Monochromatic Portrait Study

Payne's Grey Value Study

12"x9"

This monotone watercolor study was painted in an hour's time.Reference picture was an archive one , a street vendor from India.His rugged features depict the tough life he leads.This was a quick one;I may sketch him again in graphite- at some point.

"Unwind" completed

Watercolor on 600gsm paper

15"x22''

This painting has taken about nine hours to complete, spread over 3-4 days.

I was not sure what was I going to do when I started out; paper was big and this picture had a background which was integrated with the main subject.I don't usually paint the backgrounds in detail .After much deliberation, I decided to go with my instinct- painting almost everything I saw.
I think it looks rather nice as a whole scene; what's your take?

For my friends who are not familiar with Indian customs; this old lady is wearing a saree ; a traditional Indian attire.A Saree is basically an unstitched piece of cloth of about 5 meters in length which is draped around the body in various styles.Its very elegant dress and I also wear it on occasions.Younger women will wear stylish, decorative, embroided or printed ones.What this lady is wearing is a simple version- a plain cotton one which isa comfortable daily wear.The color is also significant.Saffron color is a symbol of  devotion and sacrifice.This woman is among the hundreds who have come to Rishikesh to spend their twilight years, leaving their families behind...Thus you often see this color in my paintings of sages and devotees from Rishikesh.
Hope that helps in understanding this painting.

WIP

After not being able to paint for almost a month...this is the work in progress that I have started recently.An aged woman from my old Rishikesh pictures.In my hometown, local people come to the banks of the river Ganga to meditate or to pay respect.Its a daily ritual for some of them.This woman was also following her ritual- I clicked her as she sat resting under a tree afterwards.

I have decided to paint big, and add the background also.Will keep you posted!

Have a great weekend..

Watercolor 15"x22''

Opening Evening_ Art Show

We had a great opening of the show with so many people attending.I had dragged my son Arjun this time,along with my husband; (with a promise of Pizza party afterwards) He got bored very soon and I had to leave early.Next time I am not taking him!Husband is more accommodating, he cancelled his golf for my exhibition ;)
Here are some pics for you:

Back in Basingstoke

I am back from my vacation to India.It was great meeting all the friends and family; but it was also exhausting.We pretty much ate out every day, kept running around to meet each and everyone and finally I was glad to be back to the peace of my home!......
On 6th September my son turns 13 ( you know teen-age has arrived when they start treating you like retards) We had been assigned to buy a new phone for him as a birthday gift; but it is proving to be a herculean task (we decided to change the provider).Numerous trips to the shop/ wasted phone calls and still no phone! Son is annoyed that his parents are not clever enough to buy him a gift on time!....Lets hope we manage to seal the deal this evening ;)
My Group Show starts on the same day; two of my works are being displayed in the exhibition which will run till 29th September.I am so glad to be a part of this community.Will post the pictures on Thursday, for all those who can not attend.Opening is on 6th, at 6.30 in the evening.
Add to this a sleepover of my son's friends on Friday at our place and a visit by my husbands' friend on Saturday; and my hands are literally full!
I hope all of you have been doing well, give me some more time to visit you individually :)

Autumn of Life- Portrait of an Elderly Indian Woman

                                                            Watercolor on Paper
                                                                  16"x12"
I have worked on my instinct this time, using dry brush more than wet here.This portrait took me about five hours, in two sitting.There were a lot of details in her face which I wanted to capture.I guess it has come out good and I am going to submit this one for the Art Show.
This will also be my last post this month, I am off to India tomorrow...
See you all in a few weeks' time.

A Window to the World

                                                                           12"x16"
                                                                   Watercolor on Paper
I have been busy -I think I will post a few paintings before I go...This was done from a photo taken by my friend while on his recent trip to Leh, (India)A young Monk stares out of his window; who knows what goes through his mind...

As much as I would like to paint all day, I won't be able to do it for the rest of this month.I will be leaving on a vacation to India soon.But before leaving, I have to submit some artworks  for an upcoming exhibition of my Art Club in September!( I need time to improve my paintings but the exhibitions are cropping up so fast)...I need to prepare at least two more paintings for selection in this week.
Its tough to work when you feel pressured to deliver...but I shouldn't be complaining- the Art Centre's director personally asked me to submit my work before I leave- he wants my work to be in the exhibition..... that's an honor!
I guess these are little perks of living in a small town...I love you, Basingstoke!

Self Portrait

I was not really serious when I started this,but it looked decent enough to share in the end....It was painted in Raw Sienna ( I spent half of my tube!) Each color behaves in a different manner.So I guess there will be more studies, each in different color.It would be a good exercise, don't you think?

Value Study

This is a value study in Payne's Gray.My first attempt,to be honest.I have read so much about the importance  of value study but never really did it.This weekend I loaned Charles Reid's " Watercolor Solutions".Now I loaned this book about an year ago, too.But at that time it did not inspire me as much as it did this time.So whats the good news here? I am progressing!...Charles has a great style and I would love to be able to paint in the same loose, uninhabited way,some day.The most important thing that I need to learn right now is how to lose some edges and how to find some!There are not going to be any lines and boundaries in these studies, just the mass,the value! I will be doing more tomorrow, keep watching!

