Painting on Pantone: InkingMay Season8

Every year since 2017, I have celebrated growing old by doing this deeply personal ritual called ‘#InkingMay’. Long story short, I paint on all the 31 days of my birthday month (May) every year. It started in 2017 as a very random occurrence when I decided to celebrate crossing the milestone age of 21 by doing something I loved, everyday. Little did I anticipate that this spontaneous decision would evolve into an annual tradition, persisting year after year and season after season.

These were small artworks, very personal intimate expressions, some reflecting my mood, some based on prompts. As years progressed, #InkingMay also evolved. In subsequent years, I adopted themes such as 'anything 4' for season 4, nostalgia for season 6, and most recently, painting based on Pantone colors for season 8.

People ask me how I manage to maintain the consistency alongside my professional commitments. It is true that our work often becomes intricately woven into our identities. When we introduce ourselves in any gathering, it is very likely that the next question we get is: ‘What do you do?’. The reality is that a significant portion of our waking hours is devoted to work. It's a fundamental aspect of life, a means to navigate the necessities that sustain us: providing food, shelter, and other essentials. It affords me the opportunity to pursue my aspirations, and to carve out a life that aligns with my values and desires.

However, amidst the hustle and bustle of professional obligations, there exists a yearning for something more. It's a longing to transcend the boundaries of the mundane. Making art helps me achieve that state of flow. (As Csikszentmihalyi explained it, flow is “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.”)

Dear reader,

Practice any art form: singing, dancing, poetry, sculpture, sketching, (no matter how good or bad the result); not for money or fame, but to experience 'Becoming'. To know what is inside of you, To know what makes your soul grow.

Here are all the 31 artworks I made this year on Pantone shade cards. The idea was to keep the shade card colour intact in the background and draw on the foreground using Posca markers and paints.

Adding a reel documenting a day in 'InkingMay' Season 8!

All illustrations were made using Posca marker and paints on Pantone cards.

To buy any of my works, visit www.payalmaloo.com/shop or follow me on instagram (@payal.oolam)