Category: Just colour my world

Paintings

Mangli – Portrait of a Lady -2

Mangli (whose name means `the auspicious one’) is a beautiful lady, with a regal bearing … always cheerful, smiling…  She would come to do my laundry and I always wanted to paint her. But she never had the time to sit for me. Finally, I could manage to convince her to give me her black and white passport size photograph, around which I built this painting.

I am very fond of this painting because I think have managed to capture the essence of her personality.

On festivals Mangli would come to work decked up in her heavy silver jewellery and her brightest red `bandhni chunari'(tie and dye veil) . Her hands were rough from washing clothes – I used my artistic licence here!

I placed Mangli in the royal surroundings she was meant to be in!

The painting is framed with a red tie and dye around it. The glass prevents a closer look – but some details can be seen here.

Total size of the painting – 11.5″ X 8.25 ”

Medium – Water Colours on handmade paper

Year – 1997

In search of an Oasis

Not one of my favourite paintings! The figure is more than a bit `wonky’…though a lot of detailing went into the jewellery and the `dupatta’.

 

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Portrait of a Lady -1

This is a painting I made for a very dear friend of mine.
The painting is framed behind glass, like most of my water colours. Hence the reflection 🙁

 

Colours of my world

Maji and Ush - A close up of the hands

Once upon a time, I thought I wanted to paint and sketch all my life.  I joined some summer painting classes and learnt to do oils.

But then, school and college happened.  Again, while in college, I joined a correspondence course, where I learnt to sketch in ink. That was very exciting – I think I have the `assignments’ lying around somewhere. Shall dig them out and may be upload them.

Again life intervened; this time it was a  husband, a job and children.

In 1997,  I had this great urge to start painting again.  I had given up my job to take care of  my daughter – that was a full time job.   But the itch to paint was so strong that I would paint with her in my lap or between chores.

Since I had not learnt how to use water colours, and oils/ canvas/brushes were exorbitantly priced – I painted with poster colours, using them like oils. Later, when I did buy proper water colours, I continued to paint with them like one  would with oils! After having spent a year in Kishangarh, I was influenced by the miniature style, so I enjoyed using detailing in my work.

I gifted away many paintings, even sold some – making about 30-35  paintings in 2 years. And then, as suddenly, I stopped.

May be, one day, the painter’s soul shall come back to stay with me.

So here are the paintings:

Maji and Ush