Golden Bear

10"x14"

 A golden grizzly bear in soft yellows, painted this morning.I have always loved painting animals with fur.Grizzly bear are just perfect as subjects, with lots and lots of long and luxurious fur. I have started with my morning sessions despite the other obligations around the house, hoping to achieve at least one painting each day.

Pansy the Panda

10"x14"

SOLD

A giant panda in vibrant violets.I enjoyed painting him fast and loose.He turned out to be quite cute!

''Ozzy"

9''x12''

SOLD

I am painting faster than I am posting!This was painted last night , I used a new paper- Fabriano - and I instantly liked it.The paper is costly so I have been resisting buying it for quite some time but now I am happy that I went ahead and bought it.Very good texture,good for fine work, not sure for washes-yet.This ostrich was a good practice for this paper.

The Elephant Commission

24" 20"

This was the commission I completed and shipped yesterday to Boston, US. Lately I have been asked repeatedly for larger paintings as commissions,forcing me to step out of my comfort zone more often. I like my colors to run and mingle on paper but the paint dries much quickly on a larger area so its difficult to achieve desired results.It was a tough one, this guy!But happy that the client approved it and was thrilled with it.Just keeping my fingers crossed for its safe arrival- I had to send it rolled in a tube because of its size.

The Sparrow

7"x7"

A small brown sparrow 

Papers play a vital part in painting.I have three or four kinds of papers and all of them behave differently,making it difficult to switch when you are painting continuously. This was Arches cold pressed and it behaved very differently than the Hahnemuhle that I normally paint on.I realized that the pigment glides on Hahnemuhle while Arches absorbs more.This switch resulted in a few failed paintings.This sparrow came out ok,though.

Angie the Angora Rabbit

"Angie" the Angora Rabbit

9x12

Colors used ...winsor violet, payne's grey, permanent crimson and a bit of pink.

Painted this cute little rabbit in soft tones.I was reading about them a while ago and it was difficult to resist the temptation!They are the sweetest things to look at.

The Ostrich

9x12

This is my first take at this magnificent African bird and I am already loving them.Hope to paint more soon!His whiskers were fun to create, I used a fine rigger to paint all those  facial hair!He looks like a tough guy here- with a stern gaze and a drooping mouth(beak!)though I have tried my best to give him a soft appearance!It would be a challenge to paint the full length bird, but I would do it someday, after I get to know them better. 

I have recently bought a new color - Daniel Smith's Quinacridone Burnt Orange, and I love it! Some people had suggested that its just like burnt sienna but I found it to be much more bright and vivid. Worth a try!

Please bear with me -I am very late in visiting or commenting on your blogs,( even replying on my own blog!) but I do see all the beautiful works that you all have been doing and assure you that you would get a bucketful of comments very soon!Keep creating...

Proud _Black Swan

                                                                      watercolor, 9"x7"
A proud looking swan, I like these birds -they are so beautiful! I have loads of reference pictures as my husband loves to take their close ups...this is from one of his pictures.After three days of not painting, I felt compelled to paint something last evening.Another portrait is on my drawing board but that will take time- this is like a chocolate bar in between meals, quick burst of energy!
Also visited the library this morning and found some pastel painting books.Still unsure how to go about using my new  'mi-tientes 'pastel paper, I won't know until I decide about what am I going to paint.Soon,soon....

Pink Cosmos

Cosmos

14"x10"

Watercolor on paper

A page from this year's calendar; Pink Cosmos flowers in bloom.....It has been snowing here since morning; so thinking about a little sunshine won't hurt!

Shy

7"x5"

Acrylic on box canvas

This morning I happened to come across a store where art material was on sale, I couldn't resist a peek, and  picked up this tiny canvas ( 7''x5'') . As I came home, excited to start painting, I found out to my dismay that most of my acrylic colors had dried or thickened- I had not touched them in years! Still  managed to squeeze out some cadmium yellow and turquoise blue; and painted this little sunflower. But I am sure going to buy some acrylics soon, I had so much fun painting this small work.

Blue Morning Glory

12" x 9"

Watercolor on 140 lb acid free paper

Flowers are beautiful subjects, but I have been painting them almost every day since 2-3 weeks !I am glad that the project is over, finally and if things go as planned, all the twelve flowers that I have painted will take the form of a desk calendar.Each month has its own 'birth flower'; this morning glory is called the flower of September.This delicate flower is associated with affection.An interesting fact about these flowers is that they bloom with sunrise and die when the sun sets.

I hope you all have been enjoying Christmas festivities....have a nice day.

Water Lilies in a Pond

Water Lilies

Watercolors on Arches 300 lb NOT paper

14"x 11"

This is not what I do everyday...painting flowers!But I am doing it right now, round the clock.My sister decided that this year we will be having flowers on her calendar.I am so short of time that I could n't even do some trials to see in what style I am going to paint- we just started off. Now its 'free-style', I guess! I am on my eighth page today.Have to finish all of 12 by Sunday.I will be sharing them all here very soon.

We are not having much sunshine here lately, yesterday was very cloudy and it has been  raining again since last night.This picture was taken under the light of my table lamp.The colors look yellower than they actually are but its the next best thing I can do.

Dusk and Dawn

"Dusk and Dawn"

Watercolor on 300 gsm watercolor paper

14"x10"

Last evening's work.Horses are such magnificent animals- powerful, yet gentle; a joy to paint.

Art Everyday_5

Today's work.I have tried to work out  what color goes well with the greens! Added some textures by using plastic wraps .......guess I still have to work on losing the hard edges.
Watercolor on paper 12"x9"

Spring is Here!

The most cherished season of all, The Spring is here finally.Its also the shortest- it will last till April only.The flowers are blooming everywhere, so a sunflower looked like an appropriate subject.I haven't painted a sunflower before...it used to look so intimidating with its  double row of petals and almost perfect looks!I am still in awe of this particular flower.

Glorious

I have been neglecting my blog for quite some time. Distractions!... I did this magenta beauty in watercolors his morning...might help me to get back into the groove again.

watercolor, 16"X12"; cold pressed paper