Beneath the Pond

Acrylic on wrapped canvas, 12"x16"

This is a whimsical art and I enjoyed painting this under-the-pond scene. Its fun once in a while to break all rules of reality :-). This was a commissioned work.

Yumthang Valley

Acrylic on Canvas, 12"x16"

Got this painting done today and creating this scene on canvas was such a joy. Yumthang valley in the state of Sikkim is a picturesque place situated in the north eastern part of India. We visited this place couple of years ago in May, and I was in awe of the beauty of the Himalayan mountains all around. Come spring, the valley is laden with the vibrant rhododendron flowers which come in an array of colours such as pink, red, purple and white.

I took many pictures here, and this scene was chosen for my painting. Here is the reference picture.I added in the rocks,more flowers, clouds and did some colour shifts. What is satisfying is, since I intended this as a small study before doing a larger one, I did not get worked up, was not afraid to experiment and got done very quickly in about three sittings.

Morning in the Woods

Acrylic on Canvas, 24"x 36"

Since a month, painting has been keeping me busy, for a change :-). Got done three of them. One of them was my first commissioned painting, which I shall post later.
I enjoyed painting this scene from a reference photo. Added in the deer and experimented with the foliage.  In my opinion, painting bigger just feels visually better, especially landscapes. This was also a learning experience in terms of adjusting the values. Achieving the right values when there are many colors in the painting is tricky in the beginning. Its easier when you have just two or three colors to play with. 

Ships Ahoy!

Acrylic on Canvas, 24" x 36"

I enjoyed painting this fantasy scene for my 11yr old son. He loves drama on high seas involving ships and pirates of the bygone days.

Its the first time I'm painting a fairly big size (24"x 36"), which required me to stand and paint for the most part. The process of conceptualizing this painting was interesting.  Each of the elements was referred from various photographs and putting them all together was the challenge. Deciding the color scheme, painting the choppy sea and bringing out the lights and darks in the painting were the other challenges. Overall, it was a fun project and my son is eagerly waiting to hang it in his room.

To give you an idea briefly, here is how I achieved my composition-