIDED TO DRAW ME. HE HANDLED THE PEN WITH A FLOURISH AND OFFHAND CONCENTRATION. WHY THE LINE ACROSS THE FOREHEAD? WHAT IS THE LINE DOWN THE CHEST? ODDLY IT'S ALMOST AS IF HE WAS DRAWING SOME ASPECT OF HIMSELF.

2007-05-10T07:46:00.010-05:00

UG WAS WATCHING ME ON THE COUCH DRAWING SPIRALS. HE KEPT ASKING WHAT I WAS DOING SO I WOULD ASK HIM TO MAKE ANOTHER DRAWING. I THINK HE LIKED TO DRAW ME BECAUSE OF MY BALD HEAD (WHICH HE ALSO LIKED TO HIT ALL THE TIME). HE WOULD MAKE FUN OF MY INABILITY TO MAKE MONEY AS AN ARTIST. IN THIS DRAWING HE MADE THE ARC FIRST, THEN THE FLOWER, THEN A PORTRAIT OF ME IN MY NOW GREEN STRIPED SHIRT WITH A THIRD EYE ON MY FOREHEAD. NICE TOUCH.

2007-05-10T07:44:00.012-05:00

AFTER HE HAD MADE A COUPLE OF DRAWINGS I ASKED UG IF HE WOULD MAKE A SELF PORTRAIT. HE TOOK A FRESH PIECE OF PAPER AND THE NOTEBOOK, PROPPING THEM ON HIS KNEES HE WORKED AT THIS ONE PRETTY INTENSELY. WHEN HE FINISHED WE ALL TRIED TO FIGURE OUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE POSE. I SAW THE BOY ON THE BACK COVER OF THE BOOK HE USED TO DRAW ON AND REALIZED HE HAD COPIED THIS. HIS INVENTION WAS TO ADD THE LEGS WITH BIG SIDE POCKETS LIKE THE ONES ON MY CARGO PANTS. AT ANOTHER TIME HE SAID HE CANNOT DRAW HIMSELF BECAUSE HE HAS NO IMAGE OF THAT. "THE ONLY THING THAT EXISTS FOR ME IS THE OBJECT." WHILE HE WAS LOOKING AT THIS BOOK COVER, THAT WAS HIM.

2007-05-10T07:44:00.011-05:00

THIS WAS MAYBE UG'S THIRD DRAWING OF ME. ORIGINALLY THE FACE HAD NO EYEBROWS SO I ASKED HIM TO ADD THEM. A BLUE PEN WAS USED (UG HAD BEEN STRUGGLING WITH THE INK FLOW ON THE FOUNTAIN PEN SO WE GAVE HIM A BALL POINT TO PUT THE FINISHING TOUCHES ON). THE TITLE AND TEXT WERE ADDED BY ME AS DICTATED BY HIM: PRETENTIOUS BASTARD WHO HAS NO TALENT OF ANY KIND TO MAKE LOADS OF MONEY TO LIVE THE LIFE OF A REILLY. AND YET HE IS LIVING A FALSE LIFE GIVING THE IMPRESSION THAT HE IS HIDING LOADS OF MONEY STACKED IN A MATTRESS AND WHEN FOUND IT NEVER WAS THERE INSTEAD OF ADMITTING THE FACT HE HAS NO TALENT AS AN ARTIST TO MAKE MONEY OF ANY KIND. THE BRAGGING AND FALSE LIFE HE IS LIVING WILL HURT THE FEELINGS OF HIS BEST FRIENDS. AND THEY ARE SO HELPLESS TO HELP HIM OUT AND LIVE A SANE AND INTELLIGENT LIFE FROM NOW ON.

2007-05-10T07:43:00.005-05:00

THIS IS THE ONLY FULL LENGTH PORTRAIT UG DREW OF ME. IT WAS THE LAST DRAWING HE DID IN BAVENO. NOTE THE PROMINENT NAVEL. WE ALL WONDERED WHAT THAT WAS ABOUT. ALSO THERE ARE THOSE BIG SIDE POCKETS AGAIN. HE KEPT ON CHECKING THEM TO SEE IF MY WALLET WAS IN THERE... SADLY THOSE POCKETS ARE EMPTY.

2007-05-10T07:42:00.005-05:00

THIS IS ONE OF TWO DRAWINGS DONE BY UG ON A NAPKIN IN GRUYERE AT A COFFEE SHOP. HE WAS IN A FIESTY MOOD AND GRABBED A PEN FROM ME AND STARTED. THE QUESTION MARKS THAT FLOAT ABOVE THE FLOWER ARE A BEAUTIFUL TOUCH. WHAT IS THAT PERFUME? THIS IS THE REAL SELF PORTRAIT OF UG. THE DAY HE MADE THIS DRAWING WE HAD DRIVEN HIM TO THE DOOR OF THE CAFE SINCE IT WAS SO COLD OUTSIDE AND HE STILL LOOKED A LITTLE FRAIL FROM INDIA. HE SENSED OUR HOVERING CONCERN AND GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND WALKED ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE QUAINT LITTLE FEUDAL TOWN IN THE SNOW AND ICE TO LOOK AT THE EXCHANGE RATES. SO MUCH FOR OUR TRYING TO HELP, TO PROTECT HIM FROM THE ELEMENTS. THIS HE CANNOT STAND.

2007-05-10T07:41:00.005-05:00

THIS IS THE DRAWING FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE NAPKIN IN GRUYERE. HE SAID IT IS A PICTURE OF ME AND MY "SUPPOSED GIRLFRIEND." HE HAD WARMED UP DRAWING THE FLOWER. WHILE HE WAS DRAWING, KARA AND LISA TOOK A COUPLE OF PHOTOGRAPHS. HE REALLY LOOKED LIKE HE WAS HAVING FUN. HE GRINNED WIDELY WHEN WE NOTICED HER "BOUNCING BREASTS." MUCH LATER I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING BETWEEN THE TWO CHARACTERS. I ASKED HIM AND HE SAID "SHE IS HITTING HIM."

2007-05-10T07:40:00.004-05:00

THIS IS A DRAWING THAT STARTED OUT AS A SELF PORTRAIT (SEE THE LINE ON THE RIGHT). UG STOPPED AND SAID "I CANNOT DRAW MYSTELF. I HAVE NO IMAGE OF THAT." INSTEAD HE DREW THE FLOWER QUICKLY IN BIG SWEEPING LINES. IT REALLY FLOATS. IT WAS DONE IN PALM SPRINGS AT DAVID AND MARIA'S HOUSE.

2007-05-10T07:37:00.010-05:00

A PICASSO-LIKE FIGURE, AGAIN, SUPPOSED TO BE OF ME. I LIKE THE MULTIPLE ARMS. IT WAS DONE PRETTY QUICKLY. ALSO FROM PALM SPRINGS.

2007-05-10T07:37:00.009-05:00

THIS IS ANOTHER DRAWING UG MADE IN PALM SPRINGS IN MARCH 2005. HE WAS VISITING THE MALLADI FAMILY WITH THE TWO NEWBORN BABIES AND SANDHYA THE GRANDDAUGHTER. SANDHYA HAD BEEN DRAWING WITH A SPARKLE-GLUE PEN TOY. THERE WAS NO PAPER LEFT AND UG WANTED TO DRAW SO WE GRABBED A PAPER TOWEL FOR HIM.

2007-05-10T07:35:00.005-05:00

I DON'T REMEMBER WHERE THIS WAS DONE BUT I'LL BET IT WAS SOAKED BY SOME VERY HOT WATER THROWN AT ME BY UG.