Red Hot - Original Still Life in Oils

This is one of my "Study in Red" pieces from a couple of months ago. When I painted it, I had for some reason a lot of yellow and blue on my palette and so I mixed it all up, greyed it a bit and went in for a largely green background. And then for the next paintings in the series, I deliberately went in for a green background so that they would look good together. Huh! 

This painting has been sitting in front of me since then, and every time the intensity of colours bothered me. I wasn't sure if the complementary background was working all that well or not. Anyway, since it did not find a new home, I wanted to change a few things. Firstly, I muted the background a lot so that now it doesn't hurt my eyes so much! :-) I also fixed some of the values in the reds. The whole point of the studies was to get better at reading values in red, and this time around I felt I could do a little better. I did fix some things and it is an all new painting now. Hope you like it.

Red Hot!
Oil on board, 6 by6  inches
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SOLD - Blue and Yellow 3 - Original Still Life in Oils

I had a lot of blues on my palette and wanted to do one more of the blue vase. I love paintings in threes anyway :) I started painting a little late this morning, and the shadow was shorter and sharper under bright sunlight. That of course inspired a slightly different composition.

Blue and Yellow 3
Oil on Board, 6 by 6 inches
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A collage of all three paintings together.

Blue and Yellow Series
Oil on Board, each 6 by 6 inches

SOLD - Blue and Yellow 2 - Original Still Life in Oils

I had planned to paint an old reference of some pears today. When I walked in to my studio this morning though, the blue vase was glistening in the sunlight. My set up from yesterday was still as it is and the vase was shining. The flowers hadn't faded either so it was all good. In a change of mind I pulled out a panel and started with the next blue and yellow.:) I also took a reference image because I knew I wouldn't be able to complete it before the light changed direction. Started painting this from life and completed with the help of my reference.

Blue and Yellow 2
Oil on Board, 6 by 6 inches
SOLD

Blue and Yellow - Original Still Life in Oils

Blue and Yellow
Oil on Board, 6 by 6 inches
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SOLD - Stripey Jar - Original Still Life in Oils

Stripey Jar
Oil on board, 6 by 6 inches
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SOLD - Glowing Green - Original Still Life in Oils

An alternate title for this would have been "Racing against the sun" and how apt would that be! I usually set up my still lifes under artificial lights, so that I can go about my work and get to painting in between free slots. This morning too, I was about to do the same. Pull down the shutters and switch on the lights. Just when I placed this jar, however, I had a change of mind. The jar when directly lit in sunlight was so gorgeous that I had to paint it. So there it was, a sunlit still life. 

Now whenever I race against the sun light, I am in a perennial panic mode. My mind only works on that I have to complete it before the light changes direction. I sometimes do not even think if I am mixing my colours right and so on. Several instances today I discovered that my values were a little off and remixed. If I came out of the panic mode and spent time thinking calmly, then I would actually save time on these little things. I am yet to get there. The biggest positive however is that I do not even think of over working my paintings. And that is my main motive to work in this way.

Glowing Green
Oil on board, 6 by 6 inches
SOLD

There was a clearance sale at a shop in my town a couple of months ago. I went and picked up a loot of these ceramic pieces. I love them. They will be used in more works very soon.

White Daisy - Original Floral in Oils

White Daisy
Oil on Board, 5 by 7 inches
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May Showers - Original Cityscape in Oils

We were out to Frankfurt on one of our usual weekend trips sometime last month. It looked all bright and sunny when we left, and so we drove off as usual without checking the weather. I live less than half an hour away from Frankfurt, but this was the scene by the time we entered the city. That's how predictable the weather is in my part of the world. While I got really irritated that I could not walk around taking any "summery" pictures, the rains offered a completely new opportunity.:-) 

While we stopped at a signal, I clicked this scene in front of me. It was not the best of references, very blurry and pretty dark. I worked around it a bit and decided to give it a shot. This is the first time that I have painted rain. I have never felt confident enough to attempt rain, but just did not want to miss painting this reference. We did manage to walk around a bit too and I have a few images of people with colourful umbrellas. I hope to paint them soon enough. 

May Showers
Oil on Canvas, 8 by 12 inches
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Painting rain has always given me the jitters because of all the desaturated colour and the variety in greys. This is easily the most desaturated painting that I have ever done. Not a drop of pure colour anywhere. While very challenging since I have a penchant for bright colour, this was also a lot of fun. When I signed it, it did give me a high! :-) Hope you like it too.

Late Evening Ride - Original Figurative Panting in Oils

Feels like I haven't painted in ages, though this painting has been in the works for over a week now. I could work on it only intermittently as there have been too many personal commitments, friends visiting, appointments for kids etc. It is like the whole universe comes in the way of creating. Anyway, finally managed to carve some time out today and get this to completion lest I lose interest totally. 

I clicked this biker from atop a hill or something to give me a very different perspective with all those shadows. I wanted to keep the composition very simple, focus on the rider and of course the gorgeous shadows. 

Late Evening Ride
Oil on Canvas, 6 by 12 inches
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The painting is done on stretched canvas and the sides are painted in a neutral gray so that it can be displayed without a frame! 

Study in Yellow - Original Still Life in Oils

My shipment with all my art stationery arrived last week and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I have got new supplies of paints and boards along with a few brushes too.:) Starting on a new board always gives me a high. 

I wanted to paint something from life, and when I opened my fridge, I had these half used peppers staring at me. I vehemently avoided the red one as the palette has had too much red lately. Yellow against my turquoise coloured paper was just perfect. Simple and beautiful. I set it up against the sunlight this morning and I was racing against the sun since the light was rapidly changing. Every time the sun moved a bit, I had to shift my set up following it.:) However, I completed it with the help of my reference only and that's something I'd like to change the next time. 

Study in Yellow
Oil on board, 6 by 6 inches
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Iris #2 - Original floral in oils

I pulled out this 4 year old painting of mine and decided to rework it. I really love this reference, especially the reds. So I did not want to trash it. Throughout the reworking process, I kept second guessing myself if I should have started over instead :-D I probably will, paint this beauty in a bigger canvas in the way I would paint it now. But for now, enjoy this reworked piece.

Iris #2
Oil on board, 5 by 7 inches
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