Lotus Pond Series

Finally I get to bring you my first painting series - 'Life in a Lotus Pond'.... Started in the summer of 2016, this is the first time I attempted a series. What is the big deal in painting a series, you may ask.... Making paintings in a series is just meant to be an opportunity for the artist to show how one can play around with an idea, and bring it to form in different ways, while keeping the essential elements intact.

I had been wanting to paint a lotus pond for a long time but not in your usual realistic style - there were already too many of those out there. So I tried a process of layering and detailing, trying to see if I could make it all work together. I didn't want the painting to look noisy and crowded, but I was a little unsure when I started as I had not done something like this before.

As my lotus flowers progressed, I placed an owl on one of the lotus leaves.... and that is where the idea for the series took off!! I wanted to have images of lotus flowers interspersed with the various creatures that one could find in a pond.

It was meant to be a fun series, and I am so happy that that is exactly how it turned out. And then, within an year, something magical happened! I showed my paintings to a dear client-turned-friend and she immediately picked up the first 2 pieces. Next I knew, she commissioned 2 more! I was on a roll... :D

So while I am juggling some more ideas and will be working on more paintings for this series, right now 4 paintings have already found a new home...

...Even as 3 finished paintings are ready and waiting for a wall.

Do let me know how you feel about this first series of mine. There is also another series waiting in the wings but more about that in a later post. In the meanwhile, if you are keen to commission anything on these lines or pick up the available pieces, write in to me at creativerumblings@gmail.com and we can discuss options.

May Lilies

The month of May is always marked by a bunch of these yellow lilies brightening up the garden. But the sweltering heat this year has ensured that there are still no signs of any blossoms. Though lilies do well in hot and dry conditions, but Delhi summers can get to be a bit too much even for these gorgeous blooms.... As the skies sport an occasional cloud cover, hope the May lilies oblige us this year as well in the coming weeks.

From an arty perspective, I am having great fun with my backgrounds these days, using a variety of media to create effects. What do you think of this new stylised background?
 

The Making of a Flower Girl

As I shared in an earlier post, I have taken to working on mini paintings and my theme this year is 'Faces and Figures'. Despite having a busy month, I managed to make five of these 10 by 10 (cm) pieces. They are great fun to make - since the process involves multiple layers, and yet it takes me just a day or two from start to finish, as the size is small. So this post presents the story of how my current favourite piece emerged.

I started by pasting a random collage of papers on the base, as seen in picture 1. While pasting the collage pieces, the pink flowers caught my eye. Yes, you know what a sucker for flowers I am! So I decided to retain them in the final painting that emerged out of this chaos of colours. Working around the flowers, I spotted a face, slightly downturned. A hat seemed like the perfect accessory to put on that face.

Picture 2 captures the painting with its basic outlines in place, and the hat, face and hair painted in. I highlighted the pink flowers by adding the white marks and yellow pollen on top. By now I had also spotted the butterfly in the bottom right corner. But the painting wasn't coming together; there was no single train of thought that knit everything.

And then the word 'Freedom' flashed at me.... and it all fell in place (picture 3). I added the stamp mark on the top left, meant to denote the freedom of travel, both literal and metaphorical. The butterfly gained prominence, signifying the freedom from the cocoon phase. The flying birds on the top right completed the picture. Now you know why the girl with the blue hat has a smile on her face! Because she is a free bird....

So, dear readers, what do you think of this process? Creatively, I find it extremely satisfying. You start from zilch, and you end up with not only a mini painting but an interesting story to go with it. Wanna try some?

Faces and Figures

We are into the second month of the year already, and I thought I should share one of my personal art goals this year.

'F' is for February, and for 'faces' and 'figures'. So this year I am hoping to work up a sizeable number of random faces and figures. No real life inspiration, no magazine pictures either.... just things that pop off my head when I put together a collage of papers and markings on a piece of cardboard.

Sharing here my first attempt at doing a face. I worked mainly using the techniques of intuitive creation, where you train the mind's eye to "see" images in a chaos of colours and shapes. The inspiration for this face was sparked off by the blue prints (made using vegetable stamps) that looked so much like a pair of shades. Once I sketched that in, the rest of the face followed.

I love how the layers of paper and stamps underneath give the piece a unique sense of depth. This was a fun beginning. Hope I can keep this up through the year and get more comfortable making faces and figures out of thin air!

Nature Journal: September Serenades

The September page of my Nature Journal has been a pleasure to make. A surfeit of experiences ensured that the page got completed within the first 2 weeks of the month.



But what I love most is that the September page is a feast for the eyes.... full of visual experiences! Right from the bird hanging from a branch at the top down to the numerous ant hills at the bottom, it was fun sketching and colouring in the details.

 

Hope you enjoy taking a look as much as I enjoyed putting the page together.
 



Poppy Studies

After the poppy crop came out in our garden, I did some plein air studies. The balmy spring weather, the sun warming my back, the cool breeze caressing my cheeks, and the mingled fragrance of so many flowers - it was the perfect weather to be out in the open!

And this is what they led to in the studio...

No, the picture isn't complete. For seeing the whole painting, you'll need to wait for me to have an exhibition! Talk about goals and having a wishlist.... :)

More Random Sketches

One of the best ways of making the shift from bottle painting to regular painting is to practise some sketching first.

Picked up an old edition of National Geographic magazine and tried out these two.

Sketching reinforces the old adage about lines being the most important part in any work of art. It really is all about lines in the end. So pick up a pencil and start off yourself....

Teaser Sketches

Sharing with you two preliminary sketches that are on their way to becoming full-fledged paintings.

Any guesses what these are?

Okay, I'll give you a hint. Both sketches are of food items, all edible stuff. Chew on that and let me know your responses. :)

Portrait Trials

Last weekend I tried my hand at portraits despite having zero training on this. Just picked up a newspaper, opened a random page, and attempted a few mugshots from it.

Managed to get some degree of likeness with the actual pictures but eyes do seem to be a tough area. It is not for nothing that they say that eyes define a person's face. You get them right, and almost everything else will fall in place.

As my dear hubby rightly says, portraiture is all about lines. You have to know which ones to use and which ones to skip.

With one of my favourite Bollywood icons, the inimitable Dev Anand passing on last weekend, I just have to try sketching him now.

The Process

Thought today I'd share with you a glimpse of the process.... that whole journey of turning my imagination into reality.

First I doodle around on a paper till I finally have a design I am satisfied with.

Then I translate the design into reality with paints, making changes along the way depending on the shape and size of the bottle.

Currently working on this fun bottle that tells a story.... Got any owl stories to share yourselves? :)

Monochromatic

Being away from my colors these last two months has given me a monochromatic vision!

When the mind is clutterred with too many things but the hands want to doodle anyway, this is the result.

Apologies for the single post last month despite promising otherwise. Sometimes the plan just doesn't work....

Hope to make up for that this month so check back for some of my painted bottles soon. And many thanks to all my lovely readers for hanging in there with me.:)