Dairy Milk

16" x 12" Saunders Waterford Paper

Falling behind in posting, again! Well this one is the latest from the herd. I admit that I love painting the snouts so cows will start to appear more frequently now.I really enjoyed painting this one.Mostly its just cobalt blue and some pink rose mixed on the paper to create the effect of purple.And a bit of  yellow ochre on the rest of the body . A friend of mine mentioned that she looked like a ''Cadbury's cow" as she looks perfectly purple like the brand color of Cadbury.

Elephant Painting_True Love

13x20

SOLD

I had a vision of this painting as I woke up this morning.I actually went and stretched a cut up Arches sheet (of an odd dimension- which had been lying around for quite some time) even before I had my morning cup of tea!Worked on it all late morning and finished it by afternoon.I am quite happy with the results.Talk about being 'inspired'!..

Arches works beautifully when stretched.You can paint it over and over,once the first wash has dried.My other favorite Hahnemuhle is only good for fast and loose work- but I am a fan of the swirls and blooms it creates .

Husky Dog

14"x10"

SOLD

Another dog painting, a husky dog this time.They are pretty friendly,intelligent and loving dogs.This one looks very sensible to me. Reference picture courtesy Pixabay.

This one has been painted on Langton (Daler/Rowney) cold pressed paper which allowed me to work delicately on his fur, lifting up paint as well.Nice paper, I would recommend for detailed work.

The raven

12 x 9

SOLD

A new subject for me, a raven.These are considered mysterious creatures, considered to be having a special vision in some cultures.

I have used indigo ,blue, sepia to replace the usual black to make the composition interesting,

Amber Elephant

16"x12"

Its tough to come up with names for them now; I have painted so many!This one is in muted tones- sepia, gold and raw umber mainly.Another study before I started on a bigger commission.It was good to take a break from the usual color scheme and try something new. I refrained from using blue, turquoise and purple in this one.

Puppy Eyes

Puppy Eyes

12" x9"

SOLD

Recently I realized that even as I have been painting animals almost exclusively these days, dogs were yet to make an appearance.
Eyes are the focal point of my portraits almost invariably.In this portrait,the focus was especially on the soulful,brown eyes of this sweet faced guy. No wonder ,he stole the heart of an art lover and was lapped up the very next day on ArtFinder :) He leaves for his Leeds home today.

A Fleeting Glance

16"x12"

Today's work. A British brown hare in expressive style.I have been trying to work more and more with a loose hand .This guy was painted wet in wet, combination of soft and crisp edges...

Mr Koala

16"x12''

Today's work.Well, apart from the commission Elephant painting that is on my easel for last two days. Today I wanted to paint something for myself, with no pressure.This was a new subject, though a challenge--with fur sticking out of  everywhere from this guy'd round face.It was difficult to define the face without using too much detail and keeping everything soft.A tough one :)

Blue Dawn Zebra

9"x12"

Happy to get this commission , the client wanted a Blue Zebra :)Painted it today and preparing to ship it tomorrow.Painting is not 'work' for me, I love every moment of it.Getting paid for it can be the icing on the cake:, isn't it.Hope you all had a great Sunday- I certainly did ...

Young Turk

8x10

Felt like playing with color today....this Young Turk did not even have a drawing underneath, I just started with a brush loaded with color and loads of water.

Recently got myself a new pink (W &N Opera Rose) this painting was a test to see its relationship with other colors.Its bright alright but no great chemistry with others.

Actually I have been trying to replace my old tube of  Fragonard Rose Tyrien which is running out fast!I had bought it in India a few years ago and I haven't see a color this beautiful since.....it pushes away every other color it touches and creates beautiful blooms.( Its not in the painting  above but you remember the cute bunnies and roosters I posted a few days ago..get the picture?!)

Problem is, I can't find it even online ..and haven't found any counterpart either --a pink that would merge with other colors as beautifully....any help would be much appreciated.

Look into my Eyes

9x12

My next donkey portrait.Previous two have already been sold so I think he is very popular...!He is the same guy I had met at a local farm a few month ago.I had taken this picture as he looked up to me and it seemed like he was smiling :) Loved this expression.

I hope you all are having a great long weekend and some quality time with your families.

Turquoise Stripes

10x14

Looks like I am still a bit hung up on Zebras! However I have tried to do something different and used turquoise and pink- the colors I have been keeping for a long time but not used very much.I liked the way turquoise brightened up the surroundings and pink went well  with it.

Umber Stripes

9x12

Yesterday's work.Couldn't keep the muzzle as soft as I would have liked, but finished the painting anyway.

The Lambs and Ramblings about the Paper...

10x7

8x8

Two cute little lambs I painted recently to try out different papers.

Upper one is on Langton cold pressed 140 lb block ( so far my favorite- the granulation and texture look great on it)

The first wash is very smooth and fresh but going over and darken things more than once  is not such a good idea!

The one on the bottom is on Arches cold pressed block-which was very elegant to look at but it might take some more practice to handle pigment over this surface.The color just sat on the paper and was difficult to push around.I am not ruling it out completely but a little disappointed as it was the most expensive of them all!

So far Hahnemuhle is the winner for me.This paper has texture and the paint can be pushes around quite a bit before it settles.I work on blocks to avoid stretching.Now I am in process of trying out different series blocks,So far Britannia Matt and Anniversary Series have worked great.

Hahnemuhle is cheaper than the other brands like Arches and Fabrianno.Only flaw would be the color..its not brilliant white but sort of grayish white.

Anyway, besides these small works, I have been working on a larger figurative painting,too.Our Spring exhibition is coming up and I have to submit at least two paintings by next Friday.I hope to work some more this evening!

Have a great weekend, friends.

Suave Zebra Portrait

Yesterday's work..another addition to "purple Stripes'' series.In my opinion he is by far the most handsome of them all! I manged to paint him on Sunday as hubby was out of town and I suddenly felt like I had so much time on my hands :) In fact ,nowadays  if I don't get a painting done, I start feeling cranky by the evening!

The Feast_ Bird Painting

7x10

Waxwings are sprightly berry-devouring winter visitors to England and Ireland. Waxwing is a silky, shiny collection of brown, gray, and lemon-yellow, accented with a subdued crest, rakish black mask. This one looks quite pleased with its breakfast menu! Thanks a lot to Ian Clarke, a very talented photographer of Sufflok,UK for letting me use his picture.You may see his work here.

Hare is another one...portrait in watercolor

SOLD

Its Spring time here, after a long spell of cold and rainy weather- I can't help feeling sugary sweet. Last five days have been full of sunshine and I manged to send three artworks to new homes..gives me a reason to be happy! I hope all of you are having something to be happy about.

This is a Brown Hare ( a Native British Hare I think) painting him was fun;and I will be painting more of these beautiful and agile creatures...brace up for some serious cuteness!

Elephant in Purple _SOLD

The Purple Elephant I painted some time ago has now been sold at DailyPaintWorks...

Elephant in Purple
SOLD

Hare they Come...

Latest small paintings of  Hare.Springs is here so they can't be far away. These Brown Hare are mostly found in Europe; and a common sight in British countryside.They are Brown with white belly, but I have made use of some artistic freedom and added pink and blue to the brown- even made bottom two white!

After the long winter months there can be few sights more uplifting to the human spirit than the spring-time antics of these delightful creatures. 

They are up for grabs at ETSY as well as DWP for anyone who might be interested.

'Hayday' Donkey Portrait

9x12

A slight deviation,but we are still in the same company! I love these peace loving, cute animals.This one I saw in a local farm sometime ago.I have painted the background this time...do they look better on white or with a background..whats the vote?