Blue and Orange #2 - Original Still Life in Oils

After the last painting, I was left with quite a bit of blues on my palette. So I had to paint the vases again, at least one of them. This one too is painted just using the palette knife, with the sides painted too. It doesn't need a frame and can be displayed as it is.

Blue and Orange #2
Oil on Canvas, 6 by 12 inches
Click to bid

Blue and Orange - Original Still Life in Oils

When I got out of bed this morning, I woke up with this urge to paint something large. Specifically, a large still life using the palette knife. I could even say I woke up with an image in my mind and all I had to do was put it together with the things in my studio. It's been ages since I have painted large, this one is 16 by 16 inches and is my largest canvas in the last few years. 

I bought this set of three turquoise vases in Ikea long ago. I had earlier painted only the smallest of them, the other two were patiently awaiting their turn. They looked great together with a couple of oranges thrown in. 

Blue and Orange
Oil on Canvas, 16 by 16 inches
Click to buy

Up and Down - Original Still Life in Oils

This morning, I lost sleep very early. At a really ghostly hour even by my standards. After tossing around in the bed trying to sleep but with no success, I decided that I might as well get up and paint. The strawberries from the weekend were still in decent shape in the fridge and I put together this set up quickly. 

Up and Down
Oil on Canvas, 8 by 10 inches
Click to bid

This creamer was painted the last couple of times under natural light. Since that wasn't a possibility early in the morning, I made do with a tubelight instead. 

Strawberries and cream - Original Still Life in Oils

Fresh from the easel today, another bunch of strawberries that had to be painted. I like neither strawberries nor cream. But boy do they make gorgeous subjects to paint! 

Strawberries and Cream
Oil on Canvas, 8 by 10 inches
Click to bid

One for Life - Original Palette Knife Painting of Birds

Exactly a month back, there was a weekly challenge on DPW. It was on the theme of Valentine's Day and we had to paint a pair of animals/birds that mated for life. Now, I am a sucker for love stories and feel good stories and I just *had* to do this challenge. It was besides a great opportunity to paint swans as I shy away every single time from painting white subjects. White and seeing colours in white gives me nightmares. 

One for Life
Oil on board, 18 by 24 cms (7 by 9.5 inches)
Click to bid

This painting is based on a reference from morguefile. I loved the lighting in it and knew it was going to be a huge task with all those rocks and everything else. I felt that the palette knife would be good for doing stones and rocks and instinctively started the painting with the knife. This was probably not a great idea that everytime I sat to paint, I was questioning if it was the best approach. But every time I was tempted to pull out my brushes instead, the image kind of screamed to go on with the palette knife. All part of an artist's life. 

Anyway, I continued with the palette knife and I loved the effects it brought out. The shapes in the water and the feathers are all way better in real than in this image. Hope you like it! 

Spring on a plate - Original Still Life in Oils

So spring is officially here and so is the deluge of strawberries. There were some strawberries at home over the weekend, but I wasn't very keen on painting them. I was in the middle of some other painting, a couple of more birds that I am doing and I had the onions set up on my table. So strawberries were really not on my mind. And then suddenly on Saturday I dreamt of a set up with fruits and my knife etc. 

So I had to paint them and paint them NOW. My kids love eating them and I had to literally steal these fruits away from my little one in order to paint these berries. The only thing that I do not like about berries is how quickly they get spoilt. So I had to paint them as soon as I could :-)

Spring on a plate
Oil on board, 18 by 24 cms (7 by 9.5 inches)
Click to bid

This painting has been done using both palette knives and brushes as I wanted to explore a bit with the edges. I am not entirely pleased with it but will continue to push more in this direction. Hope you like it.

Ms.Glowing beak - Original Bird Portrait in Oils

I loved this bird reference in morguefile. I was looking for some more owls but a few eagles turned up too. No complaints, as I love most of them. This fella was great fun to do and it suited well as an "end-of-palette" piece after my still life yesterday. I could mix a variety of greys with everything that was left over on the palette. How cool is that! 

Ms.Glowing Beak
Oil on board, 6 by 6 inches
Click to bid

Onions and Porcelain - Original Still Life in Oils

I picked up not one but two of these gorgeous jars in a flea market sometime last year. I had painted them earlier and the painting sold a long time back. The jar was in my shelf and I kept telling myself to paint it once again soon. I could finally get to it only today. I went in for onions again as I really like how the colours work well together. This one is a little larger than the previous painting too.

Onions and Porcelain
Oil on board, 18 by 24 cms
Click to bid

What's up?! - Original Textured Bird Portrait in Oils

What's up?!
Oil on Board, 6 by 6 inches
Click to bid

I usually shy away from too close crops. This one just drew me in. After a long time, I am so thrilled to be painting birds again and I am having a blast. There are a couple of more birds in the works, stay tuned.