Painting of SHEPHERD ON THE HIGHWAY

SHEPHERD ON THE HIGHWAY

The shepherd leading his herd of sheep is a common sight on our multi-purpose roads.  Note the hay spread on the road to dry - so many uses for our roads apart from vehicular traffic use.   The Indian roads are definitely worth every paisa of tax payers' money.   

This is an acrylic painting on canvas of size 12"x16".

'Morning Shadows' Oil painting on canvas

MORNING SHADOWS

I have been occupied with a couple of family functions during the last month, and hence the gap in blogging; although my mind was constantly on it.     

But I have been busy painting too, with this landscape painting, and also a  portrait of my father, whch you can see by clicking on my PORTRAIT COLLECTIONS.   

This painting is another gem of a view of an old tree that I used to see during my morning walks around the Mysore University Campus grounds.  'Morning Shadows' is an oil painting of size 23"x30 done in an impressionist style. 

'En Plein Air' painting at Lal Bagh Bangalore

It is always a refreshing change to paint in the open air to cut the monotony from studio painting.        On the 8th of June 2010, I led my art class to the Lal Bagh of Bangalore for an experience of 'en plein air' painting, and took the opportunity to do some plein air painting myself.      The finished artwork is an acrylic painting of size 12x16 on stretched canvas. 

                               We chose to sit in the shade, by the lakeside - to paint, and decided to capture the beautiful reflections of the palm trees on the lake.  The red flowers of the Jacaranda trees on the left provided all the color, and the larger trees on the island at the right that had a halo of birds above was irresistable.    Here is the painting at the under-painting stage. 

Here is me painting away during the day on my pochade box.  The large audience that was cheering us throughout the 'plein air' session was a bonus experience.    Please click on  Usha's Art Class to see more pictures on this event.   

Abstract Landscape Painting

ABSTRACT LANDSCAPE

This Abstracted Landscape  is an acrylic painting on white paper of size 11"x7.5". 

Sunrays Peeping - Indian Landscape oil painting - Impressionist style

SUNRAYS PEEPING

The beautiful natural park surrounding the Mysore University Campus, is a great place to catch the sunrays peeping through the tall trees. 

I was paticularly interested in painting the almost-silhouted trees against the direct rays of the sun.  The trunks of the trees seemed to be glowing in the warm sunlight. 

This is an oil painting on canvas of size 24"x30" done in Impressionist style.

Buddha Oil Painting - PEACE AND TRANQUILITY -YOUNG BUDDHA

YOUNG BUDDHA - PEACE AND TRANQUILITY

I have seen many artistic versions of the Lord Buddha, and found one thing in common - Peace. 

In my version of Lord Buddha, I have attempted exactly this - to create an atmosphere of Peace and Tranquitly. I decided on a young Buddha with calmness radiating in the face, seated in the 'Dhyana Mudra' in a green forest,  where the deer are feeding on the grass without fear of hunters. 

This is an oil painting on canvas of size 24"x32". 

Art and Social Media - Workshop

I have been so ingrossed on a new oil painting this January, that I had little time for much else.

But I did manage to squeeze in time to attend an interesting workshop calleed  'Art and Social Media' on a Mid January weekend. The workshop was conducted by  ---  Anita Garimella   Internet &Software Product Management & Marketing Executive and Real Estate Developer.  She is also the co-founder of Infinity International Invesments, LLC - Greater Philedelphia. 

She spoke of  Social Medias like the Facebook and Twitter that have become a boon nowadays for artists and others. She discussed on the opportunities, challenges, and the good ways to use such social networks for promoting Art purposes.  Very interesting was her case studies on art and social media where she discussed about many popular Art websites.  She also dealt with Democratizaion of Art through social media, about virality, and also the legal part such as copyright issues. 

The 'Art and Social Media' workshop was an initiative by Annapoorna Garimella Art Historian and Designer; and managing trustee of A.R.T registered charitable Trust. 

About A.R.T :- Art, Resources and Teaching Trust is located at Andree Road Shanthi Nagar - Bangalore - It is a Library and Archive for the Visual and built Arts in India, well equipped with an amazing collection of books, maps, slides and DVDs.
 
A.R.T. promotes research, pedagogy and discourse on the visual and built arts. They invite academics, practioners and students to access their resources and contribute to the organization. 

The weekend was well spent doublely, as I also got to meet many new people and enjoyed a comraderie interaction during the workshop, in addition to the great food that A.R.T had arranged for. :) 

In the meantime my new painting is almost ready to be posted on my blog.  Look forward to - 'Peace and Tranquility - Buddha'  my first oil painting for 2010 -  in my next post,

Happy New Year - Twenty Ten

Wishing All a very Happy, Peaceful and Prosperous New Year- 2010.

Lets Welcome Twenty Ten with a Positive mind, and a smile on our faces for our fellow human beings; and make our world a wonderful place to live in.

