Watercolor Painting

You get only one shot at certain things - painting with watercolors is one of them. I took to it out of curiosity in the summer of 2008. My friends tell me I have a flair for it, and for me, it is an immensely fulfilling activity, instantly transporting me in to a meditative state. How did I wind up here ? Roll back -

An afternoon in June 2008: A fine day for motorcycling, I thought, and no sooner was I on my Shadow, off on a long ride meandering along County Road 20 and on to the interstate (I-29). After some riding, I stopped by Barnes and Noble for some coffee/reading only to notice this book by Paul Talbot-Greaves titled "Watercolor for Starters". I devoured the first few pages furiously and decided to try painting seriously. Besides, the art store Michaels only a few blocks away. The next couple of hours, I walked around, studied the store and for some reason (for me, it is always a balance of economy with style), I settled at the following items:

• 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.

On a Sunday Morning

A bright calm Sunday morning in Fargo. What is the first thing I like to do when I wake up in the morning ? (or for matter you ?). Step out to my deck, close my eyes in to the early morning sunshine and take deep breaths - umm, the smell of fresh air - invigorating.

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 !