Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Watercolor Painting
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- Strathmore Cold Press Watercolor paper (140 lb) [Made in the U.S.A.]
- Cotman Watercolor Tubes by Winsor and Newton [Made in England]
- Drawing Inks - Winsor and Newton [Made in England]
- Brush set - Leow and Cornell [Made in China]
- Nib set - D. Leonardt and Co, Birmingham [Made in England]
- Faber Castell fineliners [Made in Germany]
I spent the next few hours reading this book (I recommend this book if you want to try watercolor art, esp for the first time) and decided to get started the next day. Anyway, the 140 lb paper would need to be stretched.
The next day I set to work and tremendously enjoyed the experience of painting. The "wet-in wet" technique where the outcome could be unpredictable, was my favorite. I explored Indian art forms and found the "Madhubani" style interesting. The drawing inks and the nib set would be perfect for this style. After some experimentation, I whipped out some paintings outlined in the book while improvising.
The best part of watercolor art lies in its elegance, simplicity and unpredictability (which can be frustrating sometimes). Much like life, each action has a consequence that we have to learn to live with. There is no "undo" - every action will leave an impression.
A few of my samples are posted here. I will elaborate on this later.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
On a Sunday Morning
I feel deeply oxygenated (or ozone-ated) and these moments - still yet powerful would
set the course of the day.
Today I feel like connecting with the earth. I walked to what used to be a garden patch last summer. The rose bush showed signs of life ! - russet leaves and stemlets sprung from the bush and I was amazed ! It survived the relentless blizzards, snow, and artic winds through our extended winter. For a while, I wondered about the human spirit - its ability and will to survive likening it to the rose bush. Come on now - enough contemplation - get to work, I told myself.
I cleaned the patch (remnants of last years tomatoes), tilled the soil, watered it and let it settle
before sowing fenugreek. I hope to savor it before leaving to India this summer.
In the evening, we went for a bicycle ride on Trollwood. The river had devoured the park entirely during the crest late March. Now it seemed too reluctant to return it, retire and meander forthe rest of its course. We ride in to the trail only to meet the river a few feet in to the trail.
Quite flowed the Red ! -
We sat there and watched a family of ducks relish the Red, tried bouncing a few pebbles (I made a mere 4 ) . The silence was only puncutated by the pebbles and the ducks fluttering their feathers. Peace to one and all.
A beautiful day, eh !