A special mention of heart-felt 'Thanks' to all my Collectors, Subscribers, Followers and vsitors to my blog, for their spontaneous and very kind feedback-comments.
I really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart; and love to keep hearing from you always, as it is a great feeling that makes me feel worth living. :)

Portrait of a Rose series -1 -- oil painting of a RED ROSE BUD

RED ROSE BUD

Portait of a rose series -1 

oil painting on canvas

size 6x8 inch   

Portrait of a Rose series 2 - oil painting of a RED ROSE

RED ROSE

Portrait of a rose series - 2

oil painting on canvas

size 6x8 inch 

Portrait of a Rose series 3 - oil painting of a WHITE ROSE

WHITE ROSE

Portait of a rose series - 3

oil painting on canvas

size 6x8 inch  

Portrait of a Rose series 4 - oil painting of a RED ROSE - 2

RED ROSE - 2

Portrait of a rose series - 4

oil paintng on cavas

size 6x8 inch 

Portrait of a Rose series 5 - oil painting of a YELLOW ROSE

YELLOW ROSE

portrait of a rose series 5

oil painting on canvas

size 6x8 inch

Portrait of a Rose series 6 - oil painting of a RED ROSE - 3

RED ROSE 3

portrait of a rose series 6

oil painting on canvas

size 6x8 inch 

Portrait of a Rose series 7 - oil painting of - ROSE AND ASTERS

ROSE AND ASTERS 

portrait of  rose series 7

oil painting on canvas

size 6x8 inch 

Portrait of a rose series 8 - oil painting - PROFILE OF A RED ROSE

PROFILE OF A RED ROSE

'Profile of a Red Rose' is an oil painting on canvas of size 6"x8". - Rose Series
Painting a rose is always a challenge, because no two roses are ever the same.

God had created this rose in such a vibrant red, that the temptation to try it on canvas was great.
I have applied thick oil paint in the 'impasto' style to give the textured effect, and chose different types of red to create the light and shadow effect.

This may take some time to dry in this cold weather of Bangalore but it was a pleasure painting this 'profile of red rose'.  

Click on  rose paintings to purchase prints on Fine Art America.

FINE ART AMERICA

Recently I hosted a competition on Fine Art America.com , in which 102 artists worldwide took part, and 106 artworks were submitted.

Today's post is dedicated to the 3 winners of the contest, and will be introduced to the Indian public.

The contest was called - HOW YOU LOOK AT YOURSELF - 'SELF PORTRAIT' contest. It was very interesting to see how the artists portrayed themselves, and expressed themselves in all mediuns, including digital photography. The members of Fine Art America voted 3 winners out of them.

1. The first prize went to artiist Deborah Macquarrie from Canada, who won with 8 votes for her artwork called 'ME'.

She loves art and photography,and donates proceeds to run homes for children in Africa and third world countries.

I interviewed her, and this is how it went.-

1. Who inspired you to paint. My father was an inspiration to me. He was an artist and had been featured in a big gallery since he was 12 yrs old. His talents were wonderful and he has blessed me by passing it on to me.
2.Can u brief on your work in Africa. I operate orphanages in Ghana, Uganda and also in India. I am planning on going to India with in the next year. I am not rich at all but what I have I give. It is my way of life.
3. Who is your favourite artist. I really do not have a favorite artist as my style differ so much. I just love the freedom to be me in my art work be it painting, photography or digital work.



Deborah Macquarrie





website: http://artworkbydeborah.shutterfly.com/







2. The second place was won by artist Lee Boyd from the United Kingdom, who won with 5 votes for his artwork called 'Face of Redundancy'

3. The third place was won by artist Lee Malvin Plate from the United States of America, who won with 4 votes for his artwork also called 'ME' . Lee M Plate is fascinated by the cultural aspects to India.

The contest has been a pleasant experience for me as I got to know so many artists worldwide. Click HERE to see all the artworks submitted for the self portrait contest.


Prints of my paintings can be purchased at Fine Art America.

White Gladiolli - oil painting on ebay auction - sold

WHITE GLADIOLI - flower arrangement in a glass vase

This painting is on auction on ebay.
To bid: http://cgi.ebay.in/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300370162950&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
White Gladiolli - is an oil painting on canvas of size 6"x8". I paint small paintings in a regular basis, and post them on my small paintings blog - Usha's Affordable paintings blog .

Group Exhibition of paintings at - The Bangalore Club - Bengaluru

The members of 'The Bangalore club' were treated to an exciting 2 day event of an unusual display of collectibles and paintings on the 8th and 9th of November 2009.

We were pleasantly surprised to note that there were so many fine-artists amongst us. As a member, I too got to display my artworks, and had an exciting time meeting so many art lovers. I chose a niche for myself, and exhibted paintings from the 'Body Language' series, and was overwhelmed by the genuine compliments I received during the show.

I myself was very much happy to see the 'Mysore style' of paintings displayed by some of the members. The intricate gold leaf patters done with such precision, and exactment; revealing legendry incidents from our 'holy texts' were very eye catching and heart warming.

Here are some of the pictures I clicked during the show, and you can see me at the niche, near my paintings (taken by my husband Shantharam :) of course ).

