Sunday, December 29, 2013

RIP Pretty Girl Lala

Many of you might remember this 'pretty girl in funky sunglasses' - I painted her a few months ago. She worked with my husband and i met her many times.
A heartbreaking news is that this pretty,bubbly, vivacious young woman Lala is no more in this world. She was snatched away suddenly on Christmas eve...I still can't believe it.Tears are rolling down as I think about her passing.My heart goes out to her family.They might need a lot of strength to go through this.Rest in Peace, Lala ; you will be missed.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Searching_ Elephant in Acrylics

12x9
Finally I managed to get myself started on acrylics this morning.It was a fun two hour session;I painted as hubby and son slept and the house was still quiet ( it can be quite tough to paint during holidays with both of them home!) I am happy with my first effort as I wanted to explore texture and it came out well.
I might go and buy a bigger canvas today!

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

The Tusker_ Elephant in Watercolor

30x40 cm
Can't stay away from them for long! Painted two of them in last two days when I am supposed to be 'taking a break'.Well painting elephants is like eating a chocolate muffin to me- gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling! Yesterday was a stormy day with blustery winds.Not a day to step out,anyway.So why not make the most of indoors! 
Hope you are enjoying the Holiday Season.


Saturday, December 21, 2013

Pastel portraits

Pastel , 20x16
One of the commissions that I have been working on.I have not been able to visit any of you lately as it was too hectic.I was racing against time as the client wanted 4 multiple portraits as Christmas gifts for his family members in one week!I am happy to say that the job was completed in time,and  I was so glad when he called this morning to say that he absolutely loved the portraits.
Now I am sitting here with my cup of tea and laptop, checking on what everyone has been up to! I hope everyone is now done with Christmas shopping and cakes are being baked in kitchens!Sending my good wishes to all my blogger friends....Merry Christmas! 

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Pastel Portrait Custom _Little Ben

Completed and shipped this portrait today to a wonderful client in London.It was done in pastel pencils on pastel mat.The client liked the digital copy so I hope he will be happy with it.Feels good.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Gentle Giant- Elephant Painting Sold

SOLD
Happy to share that this ambitious painting ( its 22"x15") has today been purchased by an art lover from Texas.My elephants are being loved more than I had anticipated.Thank you all for your support and encouragement along the way.
Completed a commissioned pastel portrait today..it has come out really nice.I hope to share it with you, if the client permits.


Thursday, December 5, 2013

Rich Gold_ Elephant Portrait in Watercolor

Watercolor on paper 12x9
Last night I painted this golden elephant,using my favorite  Quinacridon Gold ( tough to spell.though!) It works beautifully with Cerulean Blue.Just used these two with a hint of Burnt Sienna here and there.

These elephant paintings have been very useful to experiment with various techniques in watercolors.I understand them more now, and I  feel that I am developing a style, which was missing earlier.

On the home front ,the past two weeks have been quite hectic.My son caught chicken pox and is at home for more than 10 days.Tending to him, coupled with some commissions has been quite a task.I still have a few more to go but I manage to sneak in an hour or two in between, to paint what I like to paint.So its like working 24x7..but I am not complaining :) just wish that I did not have this pain in neck ( literally) that gets bad when I work long hours.
Hope the Holiday Season is treating you all well....

Friday, November 29, 2013

The Wise One- Owl Painting

12x9 watercolor
Have been busy with some commissions lately.Painted this bird last night, after an exhausting day at work. Funny, art doesn't feel like 'work' anymore-as long as I am  doing it for myself.I enjoyed it, might paint a few more.Owls are intriguing creatures.In Indian culture they are considered 'wise' and 'mysterious'. Hmm I like those qualities :)
Wish you all a great weekend.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Amber Skies- Elephant Painting

9x12
Having bought Quinacridone Purple from W& N recently, I though , ''why not try a cityscape with this"...!
The paper I used was Hahnemuhle(NOT) which worked very well for my elephant series.But it turned out that this paper is not ideal for washes.So my first painting failed miserably!
I painted the above scene afterwards,primarily to use up the color on my palette and also to boost my sagging confidence!Combined it with cadmium orange and a hint of cobalt blue.The purple is quite intense -- I like it.At least the session of more than two hours was not wasted. 

