Vine charcoal on paper

I STRUGGLED with this sketch :( Frustrated ? Yes!..but too exhausted and sleepy to vent it. I shall go to bed now ...tomorrow will be a new day, a fresh canvas and a better sketch :)) AMEN!

The squint and the wrinkle !

5X5 Oil on canvas

I like it hot 

6X6 Oil on canvas

Lemon from fool's garden

I want to create great art. I want people to see it, touch it and have an emotional response . As an artist it is vital that one has something to say, but it is equally important how one says it. And I sure want to say it beautifully :) 

In my pursuit to do so, I am training myself to see better, to see more, to see differently - to SQUINT. I would like to talk a little about squinting today - a technique where the artist brings the eyelids together and sees through the eyelashes to get an impression of the object. The idea is to catch the abstract image,  get rid of the details.With correct values, temperature and leaving out the details, the artist creates an illusion of the object. The more one can simplify the object the more one has mastered the technique. 

In my quest to leave out the details  I have started working on tiny pieces to train my eyes. Hours of squinting have left me with strained eyes, signs of a faint wrinkle on my nose and lost sleep over the wrinkle :( But then..what are a few wrinkles in the purusit of art ? I shall leave you with the thought.

Figurative - untitled !

Nupastel on paper (The colors in this photograph are a little washed out)

I have painted many nudes, but the piece below made me uncomfortable. It bothered me in my sleep and I was up early this morning trying to figure out what exactly didn't seem right !The girl looked a bit too vulnerable for my comfort. Had a few of my critics ( my family is my only critic ;)) look at it....and we all share the same emotion.  I decided to dress her up a little ...definitely looks better.What do you think?

                                              

               Nupastel on paper

The human form is an unending source of inspiration ....I see immense beauty and try to capture it on canvas. Each model brings in her character, her mood to the sketch ..I sensed a vulnerability in my model today.Probably, because she hasn't posed for many artists before. Am not giving a title..it can be restrictive. I leave it to you, the viewer :)

The Orange Glow

6X6 Oil on canvas

I have a new-found perspective on still life after seeing the works of Qiang Huang and finally taking hisworkshop. Qiang adds a lot of vigor and energy to his subject with bold and confident strokes.

In fact you can't really call it 'STILL' life ..the brush strokes add a sense of movement and  with each deliberate, magical stroke the painting comes alive :) Now, I believe still life can evoke emotions ..and it is much more difficult to evoke a certain emotion in your viewer through a still life than a figurative/abstract/surrealistic work. 

It is a challenge and I am definitely  up for it. So, here is my first 'still life' after Qiang's workshop and I hope to paint my magical still life painting one day  :)

Always open to your critical feedback  :)

On a break ?

The past few days have been a struggle in my artistic pursuits...several horrendous sketches, painting disasters followed by hours of sulking. After repeated failures and wallowing in self pity I concluded that sometimes it is important to let go and not try too hard..so, I am on a break doing things that need to be done but I hate doing.. Apartment hunting, laundry, marathon cleaning, financial paperwork and WORKOUT ! But, the week has ended on a very good note.I have had the privilege and pleasure of attending Qiang Huang's workshop. Enriching and motivating..It ends tommorrow and I shall dedicate my next blog posting to him (hopefully with a fine painting)

A Study of 'Indecision'

Oil on Canvas, 14X16

I painted this as a study of Andrew Atroshenko's 'Indecision'. Andrew Atroshenko is one of my favorite figurative artist and I plan on doing more of his paintings to study his style...his choice of colors are warm and vibrant. The strokes are loose, there is a richness in his work. I would love to see his work in person and probably own his original work some day :)