Trompe L'oeil

Found these in my Inbox (thanks Darcie!)

These mind-blowing Trompe L'oeil (trick the eye) 3D murals are painted on the sides of buildings by artist John Pugh.

Main Street, Los Gatos , California. Even the woman peering into the ruin is part of the mural.

Taylor Hall, California State University , Chico , California. The Doric-style columns are actually nothing but paint.

Honolulu, Hawaii. This mural took two months of studio work to plan and another six months to execute with the help of 11 other artists. Featured are Queen Liliuokalani, the last monarch of the Hawaiian Islands , and Duke Kahanamoku, the ultimate father of surfing.

This mural at the Cafe Trompe L'oeil, San Jose , California , is entitled "Art Imitating Life Imitating Art Imitating Life". This customer doesn't leave at closing time.

Twenty-nine Palms, California . Valentine the bull and a patient buzzard are waiting for the artist to awake.

Bay in a Bottle, Santa Cruz , California . The passer-by is part of the mural. Looks like a nice spot to rest your weary feet on a sidewalk in front of the Sarasota County Health Center, Florida.

"Slowin' Down to Take a Look" in Winslow , Arizona. Included, of course, is "a girl, my lord, in a flat bed Ford slowin' down to take a look at me."

Tanjore Art: Aalilai Krishnan

Until recently, this adorable Aalilai Krishnan art work was hanging in my parents' home in India, and I had forgotten all about it. This trip, when they came to help out with Oggie's birth, they decided to bring it for my home here. This art work depicts Krishna as a baby, sucking on his toe, floating on a Banyan Tree leaf.

This is a potent representation of Vishnu, the manifest Preserver of the Universe, floating on the water after the deluge that destroyed the corrupt and decomposing old Universe, free to create a pleasant new Universe. I am not sure of the entire mythological significance of His baby form, and the reason for His toe-sucking. But, this representation of Krishna has always been my most favorite among the depictions of Baby Krishna.

Krishna as Partha Sarathy, the charioteer for Arjuna, is another of my favorite representations of adult Krishna, especially when he assumes Vishva Roopam while delivering what we now know as Bhagavadh Geetha.

I learnt Tanjore Art, as it is called, from a master when I was in Madras (aka Chennai, India). I love the gold foil and stones, but, more importantly I love the style of rendition of the Gods in this art form.

When my master asked me if I wanted to do the traditional Ganesha for my first independent work, I hesitated... I was eyeing the Aalilai Krishnan sample longingly. And that's what he guided me to finish - starting from preparing the board, to tracing the figure, to making the base outlines with the paste to adding gold foil and stones and finally painting the image.

I was terrified of ruining the laborious work by jerking my nervous hand when painting the eyebrows and mouth, and I remember appealing to my master to finish it for me.

When my mom decided to use it for the Krishna Janmashtami decorations a few days ago, I was quite touched. So far, it was just art work, despite the divine subject. But slowly it has begun to exert a mesmerizing influence on me, almost teasing me with images of this Baby Krishna getting up from the leaf and coming to me!

I have done a couple of small ones since - just elephants, not Gods - and am still not confident of taking on a large project. But, someday, when kids are older and I have a ton of patience, I hope to take it up again...

Liquid Sculpture®

I accidentally stumbled upon Liquid Sculpture® and am blown away by the images...

The vibrant colors and motion captured & frozen in time make these images almost mesmeric...

The process I imagine is probably more complex than Mr.Waugh shares:

Liquid Sculpture images are fluids in motion, frozen in time by a flash of light. They are droplets witnessed in mid-splash.

I orchestrate these sculptures by accurately aiming the drops and releasing them with precise timing. As nature takes its course, I photograph the unfolding forms using a digital camera and electronic flash.

I instigate the myriad of shapes by varying the drops' trajectories and manipulating their physical properties. Color, viscosity, and surface tension are controlled with dye, glycerin, and soap.

The feelings these images evoke are summed up beautifully in his statement:

Fluids in motion fascinate my senses. I feel their smooth and effortless curves: structures reflecting a perfect balance of dynamic forces. They tickle some faint physical memory, like a scent evoking a forgotten mix of feelings.

What's more, I requested permission to post one of his images here and he was generous enough to write back promptly and graciously!

Cooking being one of my passions and all, I thought I must capture in my photographs the essence of the foods I cook... and while searching for inspiring images/tips/tricks, I came upon Liquid Sculpture®

I didn't know that food stylist was a legitimate job description until I started learning about food photography...

I am nowhere near where I want my food photos to be, but, that gives me something to look forward to and work towards in my "spare" time over the next few years :-)

take a wild guess

OK, so, it is not that hard to guess...
but, just in case, here's the answer.