Sunday, November 17, 2013

The Herd

14x11
Last night's effort.Tried a loose approach, working wet in wet- losing and finding some edges.I like the results so I might work more on this technique :)
The herd of elephants usually consists of mother elephants with their babies...usually in 8-10 in number.However I had the biggest paper in 14x11 size so I had to reduce the number!!But they still look like a herd,don't they?
Have a great Sunday.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Elephant Blues

9"x 12"
SOLD
I had created this a few weeks ago but neglected to post ...'too many elephants' I had thought. But he was adamant and made his way to the blog finally as he was sold from my Etsy Shop today :) 
Good start to my day!

Friday, November 8, 2013

Portrait of an Elephant_Chestnut Brown

                                                        Watercolor painting  12"x 9"
                                                                         SOLD
I can't have enough of the elephants, it seems.Now I know them so well that I do not need to look at any reference pictures :) This one, despite his earthy brown color still manages to catch the eye...doesn't he.
Good news is, he was quickly lapped up from my Etsy Shop!

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Flip Flops_Figurative Watercolor

"Summer and Flip Flops"
I did this one a while ago; from a picture that I took in the town on a gorgeous summer afternoon.A mom on her day out with her boys .The boys clutching their  McDonalds' bags, all heading towards the car park... happy and excited--they certainly made an interesting picture.
I painted it a bit loosely, taking a different approach...though it was neither 'loose' nor 'tight' in the end. 

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Donkey's Ears

11" x14"
I had n't touched my watercolors for  many, many days.What could be better for getting back into the mode -- my favorite subject- animals!With them I don't have to worry much about accuracy of color and facial features and can play around as much as I want....this makes the exercise more fun :) Also need to populate the Etsy shop for coming season.So here goes...

P.S:  This cutie has already been sold!

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Charcoal drawings

9"x12"
                   Another drawing on toned paper using just black and white charcoal on Grey paper.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Drawing - Pen and Ink Portrait

Pen and ink Drawing A3 size smooth Bristol Paper
For last few days I have been doing is quite varied stuff - working more on drawings, particularly life drawings.Joined  a new group on Saturday mornings. Pen and ink is one of the new venture,too.Using Indian ink with brush and pen to create portraits and figures.
Got myself some acrylics too (but so far have not been able to put that first brush stroke on the blank canvas!) Hope you all have been well!

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Hiatus

I have been away from blogging for a little while and it is going to be like this for a few more days.Just dropped in to say 'hi' and let everyone know that I am alive! Its just that I have been restless and unhappy with the way my work was going ( nowhere!) So I decided to take a break from posting what I am doing everyday; taking that pressure off- and creating for myself for some time.
I am going to explore a new medium, Acrylics.And work some more on my drawings; adding pen and ink.
I hope that by the end of this month, I would be able to find some kind of direction.

Meanwhile I am posting some pics of my latest Group show in which I submitted only one pastel painting
"Street Musicians". Here I am posing with fellow artist and a very good friend Sherry!




See you all soon, keep painting!

Friday, September 13, 2013

Pencil and Charcoal Portrait

Pencil and Charcoal on Smooth Bristol Paper
14"x11"
This whole week has been rather unproductive.I have been painting but not the way I would like to.Threw away a lot of paintings! I feel there has to be a change..not really sure what I am going to do about it.
To my old friends...'Is it strange that my styles change with the medium? I am drawing realistically; and painting loose.Makes me feel weird.Is it wrong? Should I loosen up with pencil or tighten up with color?!
I may be offline for a few days and paint more...find out what is right for me.

Meanwhile, this is a sketch I did of my beloved niece Diya. She is my sister's daughter- a beautiful vivacious girl of 16,  I love her very much!

Another news--NITRAM charcoal featured me in their latest newsletter.I wish I could share the link but I will have to wait till they archive it on their site/blog.


Monday, September 9, 2013

Chit Chat

Chit Chat
12"x9"
A new figurative work.I cropped the reference picture of a lot of people sitting around in a park, to focus on these three women.I like to paint figures but I am not sure about my results.This time I have tried to paint them realistically; spending a bit of time on this small painting.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Portrait of a Pretty Girl in Funky Sunglasses

17"x 14" 
A portrait after a long time.This is a friend of my husband and the reference picture was taken at a charity event on a gloriously sunny day as she stood texting away! I had tried a new paper- ''Fabriano Artistico'' for this and though I liked the paper in general; it was difficult to control the paint on large areas...or may be its just me-- I am just not patient enough!:)
Anyway, I am thinking of submitting this one to an upcoming exhibition where the theme is 'recreation'.Texting can be counted as 'recreational activity' ..right?

