Abstract Landscape: The Hills Are Alive

The biting cold of the last week has made us all compare our city in the plains to the freezing locales uphill. The chill of the mountains floating down here is unmistakeable, and the lack of sunshine only adds to the awfully cold conditions.

So naturally I was reminded of the many visits to the hills of Himachal in my growing-up years, and the beauty of the verdant landscape. The tall trees standing stately with their heads in the clouds, the swirling fog, the multi-hued hills depending on the light and the distance... and the hills finally merging into the skies. This is exactly what I tried capturing in this landscape.

I really enjoyed painting this piece and have used techniques like wet-in-wet for the mountains, and dripping for the trees. One of those paintings that looks far nicer upfront. Wish the colours could have been captured by the camera in their original brightness.

Still, a favourite piece as it helps me connect with my past travels. :)

Gift Tags

Another new year starts off.... should have been the season for much partying and enjoyment. But the ghastly happenings in the city had left me in deep distress, unable to do anything creative. Being the mother of a daughter myself it gave me immense anguish to see the apathy of the government at such a sensitive issue.

So, in the hope that the coming new year will bring us better times, I spent the last day of the 2012 making these handmade gift tags...

Some using wooden blocks and paints...

And others by simply doodling designs...

Helped bring the focus back to my creative work, and away from the craziness of everyday living. Hope in the coming year we have the sense to gift some respect and honour to our women.

And in the meanwhile, if you need any gift tags for all those upcoming weddings and parties, drop in a line at creativerumblings@gmail.com and get some handmade ones for yourself.

Happy 2013

Wish all my readers a happy, joyous, peaceful, and safe 2013.

Here's hoping this year makes us wiser to our responsibilities as citizens of the world's largest democracy. And may we find creative solutions to tackle all our problems!

Abstract Landscape: Mustard Fields

I am roaming the world of abstraction these days, and I feel like Alice in wonderland, full of curiosity. :) There is only some degree of control you can have when you create abstract art. To have fun you have to let the colours get a life of their own. As they spread, roll, splatter and mix across your canvas, new forms and interpretations evolve.... and therein lies the charm of the abstract.

So what do you all make of this one, dear readers? To me it is a fields of yellow flowers, with flowing water merging into a multi-colored sky. Let your imaginative interpretation roll, and let me know your views.

The holiday season is round the corner, so Happy Holidays, Merry Xmas, and a Fantastic, Colourful and Creative 2013 to all my readers. That is if we survive the Mayan's calendar doomsday today. :)) Catch you all next year!

Nature Calls

This painting appeared to me in my dreams.... well, almost. As I lay in bed one night, trying hard to fall asleep so I could wake up early the next day, my brain started getting these image flashes. And I captured on paper what I could recall next morning.

This one is definitely nature-inspired, and it reminds me of the myriad colours that one can see in a forest. I especially like the large leaves on blue and the core of the flower depicted by the tiny dots. So what do you all make of it?

Mother And Child

As the winter chill picks up, somehow my mind goes back to the summers....

On my daily walk one such summer morning, I chanced upon this scene in the park. As I turned a bend, there they were right in front of me. A mother and a child, sharing food - the mother cajoling, breaking the food into smaller pieces and prompting the child to eat, the child playful and wanting to finish off quickly so he could return to his play.

Some walkers stopped in their tracks as they saw them. After all, simians are unpredictable. They could snatch something off.... maybe that expensive cellphone even. But I gingerly walked past, almost on tiptoe so as not to disturb their breakfast. For I saw only a mother and a child; the species did not matter.

The camera hasn't quite done complete justice to this one in terms of the colours; upfront the shades look far brighter, especially the yellow in the background, making it really striking. Hope you like it anyhow.

A Fish Without Water!

So there was this fish I had lying around my workspace. First it almost got turned into a bookmark... but then it stuck itself on a rust-coloured card and prompted this message.
 

Now the fish without water sits on my table and reminds me to get some colour into my life everyday!
 

A new month, and the last of the year, is already upon us. And I have just recovered from one of my non-productive, uninspired phases. There are ideas in my head that need putting down, so hopefully we'll get more work done this month.
 

Make the most of the remaining part of 2012 before 2013 takes us all to fresh starts!