Thinking of Snow...

9"x12"

Falling behind in posting and visiting again ....not feeling well is one of the reasons.Flu like stuffy feeling all the time and a bad cough is making me miserable these days.Still managed to paint this guy today.I am thinking of having him on my Christmas cards this year- hope he does not look scary..!?Personally I like him :)

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,

Dazzler

16"x12"

Sorry about back to back postings..I also painted this rooster day before yesterday.Painting them small is fairly easy but it get tougher when you attempt a larger size.You have to be very confident to pull off something this - I worked very wet-in-wet, dragging my brush along in long strokes and dropped paint.The light has not been great- it being a very wet and grey week.This is the best shot that I could get.The rooster is actually more vibrant in person :)

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.

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.

White Rooster in Watercolor

6"x 9"

A small,loose piece I did yesterday.Roosters are perfect subjects to play around with, you can do anything you want!

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.

Scarlet Macaw

8"x8"

I rarely use pure red or scarlet in my paintings.In fact I am yet to find my favorite red! This Scarlet Macaw was an exercise to bring out the very best of this color as well as for me to understand the color better.Hope you all have a great weekend, its 10 pm Friday and I am planning to paint another one now :) 

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...

Love

12"x16"

Yesterday's painting session was quite productive.I am happy with this painting of a mama bear with her cubs. I have been finding it tough to update everything and visit my friends' blogs lately as I have some other pressing engagements like looking for a new house to buy!Lots of research to do, lots of options to look at...I am not even attending my life drawing sessions this term.I hope you all will bear with me; I will be visiting soon :)Have a great Sunday!

Chocolate Brown Emu

12"x16"

A brand new Emu in chocolate brown.I have bought a few new shades of blue and purples, trying out how they behave! 

Its three more days of Free Shipping worldwide at ArtFinder, if anyone is interested in buying original art...I sold the cute Koala yesterday to a lovely collector in Kent, UK.The going seems good Have a lovely weekend, you all.

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 :)

Elephants

Peas in a Pod

12x9

SOLD

This pair was on of the swiftest to move out.... A lovely lady in UK contacted me two days ago, about a custom Elephant Painting for her living room.She wanted it to be large enough to hang above her fire place mantle.(I will be painting that one soon) The following evening I decided to paint a smaller one , just to be sure of my color scheme and treatment.This pair turned out to be good and I posted it on Art Finder.It was Sold within 24 hours!

Well now I have to start with the larger one , with four elephants.Hope it turns out well,too.

Have a great weekend, you all.

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.

''Splendor"_ The Elephant

13.5x19

Thank you all who took time to comment on my last post.I had to take a short break but could not resist anymore; painted for 2-3 hours last night :) Feeling a bit tired but happy a the results at the same time.

This elephant is bigger than my usual size ...I stretched the 300gsm Arches paper for this size.Mostly I use paper blocks as they are low fuss and easy to use.But Arches blocks are too expensive! 

I worked this one very wet, with drips and spatters- in a completely unplanned fashion....its thrilling to see something emerge out of madness :)

The Blue Bird

9"x12"

I did not paint anything today as my neck feels quite stiff after two rigorous days of painting. ( This is yesterday's work) I am dreading the coming years...how am I going to fare ten years down the line? It would be a real bummer if you want to paint but you can't ..wouldn't it? May be I am being a bit morose, blame it on the painful neck and sleepless night, but really?!! Well I must admit I have neglected my exercise and walking regime in past one or two months..with muscles like mine, I have to work at it just to function normally.Hope to bounce back soon!Take care, everyone.

The Owl

A new work, completed this morning.A favorite combination of mine--Cobalt Blue, Burnt Umber and Burnt Orange( by Daniel Smith ;which is fast becoming my favorite color) with just a hint of Yellow Ocher.

He is larger than life, about 15"x12"

Earth and Sky

12x16 watercolor

I had neglected to post this one, done sometime in July this year.I don't think I will ever tire of painting zebras..this one is lean and handsome; I have tried cobalt blue dropped in burnt umber with hints of burnt orange. 

Meanwhile the brown horse and this colorful hare have been SOLD recently,on artfinder.com

SOLD

SOLD

The Horse Portrait_ Back to Work

9"x12" Watercolor on Hahnemuhle paper

Got back from my trip to India last Sunday.It was quite hectic; more than I had expected.There was a lot of government/bank work which took up most of our time.In fact I did not even get to visit Rishikesh this time.Mostly we were just running around, trying to catch up with friends between managing the official appointments.Not many photographs were taken, but did get to meet everyone in the family and friends.Hopefully next time will be better, I plan to have a little more time for my family.

Last two days have been spent mostly in cleaning and sleeping, but I got back to work yesterday, painting this horse portrait- first in recent times.I think I will paint more, they are quite beautiful in their own way.Many of my friends breed them - it was time I painted one!