Everyday Art_Portrait

I10"x7"

I did this one after the little boy below...I felt I was going with colors too strong!And, I am so much in love with the 1.1/4 inch flat brush that I bought a few days ago.I loved painting the background in bold strokes with that.It was like painting in oils....I miss my oil colors....!Hopefully some day I am going to find a space where I can spread my oil colors and my canvas, painting on my dining table is not much fun!

Everyday Art_ Portrait of a Young Boy

10"x7"

I bought myself some new paints and art stuff, indulged in some unbridled art this evening.This is small, but I enjoyed doing this one.It feels good when you let yourself go, not worrying about the outcome! 

Love

Watercolor on Paper

22"x15"

A portrait of a friend with her lovely daughter.I liked the way she holds her close to her bosom and the child wraps her arms around her neck!Oozes with love and affection.

I tried big, painting on  1/2 sheet this time.The paper was Bockingford 600 gsm and I expected a lot from it, having invested grandly...not satisfied. Any suggestions for a good paper for  portrait painting?I m still looking for a  paper that retains the transparency of the colors and not just soaks them up.

I hope you all had a rocking weekend.Have a great week!

Wrinkled- Pencil Portrait of an Old Man

Pencil on Paper

17"x11" Strathmore Bristol Paper

This is the drawing I have been working on since last week.It took me about 16 hours of work, but I enjoyed every hour!The reference picture was taken about 3 years ago, in my hometown Rishikesh, which is  a spiritual town of India.There are many,many of them, like this old man here, sitting around on the banks of the Ganges river; spending their time in a blissful inertia.

Grey Skies

Watercolor  15"x 22"

This was painted from my last visit to South Hampton, the historic city of UK, famous for its ports .The day was overcast, with dark clouds looming above.I have tried to capture the atmosphere.

I am presently working on a pencil portrait for last whole week, I think I will share it with you soon.

Playing by the Creek

Watercolor on Paper

16"x12"

This is Bradley, son of Christy Ann who kindly allowed me to paint this handsome young man.This painting was kind of a 'trial run' for a bigger piece.I intend to paint the full image of him standing in ankle deep water. 
I must confess,this painting could have been better.The paper I used soaked up the paint too quickly.I am thinking of getting a 300 lb paper for next one, to get best results.Meanwhile you can enjoy this one!

Everyday Life and Everyday Art

This is a painting I did last week for a blogger friend, Julie.Her beloved cat Buddy had passed away recently and I thought this painting might help her overcome her grief...
Life has been a little busy for last few days.Thursday evening was the exhibition.Saturday some friends came over and we spent the day with them.They had came from London to see my exhibition, bless them!
Sunday had a promising,sunny start and after the usual clean ups etc,I persuaded my husband to accompany me to South Hampton.With my luck, though,whole day it remained overcast and grey.... even drizzling sometimes!The sun came out only when we had caught the train back...I still managed to take some decent shots.South Hampton is a beautiful,old English town with a rich heritage.I plan to go back again sometime.
In all this melee, I forgot to buy new pair of school shoes for Arjun, who had ruined his last pair in Friday's rain.Today I had to send him in trainers, with a note of apology in his diary :( I need to get more organized......

Best of Basingstoke 2012

The exhibition opened last evening and it was a wonderful event.My two works were displayed among the 49 artworks by 29 local artists. I am so glad that I have been so kindly accepted by the local community in such a short time.A big thanks to Andy, the director of the Fairfields Art Center- he introduced me to the Basingstoke art world.More pics on my Facebook here.

Best of Basingstoke July 2012

         My Next Group Exhibition starts soon in Basingstoke.

                                         

THE BEST OF BASINGSTOKE ART SHOW Opening Night

Thursday 12th July from 6.30pm – 8.00pm

Venue: Fairfeilds Art Center,Council Road, Basingstoke RG21 3DH

The exhibition will run from Saturday 14th July to Thursday 2nd August 2012 

Gallery Opening Hours : Mons, Tues, Weds and Thurs 9.30am –4.45pm. Fris by appointment. 

Open Sat 14 July 9.30am - 1.00pm, but closed 21 & 28 July. Admission Free.

Clock Tower in Watercolors

Watercolor on paper

12"x16"

This is my maiden attempt at painting a building.I was not entirely sure-what technique to use, which colors would look best, how much detail? Now as I look at it, I feel I should have stopped 15 minutes before!Sometimes its hard to decide when to stop.Isn't it?

Though after seeing the finished piece, my son patted me on the back and said, "you are getting better and better"! That's enough motivation to paint another building :)

Well I will have to paint another 10 or 20 cityscapes before I can conclude what method works best for me- so keep watching this space...

This is a from a picture from Portsmouth.A stunning clock tower stands atop a beautiful 1889 structure  called Guild Hall.I liked it very much when I saw it last; and may be I will paint it again in another view or angle.