It's raining...still !

Watercolor on Paper ( 15" x 11" )

**Wishing all my friends a merry Christmas and a wonderful new year ahead**

After a rain spell

Watercolor on Paper ( 18" x 18" )

It was monsoon season last month. This is done from a reference photograph which I took during that period.

Morning Haze

A street scene of my town...

Portrait

" Kanta " Mixed Media on Paper - Not For Sale

This is a portrait of my cousin Kanta. This one was long due but now is the apt time. Its her wedding next week and I'll present this then! Since the wedding is in another place I'll be gone for a week. So see you all after my trip :)

Early morning in Jodhpur

Watercolor on Paper ( 15" x 20" )

At times I feel nothing is happening in my art career.Though I'm developing as an artist, my career isn't! As I've no one in the family to guide me, its like I'm wandering blindly, lost and confused as to how to proceed, progress and develop my career further. Sometimes I doubt if I have enough talent? Does participating in contests (online ones too) help? And does exhibiting frequently, regardless of the galleries, help? So many questions???

Thanks to blogging, now I have so many friends, and much experienced and talented artists at that, to whom I could turn to for advice!

Abandoned!

Watercolor on Paper ( 20" x 15" )

SOLD

Back from my trip

I was gone on a trip to Pune, Mumbai and Bangalore. I was fortunate enough to meet Milind Mulick in Pune and see him paint live. It was a visual treat! I am so thankful to him for guiding me and telling my strong and weak points. It was a truly learning experience. Also met Ajay in Mumbai and Prabal in Bangalore. It was nice seeing them face to face for the first time. Thank you so much guys! It was lovely meeting you both! Also visited a few galleries and did some enquiries while I was there. All in all it was a good trip, though the weather played the spoilsport everywhere!

Hopefully something good would come out of this trip :)

Streetscape II

Watercolor on Paper ( 14" x 19" )

Jodhpur Street

Watercolor on Paper ( 15" x 20" )

Early morning sketch

Mixed Media on Paper

This is a sketch of another scene from Jodhpur! It was early morning (hence the closed shutters!) and I was out to capture some early morning shots. Liked this scene on my way back to the hotel.

I have used pen, little washes of watercolor here and there and opaque for the sky and the highlights on a brown tinted paper.

"Wish you all a very happy and safe Diwali"

Green

Mixed Media on Paper ( 15" x 20" )

This is a scene of Jodhpur in Rajasthan. Most houses in the old part of the city are painted blue. But some people also choose to color their houses differently like this building, a beautiful green which was so attractive and to complement it, there was a bike parked against its wall!

Bullock Cart WIP

Watercolor on Paper ( 12" x 16" )

Bullock carts are very common in my town.They are used for carrying goods from the shops to the transport offices.When I see them pulling such heavy loads ( sometimes upto 1.5 tonnes or maybe more! ) I feel pity for them. Times are changing, though. Now they are being replaced gradually by three wheeler pick ups. But there's a downside here too! Traffic congestions and increased pollution!

Bikers

Soft Pastels on Paper ( 15" x 20" )

Though soft pastels are easy to use, one drawback is that the finished work has to be immediately framed otherwise it could get smudged. And sometimes single matting is not enough while framing as I've experienced! Another problem is that while photographing, the vibrancy of some of the colors is not captured very well by the camera. Even after enhancing this image in photoshop, I'm not too happy with the result!

Clouds

Watercolor on Paper ( 11" x 15" )

It was fun painting this! Didn't have to bother about drawing exact shapes or do careful planning.

A Walk Together

Took a few photos at various stages while painting this one!

Watercolor on Paper ( 12" x 16" )

SOLD

A view of the himalayas

Acrylic on Paper ( 18" x 18" inches )

SOLD

Its been a while since I painted in acrylics.Some of the colors especially the blues had dried.Had a hard time using them in this painting.But the result was worth it!

Forest

Soft pastels on Mat Board ( 11" x 15" )

I have used to my advantage the textured green mat board to paint this one!

The Bench

Oil on Paper ( 16" x 17" ) SOLD

An early work and one of my favorites!

Light and Shade

Watercolor on Paper ( 15" x 20" inches)

I am working on a theme of 'Light and Shade' right now. This is one of them which I did a few days ago.

Serenity

Another painting done with my new watercolors!