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Tall Tale

9"x12"
Here is another cutie..I am getting to know them.Next one might have different colors,though.I might experiment some more...
This weekend was beautiful, and I happened to visit a farm to see various kinds of deer, sheep, goats,roosters, --a whole lot of them...there were some very cute donkeys and ponies,too!
Can't wait to paint some.(Its looks like I love all the grass eating animals)

Friday, August 30, 2013

Standing Tall -Portrait of a Giraffe

9"x12"
After a week of being busy elsewhere,I enjoyed painting this one today.Feels good! Looks like I will be painting some more giraffes-they are cute :)

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Caricature Art


This is Alex, a colleague of my husband and an avid Beatles fan.It was his 40th birthday and I was given the task to paint a caricature of him in John Lennon style.It took some work but turned out well...Alex seems quite happy with it!It was done on Pastel Mat with soft pastels and pastel pencils.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Crimson Crown Rooster

9"x12" Waterolor
Last 6-7 days have not been good to me... had a sore throat with a lot of coughing and hardly any sleep at night.With this the old cough has returned,it seems.The specialist's appointment is still a good month away.So all I can do is drink a lot of honey-lemon-water/tea. But painting always takes a hit when I am not feeling 100% well.Did not paint at all for last whole week- this morning I decided to break the dry spell by painting some loose pieces.This rooster is the only one who made it to my blog post! 
The focus was his crown so I kept the background and even the feathers at minimum with some salt texture thrown in.What do you think?

Thursday, August 15, 2013

The Gentle Giant_ Elephant Portrait

21"x14" Arches NOT Paper
Going big again, painted on a half sheet of Arches.The composition was powerful so I thought that the impact would be greater in a larger size.I am more or less happy with this one, though the palette was not planned and I floundered a bit ...but all is well that ends well! 
I am loving painting elephants:)

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Blue

8" x 8"
Now,a blue cow :) Art is like therapy to me, helps alleviate my mood when I am feeling blue...the day was stressful, my mind full of doubt, fears of having made some wrong decisions- but since I could not change that in any way, I painted.And painted... already feeling better!


Friday, August 9, 2013

Black Sheep in Watercolor

"Not Sheepish..."
10"x 8"
Last afternoon's work...I am still looking for a perfect plan to handle animals with fur- but that hasn't happened yet.Till then it's 'trial and error 'method. Even this piece was brought back from the brink of disaster- just in time!
This black faced sheep looks quite confident, not 'sheepish' at all!
By the way, this painting was done on a new paper that I ordered recently, Hahnemuhle Anniversary Watercolour Block 425 gsm.I have used this brand for the first time- and I must admit it was a great paper to work with.Textured, but did not 'drink' the paint like some others do.I think I am in love with this paper.Just hope they keep producing it.

I am kinda stuck with this purple- need to experiment more.Can anyone suggest a Blue to try?I have cerulean, Ultramarine(green shade),Turquoise,Cobalt deep for now- anything else that I should try? All suggestions welcome.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Pastel Portrait of a Little girl in White Dress

Soft Pastels 12"x 16"
This is what I have been busy doing lately- a portrait of my lovely little niece.She is a hyper active three year old and you almost never catch her sitting still! Her mom clicked a picture of her in one such rare moment -and finally I got one to paint!Well she looks like a very quiet little girl here, but looks are deceptive :)

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Majestic III Elephant Art

14"x 10" watercolor painting
I can't stop painting them! Another one in the series... just trying out different approaches towards the same subject.Next one will have new colors, I promise-I wouldn't want to bore you.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Majestic-2

watercolor 10"x14"
Another one in 'Majestic' series.Elephants are fast becoming my favorite subjects- they have so much to offer...I can dabble here and there, experiment with color, create texture- they are indeed very forgiving.
I loved painting this big guy today..it was like meditation. I was lost for two hours, totally immersed in the painting.And I love the results, exactly what I wanted , for once:)

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

I am Back AND some good news...

