Tulip Paintings and more

Some small works that are getting ready to go to the store/gallery that I display in Petaluma.

The tulips scenes were part of the spring scene from Filoli garden this year. I had a wonderful time photographing them and equally wonderful time painting them. Done impasto style on a 5 X 7 canvas panel.





And another small one based on a scene from Napa. Mostly done with brush and the foliage with knife on a 5 X7 canvas.

Ed Levin park morning - A Plein air study

My first Plein air study after almost 5 years..
One of my goal for this year is to paint on location as often as I can. And I realized last week it's more than eight months in to the year and I haven't done anything. Many of you know that I am a painter and photographer. Though I carry my painting kit and my camera, what get picked as a first choice is always the camera. Who wouldn't right ?. It's easy, quick, captures the moment I want and I can always comeback home with a great reference to paint later. Photography is a distraction to me when I want to paint plein air. So, I left my camera, tripod, lens, filters all back at home to avoid any distractions :-). I did carry my trusty iPhone just in case if I need any reference pictures..

When I arrived at Ed Levin park, it was still a bit hazy. The sun just started to peek out, clearing the clouds from the hill and it looked beautiful. Swallowing the regret about the lack of my camera, I took a quick picture with my iPhone before I began and set the timer for an hour. Here is the scene.

Started quickly painting the hills first as I wanted to capture those clouds on the hill while it was still there. Boy, it was a challenge. A western scrub jay kept me company while I painted. I think he ( she?) was more interested in eating the paint from my palette than socializing. Anyway after about 45 mins, I got to this stage. The scene in front of me has changed quite a bit from where I started. The clouds were gone, the hills were shining from the sun.

I felt the painting was flat and grabbed my knife to add some texture. Here is the finished painting in an hour.

I like it but not necessarily happy with it. I thought a smaller panel might help to finish the painting quicker but it was way too small to capture the beauty of the scene and I lost the reflections of the sky in the water. I feel it's not painted in my usual style - no punchy colors or textures. Perhaps more practice will help me get there. I'm motivated to do more plein air from this location but not on small panels on the lap. I'll be carring an easel and atleast an 8X10 panel next time.

Painted Cupcakes

It's been a busy month with very few paintings completed. Here are some painted cakes from last month that I am just getting around to taking pics. What started out as a cupcake painting for my daughter became a more addictive project. Something to do with the fact that applying the paint with the palette knife has the same effect as icing the cupcake. I couldn't stop with one :-).

These are much smaller than my usual paintings. All on a 4X5 canvas with water soluble oil. Hope you like them...

Merced River Canyon in spring - Oil painting

Back to smothering paint with knife and loving it !!

Visiting Yosemite in spring has sort of become like a family tradition to us and we always make sure to drive through Elportal along the Merced river canyon. Spring this side is spectacular. Redbuds in full bloom along the Merced river provides a stunning contrast to the hillside poppies. This year there weren't as much poppies like previous years and yet it was still beautiful. This painting is based on a reference shot from up there.



Done on a 11X14 canvas with water soluble oil. Background sky & hills done with brush and the foreground foliage done with a brush & knife combo. Took me about 2 hrs over the weekend to finish this. Hope you like it :-).

Mexican Vase & Lemon - Oil painting

Here is a still life painting that I have been working on for a while... I enjoy painting landscapes and seascapes and try to avoid still life and potraits as much as possible. This was thrown as a challenge to me in an art class. For this particular study, it felt like forcing a right handed person to draw with a left hand ;-). But after a watercolor sketch of the same setup and two stainless steel practice studies later, I think I am finished with this.

Just from painting that stainless steel bowl, I learnt so much. No denying that still lifes are indeed foundation to capture the lights and shadows in a painting and I am sure I can take the learning to my semi impressionistic landscapes.

Done on a 16 X 20 Canvas with oil..



A Close up of the painting



My setup

Carnival Lights - Oil Painting

I absolutely enjoy looking at the motion, light and color of the carnival rides. "Looking at " is the key word here :-). While I cannot stomach the rides like I used to when I was a teen - I still give in for the ride on Ferris wheel once in a while. The view from atop that giant wheel is incomparable. Here is a little painting that unleashed my inner child..



Done on a 11X14 canvas panel with oil. I am not sure if the photo looks little pixelated to you. I might have to replace with a better quality one at a later date.

Apple in a silver bowl - Oil painting

I am working on a bigger still life painting that involves a stainless steel bowl. Painting metal is way different from painting landscapes - a sheer frustration. So I decided to do couple of quick studies to get me over the hump. Grabbed some apples & a stainless steel bowl at home and started painting this. Done on a smaller than usual canvas(8X10) with oil. Took me about an hour & half to complete.

My setup..

Sattui's Neighbor - Oil Painting

11X14 Canvas Panel with Oil

Last spring when drove to Napa Valley and spent sometime at Sattui Winery. There was this little barn next to Sattui Castle amidst the mustards. I took a quick reference shot for painting and forgot about it. Now that the mustard season is in full swing, I went back to that old photo to paint this. Hope you like it..

