Overwhelmed with excitement and anxiety at Asimah Qayyum's invitation to showcase my art work for APPNE's (Association of Pakistani Physicians of New England) Fall gathering, I knew time was my biggest challenge. Staring at the calendar, I kept counting backward to give myself a reality check. With a minimum of two weeks out for framing, I was left with barely ten days to come up with a little collection that could be exhibited. I felt I had to do this without knowing where to begin.

 

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes trying to imagine a series of wall hangings. I saw my color palette and mediums, inspired by the beautiful shades of leaves around. Natural dyes, handmade paper, charcoal, and Chinese brush painting cast their spell on me. There was no time to procrastinate so out came my baking trays and the kitchen was transformed into a dyeing factory overnight.