Earth

Medium- Color pencils and soft pastels on black card paper.

Love

Stars, like ripe fruits, hang low enough to be plucked. All we need is support and true love. Be it roaring rivers or high mountains, love makes every goal possible! 

Medium- Camlin 171 Gold acrylic, white gel pen and FC Metallic color pencils on black card paper.

Landscape in Soft Pastels

Camlin Soft pastels on Brustro pastel matt A5 paper 

Cherries in a Cup

In Derwent Soft Pastel pencils

Jennifer Lopez

My favorite Jlo. I love her personality and fitness. she is so inspiring!  

Jennifer Lynn Lope (July 24, 1969) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and producer of Peurto Rican heritage. (Wiki)

Medium- Polys and Caran D' Ache Luminance color pencils on Strathmore 400 series Color pencil paper.

Happy New Year 2019

Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous new year 2019 ! 

May the new year days be as bright as the sunshine and as calm as the moonlight!

Sparrow

The ubiquitous little chirpy thing, the house sparrow has become a rare sight these days. Thanks to all the fast urbanization and factors like cell phone towers, lack of trees and greenery, more concrete, widespread use of pesticides and many others, sparrows are fast becoming extinct. I miss them so much. 

Medium- Soft pastels on A5 pastel paper

The Godfather

"I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." 

- Don Vito Corleone (The Godfather, 1972)

Medium- FC Pitt Pens and black marker pen on A4 paper

'Still I Rise' - A Portrait of Maya Angelou

Tried Derwent Pastel Pencils today. This is a pastel portrait of Maya Angelou, the great American writer and reformer. pastel pencils are far more easier than bar pastels for these provide much control and neatness.

Medium- Pastel pencils on Brustro 160 gsm A5 pastel paper. This paper is not smooth but is slightly dotted in texture which I think, is not very easy to work upon.

Her poem 'Still I Rise' is one of my favorite poems. Read more about Maya Angelou@ Wiki

Wings

'Far and wide my wings I spread

Cutting the untamed winds I fly

Calm is my mind, high is my head,

This whole universe is my sky'

I did this work using masking tape (for this indicative bird). Done in watercolor and Pitt pens on 5*7" watercolor paper.

Grapes

Done in mixed media on 5*7" watercolor paper  

Fisherman

Done with Camel soft pastel bars. This medium is fun but messy and finished works give a

 'blurred' look as sharp lines are not possible unless one is using pastels in pencil form.

Fish in Net

Medium- Sketchpen, colorpencil and Faber Castell Pittpens

I have tried to play with form and style in this piece of abstract work.

Be YOU

Be different

 Be Unique

 BE YOU

Dear God, let people flock wherever they wish, please grant me the strength to chart my own course with confidence. 

In Pitt pens 

The India Art Festival, Delhi 2018

Few days back, on one wintry morning, I came across a front page article about the India Art Fair at the Thayagraj Stadium, Delhi and decided there and then that I was not going to miss it! The three day festival (23-25 Nov) showcased more than 124 artists and galleries from across the country and yes, it was The India and not The Indian Art Festival, as most people, even participants mistook it for! So, on Sunday, I visited the place as for being an art lover and artist, I had no reason to miss the short and wonderful event. However, what I observed was different from what I had been expecting and given below are my personal observations. These are not meant to hurt or criticize anyone or any work.

Firstly, most works were only paintings that too mere renditions and I was disappointed that not much conceptual art could be spotted. Art is not only something painted on a canvas but the use of other mediums like metals, glasses, mixed media etc to reflect thoughts. Some metal and stone works were available but they were too few to be reviewed. The paintings looked amazingly well done but lacked original thought as well as concept. Beautiful renditions of sceneries, birds, nature and temples were a treat to the eyes but starved the soul. Only a few artists had focused upon concepts and innovation. I believe these two aspects, skill and thought, make up a good artwork. Sadly, almost all works were overflowing with the former but lacked the latter, although some pieces combined them in different proportions. I believe that a good artwork brings a change in viewer’s mindset. The message that it gives out subtly is always more important, for art can change the world.

Secondly, the dominant theme was that of Hinduism and art can rarely flourish when it is restricted in anyway. Most of the works showed Hindu symbols like temples, ghats, bells, worship, and deities mainly Shiva and Ganesha and too much of Buddha also. I think we need to be innovative and open up a bit. Art stems from artist’s subconscious and it shows that religion is occupying unfairly more space in society.

Thirdly, I noticed many works were lacking in basic elements like perspectives, proportions, symmetry and angles.

Lastly, the prices were exorbitant. Ordinary renditions were in lakhs and small canvasses with usual sceneries painted upon were in thousands. Also, the arrangement was shoddy and unplanned, food was overpriced yet unsavory and I feel the stadium itself is in a dire need of a good cleaning.

I did enjoy the festival but I feel religious themes and renditions were abundant and what lacked was what art basically bring out, that is original thoughts, breakthrough ideas and messages. But then, it is also true that in India it is difficult to make a good living out of art so artists have to align their works as per the market where mostly renditions are demanded mainly for beautifying the living spaces. I feel we need to give art some space to grow and bloom, for visual media is indeed the most powerful one.