Inspiration behind my new painting, ‘A Circle of Blessings’

When I first read the concept for the GREEN show, I sat down to write what the color green meant to me. The first thing that came to mind, of course, was nature: green landscapes, trees, foliage, growth, and renewal that I am naturally drawn to in my work.

But then another image came to me almost immediately: green glass bangles.

Green bangles carry so much meaning in the culture I grew up in. They are part of rituals and celebrations that mark important transitions in a woman’s life. And they are something I’ve personally experienced. I wore them during my own wedding, and they were part of my baby shower as well. That made me think about the ritual itself.

In Karnataka, and many other parts of India, there are ceremonies where green glass bangles are gently placed onto a woman’s henna-adorned hand, particularly around weddings and pregnancy. It’s such a simple and intimate gesture, but it carries so much meaning. It is a way of offering blessings for prosperity, protection, fertility, and a safe transition into a new chapter of life. What stayed with me was the intimacy of the gesture. One hand reaching toward another. A bangle being placed onto a wrist. A moment of touch and care, with an entire community gathered around a woman as she steps into something new. The idea of being held by a community during a transition. That became the heart of this painting for me.

The circle of the bangles became an important part of the painting. A circle has no beginning or end, to me it represents continuity, the cycles of life, womanhood, renewal, and the traditions that connect us to the people who came before us.

As I was making this painting, I was also thinking about how much of who we are comes from things we inherit, our rituals, our memories, our gestures, even the colors and objects that become associated with important moments in our lives. Growing up, I didn’t necessarily think about the meaning behind every ritual I participated in. I simply experienced them. It was only later, looking back, that I began to recognize how deeply these moments had stayed with me: the green bangles from my wedding, the ones from my baby shower, the women around me, the feeling of being celebrated and cared for. It also made me think about how traditions move through generations. We inherit rituals from our mothers and grandmothers. We experience them ourselves. And someday, we may pass them on to the next generation. The same ritual can travel through time while carrying something deeply personal for each woman who experiences it. We may change, move, grow, and create lives very different from the generations before us, but some of these traditions continue to travel with us. These memories became part of the visual language of this painting. And green felt especially fitting as their color, it’s already the color of growth, vitality, and new beginnings, which is exactly what these rituals mark.

For me, A Circle of Blessings is about that continuity, when a woman is standing at the threshold of something new, and the people around her gather to say, in their own way: you are supported, you are blessed, and you are not entering this next chapter alone. It is about that moment of transition, about where we come from. About what we carry forward. And about the people who hold space for us as we become who we are meant to be.

For me, the circle is a reminder that although life keeps changing, some things continue to connect us, to our roots, to our communities, and to the generations before and after us. And perhaps that is the most beautiful blessing of all.

Technique: Layers of Process and Meaning

For me, the process of making this painting mirrors the idea behind it, built slowly, through layers of thought, material, and detail. Each stage brings together different techniques and ways of seeing.

Concept and Composition
The process began with reflection and sketching. I explored ideas around the color green, ritual, and continuity, working through different elements to arrive at a composition that could hold both the intimacy of the gesture itself and the deeper meaning of continuity.

Preparing the Surface
I mounted cloth onto a wooden board and applied layers of chalk paste to create a smooth base. This step requires patience and care, and it sets the foundation for the painting.

Sketching and First Layer
The composition was drawn onto the prepared surface, followed by the first layer of paint to establish the overall tones, colors, and atmosphere.

Embossing and Texture
Inspired by traditional Mysore painting techniques, I used gesso to create raised, embossed circles and bangles, adding depth and a tactile quality to the work.

Details and Gold Work
I built up subsequent layers of paint, refining details and bringing the composition together. The final step was the application of gold foil, highlighting the circle and hand being held and adorned in this moment of transition, and adding a sense of richness and sacredness.

GREEN – A Juried Exhibition

This work will be part of GREEN, a juried exhibition of NCWCA members, self-identified women within California, and invited artists, curated by Christine Cianci and juried by JD Beltran. Out of 203 submitted works, 37 were selected for inclusion, and I’m honored A Circle of Blessings is one of them.

The catalog is available to purchase on Amazon here.

A Circle of Blessings will be on view July 25 – August 22, 2026, at Arc Gallery, 1246 Folsom St, San Francisco.

What does the color green mean to you? I would love to hear more in the comments.