In The Prime

I've realised three things with this painting - exactly when think you've finished all those bugs and beasts on your to-do list to make time for this one evening that you want to paint, you'll be bombarded with unexpected work from all quarters. There were children who needed to talk 'suddenly', a colleague who needed help with a class activity 'suddenly', a post-dinner meeting that went on for MUCH longer than anticipated, and then of course, a sudden tiredness and procrastination that seemed to engulf me last night the minute everything else was at bay.

The other big discovery - I enjoy day-paintings a lot more than night ones! If for nothing else, night-paintings seem to have a ticking timer for the upcoming morning that makes me somewhat impatient. Day-paintings, on the other hand, promise me that just in case I can't wind it up by dusk, there's a whole night that's waiting!

The third lesson - Paper Matters. The puddles on this painting that uses regular cartridge paper made me squirm at myself for not switching to the handmade paper files that I bought last year (and are still waiting, stacked daintily in one corner of my art-cupboard!)

So here is today afternoon's painting - in line with the promise that I declared on Facebook yesterday :) This one's only about colours - I had a gala time swishing and swooshing my paintbrush with yellow and crimson every now and then. The reference picture is one that I found in a book titled 'Roses' that caught my eye in the Botany section of the library a while ago. I was overwhelmed with what the book had in store for me... Ahh...More florals coming up - I prooooooomise!

Turning White in Spring

I was flipping through books in the library looking for pictures for a painting that I'm now working on and stumbled across a teeny-weeny picture of this tree. To be honest, the fine brush-work that painting this might involve struck me first and then the white flowers. And then the thought, "Gosh - and I thought Spring to always bring colour!"

It was one of those moments when a picture demands to be painted! I finished it in an hour, with the phone between my ear and my shoulder, catching up with everyone while I was off for the latter partof last week on an excursion. While I initially thought that would be a distraction, I was surprised to realise that the painting seemed to flow on its own to progress. Maybe a little lessthought helps. Maybe a little less of the consciousness about the end result ensures the painting becomes what it's meant to become, and not what it's intended to be. (Is that too much of a random word-jumble? I mean it :) )

Visteria, stare ya!

I looked at Jelaine's blog, clueless about the new coats on her work-in-progress piece that she promises to be full of detail. I'm extremely humbled for her to mention my name (that's SO sweet of you, Jelaine) - and just as much, somewhat mentally blocked with the blue she used in her painting. The minute I saw it, my hands were itching to paint. It was just the blue - that blue - all it's shades - but that very hue. I needed to touch it then and there.

I remember making a painting full of visteria. It was such a delight to paint that when I finally came across the close up of the bunch, I couldn't resist it. It was, however, one thing to appreciate it botanically, quite another to interpret it artistically!

Something told me that this was meant to be a wet-in-wet play of colours. Cobalt Blue sheet-one had me as cheerful as my little kiddos in class. A second layer ushered in some details of the petals. I finally brought in loose strokes of my old favourite, Mr. Prussian to waltz around a wee-bit, every second resisting the temptation of telling him to take smaller (and more precise) steps. I HAD to push myself to forego the details. That's the visteria of my wall - fuzzy and deceptively delicate.

The Happy Bush!

Like all grand plans, I'd thought tonight would be the night of endless paintings - what I refer to as 'the churn'. I had recently picked up a dusted book from the 'botany' section of the Junior School library for lack of a trigger/inspiration even though I have been dying to paint for the last one week! I've stuck bookmarks all over the book - it's a delight!

I just wanted to keep the pencil at bay. This wasn't as bad as I'd prepared my mind for. Neither was the Visteria - what do you think? More florals coming up - watch out!

P.S.
The title's spun a pun... unintentionally - I promise :P

Melt 'n' Mirror

Born Bunched!

Hello, 2009!

May this bird of paradise be the harbinger of the same for everyone in 2009...

Happpppyyyyy Neeeeeeeewww Yurrrrrr !!!