Painting of 'Lead Kindly Brother'

LEAD KINDLY BROTHER

Blessed are those who have an older sibling to lead the way.
I was so very impressed at the confident smile on the younger sibling's face, leaving it all to his brother to lead him. I was equally impressed by the concern and love of the older sibling for his younger brother.
I had to put this on canvas.
This is an acrylic painting on canvas of size 12"x16".

Painting of - Plantain Plantation - trees

PLANTAIN PLANTATION

Plantation Trees - is a 'plein air' acrylic painting on canvas of a plantation of 'plantain' (banana) trees. size 12"x16. 
Please visit my blog 'Usha'a affordable paintings' to view my new collection of smaller paintings. Please register to the new blog to receive regular updates on affordable pretty new paintings. 

Click on  trees paintings to purchase prints of paintings on Fine Art America. 

Painting of The Park

Painting of

BTM layout park - Bengaluru

This is a painting of our local well maintained BTM park in Bangalore, that I did in the ' impressionist' style, a la Claude Monet ( pronounced as klod mow-neigh) .
Just short strokes and blobs of color were used to create the 'impression' of bright sunlight, and shadows, and to create a sense of depth in the painting.
This is an acrylic painting on canvas of size 12"x16".

WHO IS MY FAVOURITE ARTIST/ART - Feature in the Sunday Issue of 'Bangalore Mirror'

featured in Bangalore Mirror

I was indeed very happy, when 'Bangalore Mirror' the leading daily newspaper of Bangalore asked me who my favourite artist / art is, and also why. They featured my answer in the 'Know it All' section of the Sunday read page, - Sunday issue, Sept 27th, 2009.
Here is the LINK to this feature. You need to click on page 8 to see the feature.
So what was my answer to the question - who is my faourite artist / art, and why. It goes like this ---
I love the works of so many aritists for their own unique styles of painting, including Leonardo da vinci for his draughtsmanship, Rembrandt for his Chiaroscuro style of realism, Salvador Dali for his surrealism, Piccaso for his cubism, Vincent Van Gogh for his Expressionism, Consataable and Turner for their landscapes, Raja Ravi Varma for his depiction of the Indian woman etc.
But my most favourite is the French painter Claude Monet for his 'impressionism' style of painting, which I incorporate in my own paintings.
I love his 'impressionist ' style because - as simple as it may seem, he created impressions of shimmering light and shadows, and illusions of depth; - by just using 'broken color and rapid brush strokes', with no clear cut line drawings.
One of his works that I like the most is, 'Bridge over the Water Lilly pond' - the weeping willows, the water lillies, the graceful arch of the bridge have all contributed to the immense beauty of this painting.
Here is the picture of the painting 'Bridge over the Water Lilly pond'.

Painting of - In the Shade of a Palm Tree

IN THE SHADE OF A PALM TREE

There was so much of sunlight and so much of shadows, and so much of reflected light; - giving me scope for using a whole lot of lovely colors for this 'plein air' painting.
'In The Shade' is an acrylic painting on canvas of sizw 12"x16".

Painting of - 'The Giant Tree'

THE GIANT TREE 

I painted the figure of a woman walking beside, just to express the sheer size of this giant tree, pitted against the vast blue-purple sky. 

This is an acrylic painting on canvas of size 14"x18".

Click on  landscape paintings to view and purchase prints of my paintings on Fine Art America. 

Kankaambaram - pretty little orange flowers

Kankaambaram - These pretty little orange flowers were strewn on the floor getting ready to be woven into long strands along with some jasmine flowers.

They were looking very pretty with light making the petals transparent, and casting intereting shadows on the floor, . . . and became the inspiration for this still life painting, which I did in an impressionist style, deviating a little from my usual pure-realism.

Gopura Dharshana in temple town

'Gopura Dharshana' is an acrylic painting on canvas of size 12"x16". This is a panoramic view of a Temple Gopura in Virajpet town -Coorg -  adjoining the highway road.

The view is from atop hill, on a lazy sunny afternoon.

Teppa ride

'Teppa ride' is a an acrylic painting on canvas of size 12"x16".

The evening sunlight that is refecting on the river inbetween the two theppas inspired me into making this painting.

A 'teppa' is an organic boat made out of leaves and branches of trees, and round in shape. The boatmen can rotate the boat; making it a beautiful experience for the travellers.

Review in 'Bangalore Mirror'

It is a great feeling of joy and pride whenever the newspaper media rcognises my work.

The 'Bangalore Mirror' carried a write-up on the upcoming elite artists of Bangalore - in their 2nd anniversary issue dated June 8 2009. I was the only female artist featured in this article, that covered sculpture, photography and fine artists.

Painting of Sunny Road

'Sunny Road' is an acrylic painting of a near desolate road during a lazy mid- afternoon day. The sun is right over head, casting dark shadows just below the bike riders.

'Sunny afternoon' is an acrylic painting on canvas of size 12"x16".

For purchase options, please click HERE