The Lighthouse

Way back when I was in high school, I had the opportunity to go up a lighthouse. I still remember the name of the place - it was the Chandrabhaga Lighthouse near the famous Sun Temple of Konark in Orissa.

We were on a trip to Orissa; on a rainy, drizzly afternoon as we went up the lighthouse, I still remember how breathtaking the view from top was! As we laboured up the long flight of steps, the deep-set windows brought in wafts of fresh sea breeze. I climbed right up to the top where the reflector is installed, and as I looked down the glass windows, one side was deep green forest and the other was a deep blue sea. Simply gorgeous! One day last week I was suddenly reminded of that experience, and so decided to paint a lighthouse.

This is again one of those quick acrylics on paper, completed over an afternoon. Making this helped me connect with that precious past experience once more.

P.S. : Posting is likely to be thin as the festive season starts, and I'll get to paint much less with all the moving around and socialising. But do keep checking in for updates.

Tea And Cakes

I'm in experimentation mode. So I decided to do this one.... it is a little different from my usual landscapes.

Though an acrylic on paper again, this painting doesn't come from any photograph but has been entirely conjured up in my head. Not a very difficult thing to do for a woman, given the subject! :)


I have always been charmed by the round-bottomed traditional ceramic teapot that comes along with its matching set of cups. This painting is simply an ode to one of the biggest pleasures that we take for granted - sipping tea while nibbling into a piece of cake. Mmmm...

Hope you enjoy this as much as I loved painting it.

Orange Hills

This time I kept my promise to be back soon! :)

And this time I worked using poster colours instead of the usual acrylics. Well, poster colours spread better with water but the colours do not have as much vibrancy as the acrylics do.

I also captured the progress of my work through its various stages. So the first wash looked like this.

After the first wash was completely dry, I worked on the details of the railway track and its surroundings.

Then the final painting turned out this way....


My inspiration photograph for this painting came from the very interesting travel blog of Mridula Dwivedi called Travel Tales From India.


This picture was taken on a walk from Barog to Solan during one of Mridula's trips to the Himachal, accompanied by her young nephews. Click here to read the associated article.

The Vanishing Trick

I never seem to be able to keep my word, do I? I make promises of showing you all my new creative projects and then disappear! Well, some of the reasons of my disappearance are given right here.

As for what I've been upto, I'll leave you with this teaser of an unfinished project for the kids. Hope to complete it over this weekend.

And yes, I just finished another painting, this time using my kids' poster paints. :) You'll get a peep into that too... very soon.... promise!!!

Falkenberg Series: Contemplation

I'm back with another painting based on the photographs of Falkenberg that I saw here. This one also required a lot of underpainting, washes and layering but I really enjoyed doing it.

Perhaps because I finally seem to be getting the hang of how to do a painting in bits and parts rather than at one go. And have gathered the patience to let dry between coats! :)

Here is the photograph that inspired Contemplation. I really like the serenity that the picture exudes.

So what do you think of this one? In my next post I'll show you what I do in between my painting sprees. Now that is another story.... so stay tuned!

Road To Eternity

Just finished my latest work; it was a tough one to do. There were too many colors and too many washes involved, and perhaps this wasn't the correct choice of picture for a raw beginner like me.

Anyway, I have come away from the experience with quite a few learnings. And most importantly, I have realized that I have to be a more patient artist. I just can't seem to wait for previous washes to dry before starting out with my loaded brush again!


Though when I look at this picture of the drawing, it does feel like the camera did not quite do justice to it. The interplay of light and shade in the finished painting does look much better upfront, believe me! For the record, this one is also inspired by the Cotswold countryside in the UK.


How I envy my friend for actually being able to travel down this road and watch these glorious Fall colours. And thank her for sharing this lovely photograph that inspired me to be creative with my colors and brushes. :)

Till the next paint outing....

Coastal Europe: Falkenberg

As promised in my last post, here is the official preview of my next painting. This was inspired from a photograph of the European coastal town of Falkenberg that I came across in the blog A Home Far Away.

Do hop over to see some more of the lovely pictures that blog author Gunilla has put up of her vacation in this area in July.

Meanwhile I am trying to work on my next. I have to work out a way of not getting interrupted in the middle of my work... that by far seems to be my biggest challenge right now. Phew!

Comments, suggestions and reactions are welcome, as always.