My Savitri work with the Mother

22 July 1956

I was extremely happy, because the Mother would teach me painting. Thus I would learn her technique from scratch.

In the depth of my heart, I felt that in spite of the crises in my life I would surely swim and not sink in the dark sea of unconsciousness. I expressed my feelings to the Mother. She answered:

22 7. 56

Bonjour
To My dear little child
To my sweet Huta

I have read your very nice letter which is quite true.

Indeed I am quite convinced that sincere love will overcome all obstacles, difficulties and deficiencies, that is why I am sure of the final Victory, because I know you love me and I love you.

With my blessings

In the evening the Mother explained to me at length about painting:

Oil painting is not an easy thing. It is quite different from water colour and pastel colour In oil painting you require oil colours, various sizes of oil colour brushes—hog hair, pure red sable—canvas boards, a palette, a palette knife, an easel, charcoal sticks or thick pencils,distilled turpentine and linseed oil and lots of rags to wipe the brushes and the palette.

First of all you can start painting on a small board which must be fixed properly on an easel. Also full light must be allowed to fall on the board. Then choose any object and place it nicely so that you can copy it as it is. Do not forget to put a coloured or white cloth behind the object as a background because it is essential to judge correctly the shadows and the lights of the object.

Before starting a painting, you must make the proper concentrated observation of an object in order to do perfect work. Here also three things are to be remembered: (1) colour—play of colour (2) light and shadow, (3) form—volume and outline. Now draw the outline of an object with the charcoal stick. If you want to rub it of you can use either the middle part—the soft part—of bread or a good eraser.

Squeeze out colours from the tubes on to the palette. White colour should be in the centre and the other colours on both sides. There are many whites: Flake White, Titanium White, Zinc White and so on. Never use two whites together; otherwise after some length of time the picture will become black

It is better to use only Flake White. For painting you will require more white than any other colour. So always keep a tube of I lb. I too used to keep a I lb. tube of white colour while I painted.

Now mix the colours required Then find out where the darkest shadow and brightest light are on the object you wish to paint. At once, then, put on the canvas board a stroke where there is the brightest light and another on the darkest shadow. Remember; colours should not be taken either thin or very thick but just moderate.

If you paint a picture fully—that is, from top to bottom—then it is excellent! For in oil painting you cannot possibly keep a vacant space as in water colour. Again, in oil painting, only a touch is required It cannot be done by rubbing brushes against a board as it is done in water colour; otherwise it ruins the charm of the painting.

If a painting is half done and is not completely dried, you cannot possibly resume work on it. Otherwise the beauty of the colours will be spoilt. Even if the work seems dried on the surface, it is always wet underneath. So make sure that a picture is completely dried, and if necessary, give the finishing touch to it to make it more vivid and attractive. It is not wise to use very much a medium like turpentine and linseed oil; otherwise after years a painting becomes dull and sometimes cracks show on the surface.

It is most important to take the best care of your painting materials. Colours must be squeezed out from the bottom and not from the top of the tubes. After finishing a painting, if any colours remain over, you can always take them carefully from the palette with a palette knife and put them in small glass pots, and whenever you start painting again, say after a few hours or so, you can use those colours once more. Do not let the tubes remain without their caps.

The palette must be cleaned thoroughly with turpentine, soap and lukewarm water. Wipe it with a soft cloth and make it shine like a mirror. Then hang it on a hook or stand it against a wall. Also great care must be taken of brushes. After finishing painting, wash the brushes with turpentine. Petrol is not good for them, because they get burnt and lose their hair.

Now pour turpentine into a glass pot, dip the brushes in it and turn them round and round rapidly, dry them with a smooth cloth, then take some soap and water in your palm and clean the brushes carefully. Finally, wash them in warm water and once again wipe them with a soft cloth. Let them dry in a big pot with tail down and head up.

Indeed, it takes time to learn oil painting perfectly well. It needs skill, patience and a steady mind. Also, hands and eyes must be trained. You can gradually learn painting—first from objects, then from Nature, after that from imagination; and lastly come portraits and visions.

Now something would always keep ringing in my ears about oil painting!