And here's a news! Two of my works have been selected for an upcoming 'Watercolor Festival', which is a group exhibition of watercolor paintings by artists all over India, at India Art Gallery, Pune. The show will be on view from the 1st of Sep. till the 19th. Works of each artist will be displayed for a period of one week and then will be replaced with another artist's works.

Those two works are already posted on my blog.Click on the following link to see them

http://rameshjhawar.blogspot.com/2009/03/old-man-with-red-turban.html

http://rameshjhawar.blogspot.com/2009/03/rajasthani-villager.html

Tranquil

Watercolor on Paper ( 11" x 15" )

I have been using mostly watercolor cakes for my paintings.Recently I bought a new set of good quality watercolor tubes.The old set had become rock hard as they weren't used for a long time.Do they have to be thrown away or is there still a way to use them?

This painting was done with the new set.I must say I was not very comfortable in using these but I guess with regular usage they will be easier to handle!

The Turquoise Dress

Soft Pastels on Paper ( 15" x 20" inches )

I liked the contrast colors of the dress and the grayish wall and the way the light was falling on the turquoise dress.I just had to paint this!

P.S. Though I tried several times, the image didn't come out very well.The original looks much better!

Head Study No.2

Mixed Media on Paper (11" x 16")

Head Study

Mixed Media on Tinted Paper (11" x 16")

I have used a little bit of everything here - watercolor, charcoal, color pencils, soft pastels!

A Sketch

Mixed Media on Mount Board ( 7.5" x 10" )

Venice Dreams

Watercolor on Paper (11" x 15")

I'm back (No...not from Venice!Would love to ,though!Its a dream place for all artists to visit.Well...someday, hopefully).This was done from a reference photograph that I found on the internet a few years ago.

Anyway, my trip was a good one,except for the hot and humid weather in Rajasthan and Delhi.I took many photographs in Jodhpur.I met some artists and visited a few galleries in Delhi.But the art I saw there were mainly abstracts,which is the current trend.Though people still love realistic paintings, the galleries prefer abstracts, I feel.They suggested I paint in some contemporary/abstract style.But changing one's style is not that easy.We can not change our style overnight!It evolves with experience, gradually.I asked this question to some artists I knew who paint abstracts.They said that painting in realistic style is basic, which is absolutely necessary.If the foundation is good,then painting abstracts is not hard, although it will come with experience as we paint everyday.I've also seen some artists who say they can't paint realistic and thats why they chose abstract painting!Well...anyway, I'm trying to change my style a little bit, do some little experiments.Thats the reason I haven't painted anything lately except the one above which I did yesterday.Ccouldn't resist painting such a beautiful scene!

After the exhibition...

I have not painted anything yet after my exhibition.Wondering what to paint and should I really continue?I mean I still have forty plus paintings left with me of various subjects...figures,landscapes,still lifes.Which subject should I continue?Is it better to stick to a single subject?Those which were sold were of mixed themes.So definitely its not easy for me to settle on one. Anyway,I'm leaving on a tour to Rajasthan and Delhi and so will not be able to post for sometime.Posting some images of my sold works.See ya!

Watercolor on Paper (9" x 13.5") Sold

Color pencils on paper (11" x 15") Sold

Charcoal & Color Pencils on Paper (12" x 16") Sold

My Show at Coimbatore

My first exhibition is over and it was a successful one.I wish to thank you all for your good wishes and encouragement which really helped me and gave me confidence.Nineteen of my works were sold and I made many new contacts with artists and art collectors there.Here are a few images from the show

Show inauguration by my parents and family members

My paintings at display

Visitors at the show

Some of my collectors

Media Coverage

Long Time!

Its been more than two weeks since I sat before my PC.It was another of my cousin's marriage last week,my brother and sister with their families came here on vacation and also to attend the wedding.Then there were the preparations for my show...packing, invitations etc.Oh it was so hectic!I was missing you all...how I wanted to see your new posts (It would take me quite some time to get myself updated).

Coming wednesday till Sunday(10th to 14th of June),my solo show would be in Coimbatore city,which is 100 kms. from my town.Since I won't have any access to internet there,I will not be able to post anything for the next 10 days(sigh...)

Anyway,I am very excited and I pray everything goes on well!And anyone in Coimbatore checking out my blog,you are cordially invited!