Chillies!

I saw these at Park Circus market yesterday, when I went to do my weekly vegetable shopping...dried Kashmeri chillies...so many colours! I did a really quick sketch and managed to get the impression of the chillies in 20 mins. Viveck took  pictures for a reference and I will attempt a larger more detailed painting.

Cactus Monday...my aloe vera plant

My aloe vera plant for Cactus Monday today. A very quick painting done in 20 mins...I have managed to get the misshapen pot as well!!! I looked up the net to find out whether it was a cactus plant or not!

Pottery, brass and copper

A still life from art class. Habib is on holiday, so Jyoti and I put this together...ceramic pots, brass candle stands, my brass 'paan dan'. I loved the colours, the reflections, the tones and shades.  I'm not too happy with the composition though..maybe replacing the tall candle stand with a potted plant may have added a little more character to this composition. I enjoyed painting it though and I'm pleased with this picture. The challenge was to try and get the shine of the brass and the dull look of the pots! I have used the same hand made paper and seem to be getting the hang of it!

The Dhobi Ghat

The reference for this painting is a picture taken of the Dhobi Ghat behind our house! It took a lot of time to try and get the folds in the hanging clothes, the wet grass and the drama of the bamboo poles. It was worth the effort as I like this picture! I used a local rough handmade paper which was really difficult to paint on, but after soaking it a couple of times it got a little easier. I do feel the rough texture of the paper lends itself to the subject of this painting.

The Banyan Tree at Tolly

I painted this picture as a present for Viveck's 60th birthday! The Tolly club has some amazing trees! This is a very grand old Banyan and Viveck always says how wonderful it is to see it in all its many moods. This is the tree in Spring! I loved doing this picture. The challenge was to try and capture the magnificence of the tree...and the drama is in the tiny golfers near it, the many shades of greens, the brightness of a summer day!

Cactus Monday

Another Cactus Monday!This is Viveck's favourite plant...It has traveled with us from one place to the other during our postings! It gives out little shoots which we transplant into other pots and give it to friends. I think the reason Viveck likes this so much is because this little cactai with the thick stiff leaves, every so often,  gives out this one long fine stem with these tine mauve flowers...

Weekend Painting

I have started my Saturday painting classes again, and am loving it. I did quite a bit of painting this weekend. The first is the silk cotton flowers, I tried to capture the vibrant reds of the flowers and the many greens around it.

The next one is a picture of a plant...'the crown of thorns' which I did at painting class. The plant was put near a window with the light shining on it from one side.  I am really happy with this picture as I wanted to catch the lights and shadows and have managed to do that! I also got the really nasty thorns quite well!

Cactus Monday again!

Its time for another cactus painting for the Cactus Monday Challenge. Not sure what this plant is called, but I know its of the cactus family and the bright red flowers are a constant reminder of when I was a little girl! We were in Burma, I must have been around 8 or 9, and my father was the military attache there. We had a big pot of this plant growing at home. I remember making button holes with the flowers (often getting pricked by the really vicious thorns!) attaching it to a small fern and wrapping the stems with a piece of silver paper.....for my father when he went out in the evening for a formal occasion.  He would wait till I put it onto his coat! I have my plant growing in a little pot...and gives me a good feeling whenever I look at it! I thought I would do this as a 20 minute challenge, but it took a little longer, but I enjoyed painting it!