A First!!!!

This is the first picture I have done from memory! This was a tree I came across on my trek to Roopkund. It stayed in my mind, such a very clear picture! I think what struck me was that in spite of the huge hole in the root caused by a fire, tiny leaves had again begun to sprout on the trunk. The tree was huge and so awe inspiring! I did a sketch while waiting for a break from walking. 4 years later it is still so vivid in my mind. I decided to paint a picture of it....and am delighted with the result.
This picture also shows how far I have come in my painting....I used a 'difficult to use' hand made paper, really rough, but terrific, quite a wet style, a thick brush, a very small palette of ultramarine blue, burnt umber, paynes grey and sap green....shut my eyes,didn't think too much, imagined the picture and tried to recreate it!

In the Sun...Gujarat

I did a sketch of this picture soon after I took it. I am now getting ready for my first ever exhibition, and so have done a bigger version of it. I loved the moment it captured....a group of women jumping out of a over stuffed jeep, which came a halt in front of my car during a field visit in rural Gujarat last year! The memory remains, the laughter, the bright colours of their clothes, and a sense of lightness and freedom, almost, as they jumped out and sat under the tree, chattering all the time!

Early morning mist

At present, the early mornings in Kolkata are shrouded in ground mist, which remains well into late morning when a weak sun tries to show itself! This doesn't deter the early morning walker! I tried to capture the mist and the greys and pinks that make a unique light, the shadows under the trees and the light ahead! Viveck says that this picture is 'bleak', but I think its come out well !

The last Puri sketch!

The boganvilla bush were in abundance, full of bright pink flowers! The old blue gate that leads to the sea, all caught in a really bright sunlight made a nice picture!

More glimpses of Puri!

Its calm and peaceful in Puri. The kids and Viveck are out swimming in the sea, its a cool and balmy day and I am sitting on the Varandah and painting....there are no schedules to keep, as time lazily moves on.

This tree has been here since I first started coming to Puri over 30 years ago. It has withstood all the many storms that hit the Puri coast during the Monsoons!