In The Wilderness

Pretty poppies bobbing their heads in the wild.... reminding me of stray fields of glorious colour I'd come across in the suburban area I stayed in earlier, or even the hillsides where such flowers pop up miraculously by the wayside when you least expect them.

Painted on gallery-wrapped canvas (12"x10") for the first time, and loved the experience. The pre-stretched fabric gave me the liberty to do a lot of texturing on the surface, as you can see from the close-ups below.

It was fun to paint around the edges - so you can approach the painting from any side and still get the same kind of view. Also, wrapping the flower petals and stems over the sides gave the piece a nice, realistic feel. Now I want to paint on a bigger size, at least a 36"x36" if not more. Would be such an exhilarating experience.... Any ideas where in Delhi I can get pre-stretched canvases of this size?

Sunbird On Hibiscus

An oblong-shaped glass panel, an out-of-the-blue design, and there you have it.... a sunbird perched on a hibiscus flower, flapping its wings as it sucks in the nectar through its long beak.

Did I tell you before that every time I work on glass, I'm transported to heaven! :) I've taken a fancy to doing birds on glass now. The other morning I spotted a family of Goldenback Woodpeckers on my morning walk, and want to try that one now. Would look awesome on a large panel.... what say?

Five Already!

The blog quietly turned five over the weekend. Quietly because unlike a lot of other bloggers, I'm not having a blog party or give-aways to celebrate.

Rather, I'm taken back to thinking of why I started the blog in the first place..... Five years back, as a tired but happy mommy I knew I had the creative bug in me, but with two small kids, managing a home and a full-time job, my hands were too full to indulge my creative self. Then I thought this blog could act as a catalyst to make we want to make new things, share my creative endeavours with the world, and create a repository for my kids (and other interested readers) in the process. That was the humble start.... Little did I know that as the kids grew, so would my hunger to create. With more time on my hands, I turned to painting bottles, and found appreciative patrons. I could never imagine folks actually wanted to buy my creations, but I made some fabulous new friends and shared wonderful experiences in the process.

Today, I feel thankful that I've come such a long way. I have had a wonderful journey.... And I know that this is one journey that won't end anytime soon. Every year I move on to a new bend in the road, a new vantage point, and more vistas open up. What can be better than such a satisfying trip!

Today, dear readers, let me share with you that I did have my periods of self-doubt. Low phases, down-in-the-dumps moments when I saw others steal ideas and forge ahead....but then creativity cannot be learnt or copied; it comes from within. Many promises were made and broken, many talks got stuck in paperwork and red tape, many a times deals with online shopping portals fell through..... but what is most important is that none of it made my creative outpourings stop. Or the appreciation of friends and patrons.... So, any of you out there looking for a steal on an original artwork for your home or office, or wanting a few quirky bottles to spice up the décor, just drop me a line at creativerumblings@gmail.com. And in the meanwhile, I'll just get back to doing what I love best.... making the world a little more colourful! :)

Seashell Paperweights

Remember that old tongue-twister that we all mumble at some point during our growing-up years: "She sells seashells on the seashore." Okay, now say that five times in quick succession before you read further! :)

Hah, no one sold us any shells but since we came back from a beach vacation, we brought along a bagful of pretty seashells. So naturally it was crafting time using our new-found treasures.... and we made these seashell paperweights, a reminder of our beachy vacation.

Good thing we got these done, for I always seem to have loads of loose paper strewn on my work desk. Finally, they won't keep flying off.... and maybe the hubby can be gifted one for his Father's Day gift.

Am planning to make more crafty things using our seashell collection. Meanwhile, for the how-to of this project, you can go here. Do drop in a comment if any of you try this out, and sharing pictures will be even more fun. You can find my email in the right sidebar. Hoping you all have a creative weekend!

The Final Outcome

The searing heat is getting too much to bear so am off on a vacation.... In the meanwhile, as promised last week, here is a peek into what that last sketch turned into.

I haven't named this one yet; any ideas from you all, dear readers?

First Strokes

Does it ever happen to you?....

...That the first few strokes look so amazing that you never get around to working on the rest of it!!!

Yes, it happens with me many a times. This one lay on my work table like this for a week before I actually felt like going in and finishing it. Of course the finished piece always looks quite different from those initial strokes.

Come back next week and I'll give you glimpses of what this finally turned into!

Laburnum: A Quick Study

My walk in the park today drew my attention to the bunches of yellow hanging overhead. The Laburnum or Amaltas was blooming again, the faint sweetness of its fragrance hanging in the crisp morning air.

As I looked up, I could see a maze of yellow flowers, green leaves and brown stems, with bits of sky filling up the background.

That is exactly what I have tried to capture in this quick study of the Amaltas, a flower I have admired for long but could finally bring myself to paint only now.

Hope you all have a good weekend!