Here is my reference photo

Sierra Autumn - Oil Painting

Painted this a while back, just getting around to sharing this. Based on an autumn scene from Eastern Sierra. This is more of a fun and play with the colors kinda painting for me. I tried to paint loose not bothering with the details. A bit of deviation from my usual style, but I still liked it.

Done on a 11X14 Canvas with Water mixable oil.

Sassy Pansy

6 X8 Canvas Panel with Oil.
Just a small study to get some practice painting the glass vase.

Wildflower fields

Just realized that this is my first blog post for this year :-). Heres to a great 2011 and hope everyone's year started out great.

Below are my latest paintings that combines two of my favorite subjects - landscapes & florals. These are more of a spontaneous and quick study based on magazine clippings that I kept with me. I often do these small, quick-type paintings between complicated subjects ( and when I am stressed ;-)).. I am quite happy with how both of these paintings turned out. I had so much fun doing these and might do both of these on bigger canvas at a later time.

Both are done on 8 X10 canvas panel with water mixable oil.





Hope you like them !!

Snow Flakes

Howdy all ! Hope you are enjoying your holiday season.. Been a bit busy the past months travelling/photographing and haven't been able to post in the blog.

This is a painting that I have been working on for quite sometime and I am ready to call it finished. You guys know I paint mainly landscapes, right ? Portraits and figures have always been a challenge for me. I did this painting mainly to get out of my comfort zone.

I have always enjoyed watching Nutcracker ballet during the holiday season and the snowflakes are my fav part in the whole show. This is an adaptation of a post card that I had and just in time for the holidays :-)..

Done on a 18X24 canvas with water mixable oil.

Hope you like it..




One more close up..

Monalisa Revisited - Oil painting

Being a landscape painter, I have always had an aversion for portrait painting for some reason. To help me overcome that and appreciate portraits more, I did this painting as part of my art enrichment class. Not that I am not a fan of Italian renaissance paintings, I never really cared for Da Vinci or Monalisa until my mentor picked it for me to paint.

Here is my version of Monalisa - done on a 16 X 20 Canvas, with water mixable oil.



More than Mona Lisa what drew me to the painting was the rocky, dream-like background that gave an illusion of surreal atmosphere. The challenging part for me in this whole painting is her hands - the play with the lights & shadows and just the suggestion of nails. And then there was the struggle to get her to do that faint smile and not make her look so serious.

Here is the close up of her face.



Though this hasn't convinced me to take up portraits, the main take away for me from this whole experience is to appreciate the expression & feeling that the artist is trying to convey. Needless to say I did a whole lot of appreciating when I went to the "Birth of Impressionism" exhibition @ Deyoung Museum here in SFO last week. I spent quite a lot of time looking & studying the portraits which is a big deal for me :-).

Mount Shasta Lavender Farm

Done on a 8 X 10 canvas panel with water mixable oil.

Based on a reference shot taken during my recent road trip to Mt.Shasta. The smell was divine and scenerey was breath taking.

I tried to keep my style loose for this painting. Didn't want to get bogged down by the details like I usually do but focused on the shapes, shadows and color. This whole painting was done in less than an hour.

Little boy and the big lake

"The mountains are calling and I must go."
— John Muir

Little boy and the big lake , 18 X 24 Canvas with Water mixable oil

My latest painting based on a shot that I took @ Tenaya lake in Yosemite. You know how much I love taking photographs for reference and for pleasure. I was setting up the tripod and the angle when this little boy came running in to the frame from no where. The massive granites, the enormity of the lake and tiny little boy was quite a scene to look at and triggered that shot. I have been itching to paint this ever since and finally calling it done. Hope you like it. Here are the details..

The mountains and the trees are done with the knife.


Details on the foreground rocks, done mainly with brush.


Details on the little boy.

Dana Meadows and Mammoth Peak - Yosemite Painting

I cannot get enough of this place. We drove up to Tuolumne during the long weekend and it was beautiful. Missed my easel & canvas but had my camera. Here is my new painting based on a reference shot that I took during the trip.

Done on a 11 X 14 Canvas with WMO. The mountain and some of the trees in the meadow are done impasto style with knife. Sky and the clouds are done with brush. This is the first painting in the high country series that I intend to work on this summer.

Here is the painting,


Here is the reference photo,

Merced river cascade - Painting with WIP

Time for more rocks and water. I did this WIP based on the reference picture that I took during my Yosemite trip. Sorry for the poor quality of the WIP photos - been working on this at night after work and wanted to document the progress. Done on a 11 X14 canvas with water mixable oils. Hope you like it.

Here is the reference picture


Stage 1 : Underpainting with two acrylic colors - Pyroline Orange & Diox purple



Stage 2: Started on Water Soluble oil - Worked on Rocks & Trees



Stage 3 : Here is the finished paitning



More details on the rocks and water