Local colors in landscape

Local colors are the colors of objects e.g. colors of houses trees doors etc. While painting the landscape we go according to these colors. But this is not the proper approach. We should get away from the influence of these colors. First decide your color scheme. If a particular color is disturbing or does not suit our color scheme then we should change it. If you are successful in getting rid of the influence of these local colors your landscapes will be much better, more creative.

My recent trip with Sanskar Bharati

Recently I attended an landscape camp arranged by Sanskar Bharati. Working in group is a different and pleasing experience. We were about 50 artists. It was a three day camp. We painted village scenes. One of the villages was in a very beautiful hilly area.We had a heart warming experience of the villagers' hospitality. I painted 6-7 landscapes.I am unable to post them right now due to some computer problems but will post them as early as possible.Thanks to Sanskar Bharati who is doing valuable work in promoting art and culture.

A Tibetan couple at Dharmashala. 11X15"

Times Square NY 11X15"

Laxmi, Pen & Ink with watercolor

At Hingana , watercolor 11X15"

At Gawilgad, Watercolor 11X15"

Pune, Watercolor 11X15 "

Spontaneity

when we paint something ,often we make a sketch first and then make a bigger painting from it. In this process the spontaneity we see in the smaller sketch is lost. the reason , I feel is that we try to add the details not found in the smaller sketch. We paint more 'carefully'. This carefulness results in loss of sontaneity.
To avoid this we should refrain ourselves from this tendency. Another thing is that when we paint in a bigger size we should use proportionally bigger brushes. The tools we use determine what we have to do.
What do you think ?
Here is the example. The lower one (7X10") is the sketch from which the upper one(11X15") was done.

Draw minimum while painting a landscape.

When you paint a landscape draw minimum. Only important lines. It should take less than a minute.Keep your drawing tentative. The more you draw more you lose your freedom. You will get tied with lines and will paint between the lines like kids who rigidly paint with crayons the printed drawings. Don't lose your freedom

City lane, Watercolor 11X15"

Waiting (?) watercolor 11X15"

Illusion & reality
when we paint a landscape we create an illusion of that location on the paper. Everyone knows it. So why push it more and more to make it appear real, by adding details, at the cost of spontaneity and simplification. Let it remain the illusion; suggestive. Let the viewers fill in the blanks.
What do you think?

Somewhere near Bhubaneswar, Watercolor 11X15"

Facets of Times Square NY 1

Let us discuss

I started this blog not only for sharing my wtercolors but also for sharing our views and exchange our ideas and whatever knowledge we have aquired through experienence. Your questions on techniques of watercolor painting are most welcome. Please feel free to ask.

For whom do we paint?

If we ask this question to ourselves the answer will be we paint for ourselves, for our own satisfaction. For our own happiness. We do not paint for buyers or for viewers. Whether the painting will be sold or whether viewers will like it or not is not important for the artist when he paints. Whether we give the buyer what he expects in return for the price he pays or whether the painting will last for years, all these things are very secondary. Even the shows we hold are for our own stisfaction. Of course we are happy when number of people visit the show and feel happy when they appreciate our work but that was not our purpose at that time. When a painting is sold we have mixed feelings joy for the price it has fetched and sorrow for parting with it. It is the same feeling a father has when his daughter gets married.
What do you think?

Better material will not necessarily make a better painting

When I came here at Atlanta for two months I brought my brushes, my board etc with me but not the colors and papers exept a few pieces. I thought I will buy better material, better colors and paeper so that I will be able to get better results. I had been to a art material shop. W&N colors and Arches papers were beyond my budget so I purchased Canson and Reeves watercolors. I found that they didn't give me better results.On the contarary I was worse with these things. I got far better work with Indian Camlin colors and hand made paper. Conclusion- You work better with the material you are comfortable with. Better material will not necessarily make a better painting. "Shewati aplach gao bara'.

Reflections on landscape painting

When we paint a lnandscape on location, what we do ? We first paint the sky. Then we come to mid or fore-ground . We look at the tree and paint it. Then we look at the house on the left and paint it . Then we move to a car parked on the road and paint it and so on. This way we complete our landscape. In this process we are constantly shifting our attention from one object to another, from one focal point to another. We do not paint the totality but paint several focal ponits. Actually there should be only one focal point in a picutre. When we look at the tree we don't notice the branches . We don't see the details unless we want to. It is the totality that we should paint and not different objects individually.
What do you think?

Raghurajpur 3

At Bhubaneswar, Waterclor 11X15"

Konark Temple, a sketch, 11x7.5"

At Konark, W/C 11X15"

Homeward W/C 11X15"

Somewhere near Konark W/C 11x15"

Koradi, W/C 11X15"

At Ratnagiri, Watercolor 11X15"

Pune Roadscape, Watercolor 11X15"

At Raghurajpur, Orissa. Watercolor 11X15"

Beauty 1 , Watercolor 11X15"

At Krishna River, Wai. 11X15"

Blissful Slumber 11X15"

Ayachit Mandir, Nagpur

Hingana Hut 11X15"

At Simala, 11X17"

Mahalaxmi temple, Kolhapur