New Watercolours

I have been very lazy with posting new works on my blog lately. Here are a few new ones that I have recently completed.

Telangkhedi Morning, Watercolour on Paper, 14" X 20" 

Farmhouse in Maharajbagh, Nagpur, Watercolour on Paper, 14.5" X 21.5" 

Abandoned platform at Cherlapalli Station, Watercolour on Paper, 14" X 20" 

Cherlapalli Railway Yard, Watercolour on Paper, 14" X 20" 

Sunny Day Repairs, Watercolour on Paper, 20" X 14" 

The last three paintings in this post are done en-plein air. All critiques and comments are most welcome.

Low Tide in Staithes, 24" X 20". Oil on Canvas, 

I have been a huge fan of the artwork of the british master painter David Curtis, ROI RSMA, both his watercolours and oils. Staithes is a recurrent place in most of his plein air work. He has painted it several times in all seasons and light conditions. One ought to see his work to appreciate the true beauty of this place.
I did this from a reference photo I found on the internet. Please do feel free to comment and critique :)

Still life with Oranges, Plums and Garlics

Still life with Oranges, Plums and Garlic, Oil on Canvas, 18" X 24" 

This canvas is slightly larger than those that I can handle comfortably. Henceforth I am planning to paint larger regularly so I dont have to feel intimidated by the occassional commissions I receive :).
I am not exactly happy with the blank forground. NExt time I will try to create a more balanced composition.
Thank you so much for visiting. Comments and critiques please .....

Sunny Morning Soliloquy

Sunny Morning Soliloquy, Oil on Canvas, 20" X 16" 

Its been some time since I posted anything new here. That is because I was busy completing the colour charts as described in Richard Schmid's book Alla Prima II. Each chart just seemed to take forever especially since I did all of them with a pallette knife. It was certainly an exhausting exercise but I feel more confident with colour now. Of course I will have to keep studying them periodically to grasp all the info they offer. I will be posting them in the near future. I noted that some colours result in really surprising mixtures, for e.g. Alizarin Crimson + Viridian give a beautiful purply-violet, Viridian, alizarin and Indian red are very strong colours and they dominate every mixture much more than the other colours even when added in traces, yellow ochre tends to darken every mixture it is added to etc. I am sure there is a lot more to discover. :)

The above painting "Sunny Morning Soliloquy" was done from a photograph I took very near to the place I live. The background was quite busy and I tried to quite it down to make sure it doesnt distract attention from the centre of interest. All comments are most welcome.

Navin

Navin, Oil on Canvas, 18" X 12.5"

This is a portrait of my friend Navin done from life yesterday afternoon. It was a wonderful experience and I am sure I have learnt a lot of things from thi unconsciously. I was really hoping that I would capture the likeness to the best of my ability so that he is not disappointed. In the end he was quite happy .... although I can certify that he is much better looking than this ;)
Thanks Navin and thanks everyone for stopping by. Comments and critiques please :)

Still Life with Garlics

Still Life with Garlics, Oil on Canvas, 14" X 18"

Still life has always been my favourite subject. It gives the opportunity to employ principles related to colour, value edges etc. to painting from life without having to depend on anyone. This one took me about 3 days (2 hrs every day in the morning). 
Thanks for stopping by. All comments and critiques are most welcome.

Two New Watercolours

NFC Bridge, Watercolour on Paper, 14" X 19"

Inside the Woods, Watercolour on Paper, 20" X 14" 

I have been doing quite a bit of painting these days, just didn't get time to upload my new works here. Here are two new watercolours. The first one of the NFC bridge is a plein air piece and the second one has been done from a photo. 
Thank you so much for dropping by. All comments and critiques are welcome.

Shubha on Radhanagar Beach, Andaman Islands

Shubha on Radhanagar Beach, Andaman Islands, Oil on Canvas, 12.5" X 18.5" 

This painting is based on a photograph of the beautiful Radhanagar Beach, Andaman Islands I clicked during our visit four years ago. My wife, Shubha is seen here wetting her legs and taking in the fresh air :)
All comments and critiques are most welcome.

New Watercolours

Here are a couple of watercolours that I have done recently.

