20 minute challenge

I did this in 20 mins.....the bottles on the kitchen window sill....put there to get the sun. Ginger that I got in Mizoram, green pepper corns from Roy's coffee estate in the South and whole green mangoes from Goa. All have been pickled in brine! I loved the colours the brine in the bottles made with the bright sun from the outside hitting them! the green are just a hint of the trees I can see from the widow! Painting the picture in 20 mins. ensured that I stayed focused and only put down what was essential for the painting! Its a great way to learn!

Cactus Monday again!

Not sure what this plant is called, but in India the common name is 'mother in law's' tongue or snake cacti! Possibly because the leaves end in a sharp point!!!! I used the pen again, and felt it helped the picture.

Money plants in the window

Jyoti and I kept wondering what we should do for our Saturday art class, especially since Habib had not come...I had noticed these money plants growing in old teapots on the window above the stairs, and it made a nice picture. So we both sat on the stairs and painted the picture. It was SO hot, but of course Jyoti got a table fan organized and we painted away. I am pleased with the picture and wish I had used better paper. This was just some ordinary local water colour paper! I think I may do a bigger version of this painting as well.

Its wonderful how anything can make a picture. I liked the plants that could be seen through the window as well and have tried to get the light outside and the fact that the money plant is on the window sill which is closer, and the rest is outside!

Prayer flags and bells!

This is from a picture Viveck took on his Nanda Devi trek a couple of years ago. After a long time I am really delighted with a painting I have done. It started off as a bit of a disaster, as I had painted the Mountains in the background and the very blue sky a little too bright. So in sheer disgust I took the hand shower and washed it all off...what remained was this really pale background, so once the paper dried, I finished the painting. I have used only washes of pale shades!

Jyoti's garden

At painting class yesterday, I sat on Jyoti's balcony and tried to capture a bit of her garden. Its the first time Habib suggested we do a landscape plein aire! Since its monsoon time, Jyoti's garden is lush and green and I loved the colours of the leaves and all her many plants. The wheel barrow under the tree full of dead leaves, the slightly mossy wall at the back,  made a nice picture! I think I have finally begun to develop something of my own style as I begin to master the art a little!

Morning surprise!!

I woke up this morning to a wonderful sight of flowering crocuses in my tiny balcony garden! What an amazing feeling! Lochmi had given me the seeds a couple of years ago and I had planted them in a pot. They havn't bloomed at all...only giving out leaves....until today, when there are 3 bright flowers...so I have tried to capture them in my journal! I have seen them popping up in odd places in people's gardens...but in my little balcony.....it is really exciting indeed. Today has been a special day!

Still life in blue

This time the still life was in blue. Habib is keen we look at subtleties of colour and tone, shadows and values. So this still life was put together with objects in shades of blue. The teapot is one I got from Auroville. Its a nice thought that bits of my house will be in Jyoti's forever, as will hers be in mine! I find painting folds of cloth a real problem, so I took a photograph of the still life and used that to guide the painting of the cloth.  I really loved doing this painting. Finally I feel I am getting the hang of painting with watercolours. I have achieved the final colours in this painting with a series of light washes, and yet not made bits look thick and muddy!

Cactus Monday again

This time its my little aednium plant which has sprouted many leaves! HCM everyone. I painted it under artificial light and have tried to get the shadow at the back! I also did this for a 20 min. challenge, so it was a quick picture. Have been experimenting with using a pen...I like the effect as well.

Sunflowers!

I did these from a reference picture. The idea was to paint it in a given time and I did the first one  in an hour. The second one was done in 30 mins. I painted it without any drawing! These are for my monthly wet canvas water colour challenge! I so loved painting these two pictures...Since I decided to concentrate on impressions and not too much detail...I am happy with the result!