Taste of the Tropics

Weather and skies have been a major part of our India trip so far! Chennai was HOT with a only a couple of showers that really didn't cool the temperatures down much. And we have been caught in torrential rains for three days because of late Monsoons in Bengaluru. Here is a glimpse of Chennai sky taken from the terrace. The coconut trees always make the scene really special for me :)

Taste of Tropics Digital Photography

So, Who is the Real Me?

'Guest' done in mixed media (24x30") was started by pouring paints in shades of red, yellow and blue. Then various shapes were isolated or added with a pen. The saved areas of white were used to paint features of a face. I then used crayons, acrylics and watercolors to embellish the different elements. Finally I used gouache to tame some of the colors and bring coherence to the painting. On the whole, as I unnerving as I found it, I also in a way, really enjoyed the process of building a painting on the go, rather than having a finished concept in my mind and working towards it. I named it 'Guest' as I felt I had put aside my usual way of working and thinking and paint as if someone else was doing the work.

Eenie meenie minie moe

"Flaming Petals" was an experimental watercolor painting. We had visited the Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Garden in Washigton D.C. and of course, we took lots of photographs of the colorful water lilies. When the time came to paint I couldn't make up my mind and choose one color for the lotus so I decided to try a different color for each petal and was very happy with the result.

Flaming Petals watercolor 24 x 30"

Captivating Cappadocia

Cappadocia located in central Turkey is a surreal wonder of nature and human ingenuity. Whole cities, some dating back to 2nd century BC to Roman, and some later to Byzantine period - thrived in undergrounds or in the wondrous and most dramatic volcanic tufas and chimney rocks. Please check here to see a collection of photographs and a video of the amazing area. We stayed at a cozy, small and aptly named 'The Village Cave Hotel" at the village of Cavusin near Goreme. The ancient ancestral home of the owner, one among the many many cave dwellings in the area had been converted to a small cute comfortable inn - and has a super chef and a couple of cute resident cats as well. The sketch above does not do one bit of justice - but is the scene from our room looking into the other side, into the dwellings that belonged to the owner's mother's family. The owner later took us on a tour of the area and one morning we hiked for hours the beautiful Red Valley, Rose Valley etc., gorged on the tastiest wild mulberries and apricots right off the trees! I hope to paint the scenes and attempt to capture the beauty on paper soon.

Zen of Seeing

"I have learned that what I have not drawn I have never really seen, and that when I start drawing an ordinary thing, I realize how extraordinary it is, sheer miracle. " ~Frederick Franck, The Zen of Seeing: Seeing and Drawing as a Meditation.

I have been following 'urbansketchers' for a while now -admiring and learning a lot about sketching and making drawings on the go. I decided to apply that to my sketches from Turkey. To my simple pen and ink sketches I added color with a dozen pastel and color pencils I had packed and was pleased with the result. It was exciting to discover a new way of sketching for me and will help me keep up with my art as I travel to India to visit my family for the next month and a half. The sketch above is a simple quick rendering of the scene at Anadolu Kabagi on the Bosphorous Cruise by the traditional ferryboat along the waterway that divides Europe and Asia. It was wonderful to sit on the deck taking in the beautiful summer day and just watch the scenery as we savored the authentic Turkish yogurt from a vendor who got on board at one of the stops.

This is my 100th post and I thank all of you who have visited my blog and encouraged my efforts. I really appreciate you spending your time with me here and am grateful for your comments. I do hope you will continue to stop by and let me know how I am faring. Once again my hearty thanks to all!!!