EMU Shed, Moula Ali, Watercolour on Paper, 14" X 10.5" 

Cherlapally Lake, Watercolour on Paper, 14" X 20"

All comments and critiques are most welcome.

Sketch of a girl - a master copy

Sketch of a Girl (after W Bouguereau), Oil on Canvas, 14" X 12" 

To say that I am a huge admirer of William Adolphe Bouguereau would be such an understatement. I enjoyed doing this alla prima master copy and also it was a wonderful learning experience. I will be doing a few more these copies and hopefully achieve a better likeness :)
Thank you so much for stopping by. All comments and critiques are most welcome.

Still Life with Onion, Garlic and Grapes

Still Life with Onion, Garlic and Grapes, Oil on Canvas, 14" X 18"

I have painted this still life after a long time. I think it is a very good subject when trying to fine tune basics of values, edges etc. One doesn't have to hire a model and yet one can reap all the benefits of painting from life. Besides there is no need to feel embarrassed if the painting gets screwed up :) Perhaps thats why Still Life is one of my favourite genres.

Thanks for stopping by. Please do leave your valuable comments and critiques.

Rainy Day, Seminary Hills

Rainy Day, Seminary Hills, Watercolour on Paper, 14" X 20" 

Seminary hills is a lovely place in my hometown, Nagpur. It has a lovely forest-ish feel to it with dense vegetation and if you are lucky you might see a herd (is that the correct word ?) of antelopes crossing the road. This painting was done from a photograph taken on a rainy day :) I kept spraying water every once in a while to try and maintain the wet look.
All comments and critiques are most welcome :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Tikkar Billa, Oil on Canvas, 24" X 20" 

A very happy new year to all my friends and fellow bloggers. Thank you for all the encouragement you guys have provided me with in the past year. I look forward to it in the coming year too. 
I composed this painting using several sources, mostly photos and a couple of face and hand sketches. I have changed the colours of the dress hoping to create a more pleasing harmony.
Thank you so much for stopping by. All comments and critiques are most welcome.

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.

Inside Hislop Campus

Inside Hislop College Campus, Nagpur, Watercolour on Paper, 14" X 20" 

Did this one yesterday from a photo I had taken inside the beautiful Hislop Campus in Nagpur. 
Thank you so much for visiting :).

Moula Ali Railway Yard

Moula Ali Yard, Watercolour on Paper, 15" X 11" 

I go out plein air painting every weekend with a friend to some place nearby. This is my sketch from today morning done at the shunting yard near Moula Ali railway station. 

We were a bit hesitant to lay out our stuff in such a place, as we thought someone might raise an objection. But to our surprise there was no disturbance whatsoever and we ended up with a peaceful and fulfilling outdoor session! :)

All comments and critiques are most welcome. 

Ameya

Ameya, Oil on Paper, 15" X 11"

This is my first serious sketch of my son, Ameya. I have done a few in pencil before but I think here I have captured the likeness almost perfectly. I now feel I should have softened the line of the hair on his right temple.
All comments and critiques are most welcome.

Hislop College Grounds

Hislop College Grounds, Watercolour on Paper, 11" X 15"

Picked up my watercolour brushes after a while now. Did this from a photo I took in my hometown Nagpur. Hislop College is one of the oldest in the city and has extensive grounds. A great place to go plein air painting if you have a group! :)

All comments and critiques are most welcome!

Evening Light ... Oil

"Evening Light", Oil on Primed Paper, (22" X 15")

 

Photo reference Courtesy : Suresh Pethe

This is based on the photograph of a street scene in Pune, India. I loved this view  for the beautiful orange light just before sundown. Thank you Sureshji :)
This is my Sunday effort, painted on a half sheet. Did some tweaking here and there on Monday until I thought it was presentable. :) I have done a watercolour from this photo earlier (here). 
Which one do you think has come out better?
Thank you so much for visiting. All comments and critiques are most welcome.

View from the Fields

"View from the Fields", Watercolour on Paper, (14" X 20") 

I did this watercolour some time ago and then totally forgot about it. Yesterday while cleaning my room I found it. It is based on a photo I took in Kerala.
Thanks you so much for stopping by. I would be glad to know what you think of it. :)