Commissioned Work - Konkan House

Konkan House, Watercolour on Paper, 15" X 22" 

I was commissioned by a wonderful gentleman and art collector from Mumbai to make this painting of his beautiful ancestral house in Konkan. It is not often that the person who commission an artist has a clear idea of what he wants. Fortunately, this time there was no such problem. He was quite clear about what he wanted and yet open to my creative inputs. 

Its indeed a greatly satisfying thing to know that the collector is happy with his new acquisition. :) 

Thank you so much friends for visiting. All comments are most welcome.

Konkan Road

Konkan Road, Watercolour on Paper, (20" X 14") 

 This is a place somewhere in Konkan where the summers are as hot as the mangoes are sweet. This depicts the place in summer with a typically harsh sunlight and deserted streets.

This is the preliminary sketch I used for this painting. I have made some minor changes, like the position of the bicycle etc. As always I think the sketch has greater impact than the final painting. Perhaps its the urge to create a "presentable" (read twee) and "good" final painting that causes it to lose the strength of the original sketch.
Thank you so much for stopping by. :)

The Sunny Spot

The Sunny Spot, Watercolour on Paper, (10.5" x 9.5")

This is a small watercolour sketch of a house in Konkan. I love painting houses with tiled roofs, even though its sucha a cliche! :)


Comments and critiques please.

Konkan House 2

Konkan House 2, Watercolour on Paper, (11" x 14")

This is another painting based on a referece photograph taken in Konkan. I wanted to capture the feel of a warm sunny day, but I guess the excessive use of blue goes counter to that intention.
Anyways, we live (read paint) and learn :)
Thank you all for stopping by. All comments and critiques are most welcome.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Konkan House, Watercolour on Paper, (10.5" x 14")

(Actually Ko-Kan as pronounced in Marathi)

This is my first post in the new year. So let me take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy, prosperous, fulfulling  and artistic new year. May we all achieve greater success in our artistic endeavours.

This is a typical house from Konkan ( the western coastal region of Maharashtra). The place is hilly and so most houses have rooms at slightly different levels from each other. I did this from a photograph I took in Guhagar and a couple of sketches done on site.

All critiques and comments are most welcome.

Rampur Neighbourhood

Rampur Neighbourhood, Watercolour on Paper, (14" x 10.5")

My mothers family migrated to Nagpur from Konkan about 80 years ago (before independence).  A very small portion of their once extensive property still remains in Konkan though, with nobody to take care of it, except a small farmer who had leased the land for tilling but hasnt paid his dues for the last 25 years. Recently I had the opportunity to visit this small place. Its in a small village called Rampur. This was my first trip to Konkan.

Anyone who visits the place has to fall in love with the thatched roof houses, fields, palm and coconut trees, temples and hills ( I almost forgot the beaches). No wonder so many artists in India love making paintings of Konkan.

The above painting is of the farmhouse on my great grandpa's farm. Comments and critiques please....