Moody Morning, Varanasi

Watercolor on Fabriano paper

14 x 10 inches

Lanes of Varanasi #3

Watercolor on Fabriano paper

14 x 10 inches

Catching up

Watercolor on Fabriano paper

14 x 10 inches

Again a scene from Varanasi. Though the scene didn’t have strong contrast of light and darks, it were the colors of the robe and the textured wall that made me choose this subject to paint.

A smoke at the paan shop

Watercolor on Fabriano paper

14 x 10 inches

I had captured this scene in Varanasi. And there were quite a few things about this image which attracted me a lot. One, it was a night scene (I was eager to paint one) second - the reds, totally different from my usual palette...third, the relaxed expression of the old gentle man, casually watching the people, pilgrims and tourists on the ghats, about to light his cigarette, and fourth, his cast shadow on the left. Since I found this to be a little challenging, I chose a quarter sheet size for better control. I was happy with the outcome!
'Paan' is a hindi word which means a betel leaf filled with chopped areca nut and other mouth fresheners. Many people have the habit of chewing a paan after a meal (I don't...he he) and you'll find such shops all over India.
This particular kiosk was a temporary one, as I found out the next morning. The place was empty..not a sign of the shop. The paanwallah would come in the evenings and start his job!

Same place...next morning

I hope you like and enjoy this painting. Have been getting fewer and fewer comments...sometimes none! So would be happy to hear from you all!

Have a great day :)

Lanes of Varanasi #2

Watercolor on Bockingford Paper

21 x 14 inches

Gathering for the Ganga Aarti

Watercolor on Paper

10 x 14 inches

detail

This scene was quite complicated even while working from a photograph! I wanted this painting to be loose, unlike my other works, almost in a plein air fashion, so I squinted a little to simplify the shapes and the whole scene. The fast brush strokes give a feel of movement and spontaneity. I painted this in transparent watercolors except a little opaque color used for the florescent lights on the poles.

Have a wonderful weekend! :-)

Ghats of Varanasi and its WIP

'Ghats of Varanasi'

Opaque Watercolor on Tinted Paper

13 x 20 inches

Capturing the WIP was relatively easier here as this was done in opaque watercolors! :)

Varanasi Vista - WIP

'Varanasi Vista'

Watercolor on Saunders Paper

Full imperial size - 21 x 29 inches

I’ve often tried to capture images to show my work in progress but almost every time I become so engrossed while painting that I forget to click them. It becomes difficult more so, when you are painting in watercolors, as the colors dry very fast. So one needs to be fast to click the images in between, or the painting gets unwanted hard edges! This time, I succeeded…though not fully, he he…I missed a couple of shots towards the end. But I still feel that you’ll enjoy the various stages of this painting.

After completing the painting, I reviewed it next day and felt that the temperature of the painting looked a little cool…I wanted to give the mood and feeling of a late sunset, when the sun has just gone down, so I applied a glaze of raw sienna on the distant buildings and adding burnt sienna to the wash while coming on to the closer buildings and the ghats. Also applied a thin glaze of orange on the water for balance. You’ll notice the difference in the last 2 images.

Have a wonderful week ahead!

Continuing the Varanasi series

2 more paintings from the ongoing series...

'Heading out'

Watercolor on Bockingford Paper

10 x 14 inches

'Boats and reflections'

Watercolor on Fabriano Paper

10 x 14 inches

Varanasi Series

Ghats of Varanasi # 1

Watercolor on Saunders paper

9 x 21 inches

I've started a new series on Varanasi - a very ancient and holy city which I had visited a couple of months ago. This is the first in this series...more to follow. Hope you enjoy! :-)