The Great Chomper

In these last couple of months of lockdown and staying in, one has hardly had any human visitors. Just occasional interaction with the neighbours from a distance.

But one summer day we discovered someone new roaming in the neighbourhood. She came straight towards our giloy plant, plucking off all the fresh leaves at one go. After finishing chomping on the giloy, she made a beeline for the red hibiscus.

And thereby hangs the tale of how this painting was created and named. Our bovine visitor now comes by occasionally, and is always seen chomping on new varieties. Though the giloy remains her favourite.

Home & Safe

Here is the fourth and the last drawing from my illustration series Lockdown Freedom. This series features a creature (my signature bird in this case) who is free from the global lockdown, and leading a life doing what they please.

Even as the lockdown gets extended every few days, it is time to realise our responsibilities and minimize our outdoor adventures. For home is the best place to be; ask our birdie who finds her nest to be the coziest spot on the planet.

Since the lockdown is also about frugal living and using only the basics, this series has been painted using only the primary colours (red, blue and yellow) and their various combinations, along with just black and white.

Hope you all enjoyed this series, conceptualized and executed despite a lockdown. My takeaway from the series has been to turn crisis into something productive; to resolve to clutch on to the positives, inspite of all the negativity coming our way. For in the end, only hope floats!


#lockdownart

Over The Supermoon

This week I bring you the third painting from my new illustration series, appropriately called Lockdown Freedom. Yes, the name of the series is an oxymoron on purpose. This series features a creature (my signature bird/s in this case) who is free from the global lockdown, and leading a life doing what they please.

So did you all catch the pink supermoon last month? It was out on 07 April. Well, the moon wasn't really pink but more of a pale yellow, and hung really low on the horizon. Don't know about you but my birds definitely enjoyed it, getting soothed in its mellow yellow light. Even if you missed the last one, you can also equally enjoy the sighting of the supermoon; even in lockdown. There is another supermoon coming up on 07 May so watch out for it.

Since the lockdown is also about frugal living and using only the basics, this series has been painted using only the primary colours (red, blue and yellow) and their various combinations, along with just black and white. Watch out for subsequent paintings from the series in the coming weeks.

Stay home and stay safe. As we remain in lockdown, look for the silver lining behind the dark clouds. Appreciate being in the here and now, for the present is a gift to be cherished.

#lockdownart

Melody Central

Today being Earth Day, I had to share with you all my second painting from my new illustration series, appropriately called Lockdown Freedom. This series features a creature (my signature bird/s in this case) who is free from the global lockdown, and leading a life doing what they please. Like singing their hearts out to their own tunes.

Have you tuned in to this new music channel - Melody Central? Listen closely.... and you'll find it playing across most cities around the world. As multiple news reports have confirmed, birdsong has returned to our cities and lives, ever since the lockdown started. Well, we can also equally participate in the joy of the bird. Even in lockdown. Tune in to the nearest tree and you'll find Melody Central playing.... sometimes solo, and sometimes in orchestra!

Music being food for the soul, why not indulge in our favourite melodies during these depressing days. What better way to transport ourselves to a sweet and soothing state of mind. Since the lockdown is also about frugal living and using only the basics, this series has been painted using only the primary colours (red, blue and yellow) and their various combinations, along with just black and white.

Watch out for subsequent paintings from the series in the coming weeks. Stay home, stay safe....and stay happy! We might just be on the verge of a brand new Earth.

#lockdownart

Spring Vibes

Bringing you all the first painting from my new illustration series, appropriately called Lockdown Freedom. Yes, the name of the series is an oxymoron on purpose. This series will feature a creature (my signature bird/s in this case) who is free from the global lockdown, and leading a life doing what they please. Also, now that humans are under lockdown, these creatures definitely have more freedom.

But look carefully.... and you'll find that we can also equally participate in the joy of the bird. Even in lockdown. By celebrating the beautiful blooms of Spring amidst the clear blue skies, thanks to zero pollution.

Since the lockdown is also about frugal living and using only the basics, this series has been painted using only the primary colours (red, blue and yellow) and their various combinations, along with just black and white. Watch out for subsequent paintings from the series in the coming weeks.

Stay home and stay safe. Participate in the lockdown in the right spirit. C'mon, dear readers, let us choose to focus on the positives during this period of crisis. And yes, turn to creativity to break the monotony of the lockdown.

#lockdownart

Wonderful World

Towards the end of February, as I started doodling and sketching arbitrarily on a pre-stamped journal page (those brown and pink marks are made using a chopped mushroom as a stamp), I ended up with this painting. Depicting life forms from all the habitats - land, sea and sky - the human figure in the centre uniting all to convey gratitude towards the wonderful world we live in.

Little did I know then that in under a month, the world would be battling a global health crisis. A pandemic that has come into existence because the human species refused to let Nature be; because we tried to show our supremacy over other life forms and habitats. How we have been humbled.... confined to our own spaces instead of forever intruding into theirs.

Stay home and stay safe, dear readers and followers. In the meanwhile, you can utilize the lock down to try out some of the creative ideas on this blog. Check out older posts and I'm sure you'll find something that catches your fancy. Happy creating!

Fantasea

Though it has been a while since I've been near the sea, but a bit of the sea is always in me! So I decided to put up a couple of sea-themed abstracts. While the square one is on canvas, the panel is a piece of treated board. 

I created the canvas way back in 2014 but forgot to post about it, and the poor fellow lay ignored along with some other canvases in a corner of my studio. When we moved into a bigger space last year, I decided to pull out these pieces and use them in our home decor. I had lots of fun doing the background for this canvas since it involved some crazy, unpredictable paint drips. One always lands up with interesting pieces of art if one lets go, and eases the control a bit. While the outcome may not always be what you expected, but that is where your artistic imagination is supposed to kick in!

As for the panel, I created it last month, and it features sea shells we collected on our last family vacation to a beach. The glass beads give a sense of sea glass, and the colour scheme matches that of the canvas. They now hang together as an arrangement appropriately named 'Fantasea'.

I have plans to do more panels in the coming days, and will share my experiments with you as always. Meanwhile, here's marching on with our creative pursuits as we near completing a quarter of the new year already....where does time fly, really?