Kaash Flowers

The 20 min.challenge this month was Something Autumn!The immediate picture that comes to mind is that of  leaves turning to yellows and golds, rusts and the many shades of reds, yards covered with fallen leaves and Nat King Cole singing Autumn Leaves!
However in Bengal where I live, autumn means the flowering of the Kaash flowers. It heralds  the end of the very wet Monsoons and the fields, especially near the river are covered with Kaash! I suppose its a kind of elephant grass which have these amazing silvery grey flowers! The river is no longer unsafe and the small country boats start fishing again. I have a memory of them from childhood....my mother used to put them in tall earthenware pots, and they glistened like silver, when the sunlight fell on them!

Flowering cactus!

Another entry for the cactus Monday challenge! I loved this flower and reminded me of the plant I had in Guwahati. Unfortunately it hasn't flowered again! maybe it didn't want to leave Assam!

Perfume Bottles

Habib wanted us to paint glass, reflections, lights and shadows....so we put together Jyoti's perfume bottles on a blue dupatta and placed a crochet doily behind it and spot lit it. I didn't really enjoy painting it. but took it as a learning exercise. Have posted it to remind me that I shouldn't paint anything I don't really want to, even at a class!!!!

Looking out of Tash's window!

I am staying with Nitasha in Mumbai, on the 11th floor! In the distance there is an old building which has this wonderful gate leading onto the main road. It is made of wrought iron possibly, and I  see it every morning as I sit down with my morning cup of tea. This part of Mumbai is full of high rises, and this old gate certainly stands out. I have used washes and a black pen to do a quick sketch. At the moment there is a lot of rain here, so everything is very green and lush....I have tried to get the 'wet' look with the puddles in the court yard and the reflections of the cars on the road. It took about 45 mins. to do this sketch! Since starting to paint last year, my powers of observation seems to have improved greatly, I notice details of shape and size of things around, observes changes in light and shadows as the sun moves across a day, am able to isolate little scenes form a whole, that could make a possible picture....its a wonderful feeling....anything can create a picture!

Cactus Monday

I loved the yellow flower on this cactus plant in this picture I found on the net.  It reminded me of the cactus plants we saw in Rajasthan. Not sure I have managed to get the brightness of the yellow correct. I painted it without directly onto the paper without drawing it first!
HCM everyone!

Clouds!

I loved the clouds flitting in and out of the mountains! This was a painting for the 20 min challenge, and I did it in quick washes! Really pleased with this picture!

This next one is a still life. I asked for tea at the hotel and they brought it in this lovely old silver tea pot! I think its a coffee pot...but whatever, it was pretty, with the little flower on top!

Bhutan!

What an amazing visit to Bhutan! It is really God's own country, untouched, unspoiled and leaving one with an incredible feeling of gratitude that such spots still exist on this planet! I managed  to do a few sketches in my journal, and of course Viveck took many pictures!
The first night was in this hotel in Paro where every room was a little cottage with wood lined walls that were painted with designs! These are the windows from our room which looked out into the wooded grounds!

We spent a couple of days at Thimpu. This is the view from my window in the hotel room. It rained a lot so we didn't manage to go out too much. It was just fascinating to see how the clouds flitted in and out behind the mountains, how the light and shadows changed colours...just the sheer beauty of it all.

The Kelu Vinayak Temple

This is one of my two pictures that was exhibited at a recent exhibition. It was my first exhibition! The Kelu Vinayak Temple at Bagabasa (15000 feet), at the base of Roopkund! The reference is from a few pictures that Viveck took on our trek to Roopkund last year. It was the end of a grueling day of walking where we climbed almost 3000 feet on an almost non existent track. We were exhausted and as we turned the corner at the very top, suddenly there was this amazing little temple made of rocks with a beautiful stone statue of Ganesh inside and brass bells outside! It was such a spiritual experience, that I can still feel that moment of wonder and joy. So painting it was sheer joy as it brought back all the same feelings for me!