Hi I am back from my trip to Birmingham and it was a lovely weekend ; though a bit rushed.
It was a shame that I could n't visit the grand Art Museum there even as I was in the vicinity- mainly due to shortage of time, and also because my 14 year old son was ''bored to death" as he trudged along! I am hoping that in another 1-2 years I would be able to leave him behind and be free to explore the world ...
While still in Birmingham, I checked my email and found to my delight that I had sold two paintings on Etsy!It was my first sale here and quite unexpected!Giving you link to keep the post short:
http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/artiart/sold?ref=shopinfo_sales_leftnav
Old Canal Walk

The Museum

Happy Together

( He doesn't look "bored to death" here, does he?!But that's what he told me a few minutes later.)




Friday, July 19, 2013

Peachy _ Watercolor Portrait

"Peachy"
10"x14"
A portrait after a gap, based on a beautiful picture by Sanja Gjenero I wanted to experiment more with color- intended to make her hair strikingly different in terms of color- but it did not turn out the way I wanted...I even thought  of chucking it into the bin after the hair disaster - but then went ahead and completed it.
Its beautiful summer here in UK, so the subject seems perfect! I am off to Birmingham to meet some friends over the weekend, see you all when I am back.


Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Wide Eyed

Wide eyed _The Hare
10"x14"
The brown bunny looked kind of boring...so I tried some unusual colors!Unreal looking, but who cares- he is cute! 

Friday, July 12, 2013

The Gathering

Watercolor, 10"x 8"
After a few blissful weeks, I have started coughing again.The GP seems clueless, she has now referred me to the specialist- I just have to wait for the next appointment.Did not want to burden you all with my health issues, folks, but I did just that ;) My apologies.
Anyway since I have nothing better to do I forced myself to finish this piece this morning.Have you noticed, how quickly you fall out of groove when you stop painting even for a few days?I had to throw away two sheets of paper before I completed this- but I am happy that I finally was able to tame this small gathering of goats! Thanks to Mary R Vogt for this beautiful picture.

Friday, July 5, 2013

My Website

Happy to announce that I have finally been able to put together my website! Yes, there have been numerous online profiles so far, but this is the real thing- with my own domain name- go, check it out!
www.artichauhanart.co.uk

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

The Old Cottage

7"x9"
Another townscape. This is an old and dilapidated cottage I saw in my hometown on my last trip.It was an old house, may be not in use anymore.It faced an' Ashram' (A home for spiritually inclined) and this lady,who lived in that Ashram, was watering some plants around this cottage.The setting was so peaceful; my only regret -it being a cloudy day.Well, I have tried to bring some light into the scene.Also trying to loosen up!

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

The Blue Bicycle

"The Blue Bicycle" 10"x 8"
Painting a bicycle can be a daunting task.I have always wanted to paint one and finally got around to do it.Though it does not look as I had imagined -the wheels look a bit wobbly- still, its a start!...The wall behind was my imagination,I don't know if it looks right or not.Its just that I needed an excuse to paint texture ; later I realized that it distracts from the main subject a little bit.Well...as I said, it was not easy but I liked it and might paint more.Someday I might get it right :)

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Chrysanthamum
10"x10"
A Beautiful flower for a beautiful weekend.....

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The Goat

7"x5" watercolor
I can't think of any other interesting title for this pretty girl.A small study I did today.
Reference picture courtesy Mary R.Vogt


Sunday, June 23, 2013

Secluded _ A Landscape

6"x8"
watercolor 
I finally got around to painting a landscape! I liked the way this tree stands alone in this mostly grassy landscape.I know it could have been better, but landscapes are a bit intimidating to me- so I think its an 'alright' kind of effort.Hope you all had a great weekend.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Anchored- The Boat

12"x9" watercolor on Saunders Paper
Another painting, I am producing a lot of art at the moment!..I guess it has to do with a general feeling of well being.My treatment has worked,finally and I feel alright now.No coughing.Feels great.
The boat looked lonely, sitting all alone on a pebble bed.But sometimes even 'sad' looks appealing.I tried an old paper for this, heavy weight -so no stretching.Though detailing was tough because of its grainy texture.Next time I am going to try hot pressed paper.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Random Sketching

8"x6"
A little sketch in my new sketch pad...to buy in auction, please visit my DWP page.