Season to paint..

Well the season of painting has started with new colors and themes in mind for the preparation of a festive celebration. This time with a rural ambiance a lot of pictures are popping up in vision like mud pots, huts, green and rich trees, village women with rustic decorations and cotton sarees with the smell of soil, paddy fields draping an invisible quilt of air to mature the crops with the sensitivity of prolific land,a broad clear skyline with stronger sunbeams in daylight and sea of  endless stars in the presence of a monopolistic, serendipitious moon. So much can be put on the canvas but so far now the stretched board has just been primed and surfaced to welcome all these colours. The white canvas looks so serene which has the depth of all intricacies and surface of all simplicity one can think of.

Canvas surface finish

The experience of priming the board is though not new but with helping hands it was quite a fun filled and evocative moment. The floors when have got stains and brushes, wet bristles the project has definitely been started that has to be completed in less than a moonth. I have to capture each and every stage till it gets finally hanged up in the goddess chamber. so here the journey begins,

Cotton thick cloth got stretched on wooden frame and primed using three coats of white Tractor Emulsion(primer). Quite a cheap one as compared to the preprimed ones that were used last year. Neways thinking of using acrylics with water medium.

Borderline

Starting with the border line, white canvas with red border reminds me of the ethnicity that lies in a simple white cotton saree with red border that can be wore by a granny, or a newly wed coy lady or a classical dancer but in every forms it looks glamorous and graceful. Albeit a colourful banded pattern will be embossed over red as a mark of beauty of folk art.

I have done some preliminary sketches to get the rural diorama but still have to think for the centre pieces. I want to do some sort of semi abstract art this time, have some in mind though, let's see how it comes up.

Borderline complete

With a bright borderline the painting has been defined. I like the pattern that I randomly drew and chose among few. The border has celebrating yellow color like a wall hanging at doors in villages generally during any wedding or festival. The mud pots have also started coloring themselves with a layer of clay.

Mud Pots glazed

The worst part of working with acrylics is that it keeps us sitting at stretch for so long that in a fear of it getting dried up and non mingling we turn totally fatigued. I had to colour the pots in a row at one time cause they needed a similar shade and stroke and it took nearly three and half hours without break in completeing them. However the dark background has put some bright effects but still I find something is missing that might be found in between the whole journey..;)

Background finish

After all the background is now complete giving an etnic structure to the painting. However tyre swing is left out along with pastel detailings of pots and tree. Cloud technique worked this time by sponging blot of whites with a dry brush. Herbal arms across the branches too got a nice tone on which big leaves with dull white veins are resting.

 Behind the window!!

Well eventually I have realized that until I splash the vivid colors of feminism and romanticism of nature on my canvas, it really seems little incomplete and dry. The eyes reflect the vastness of this universe with countless emotions floating in its water mesmerizing the beholders to look through them, the world it is seeing. The semi abstract touch with the elements of woman-ism: pure, pious and tender.The rustic lady with the mystic eyes stands alone in the midst of festivity and celebration drawing references from her own life.

Behind the window!!

The workmen, the folks, the village men at the time of celebration of arrival of Goddess become the ultimate messengers lost in fun and devotion. The rhythm of festival, the vibrations mark the beginning of pooja. With the paper hangings, folk instruments and group of artistic people the section called for the excitement of the festival. 

The celebration

The complete picture: The soul

The big picture-2

The second painting(The rhythm) was made in so hurry that I couldn't capture its stages. The lady who got a lot of fame was made in three hours on the final day just after returning from the office. Like an eager-beaver I started posting colors on her face. And it came out real nice with a tinge of simplicity and a comely shadow of feminism on her face. It took me three full days to complete the tree and the sky. Every leaf had to be reflected in its true color. Next came the magnificent royal peacock with heavenly feathers painted with the best set of colors. 'The Peacock blue' color that I always used to search while shopping for my wardrobe was here making a perfect combination with pale green(or spring green?) color having small surprises of red and blue feathers. It looks like the most ornamental pheasant that has accidentally walked into my canvas to enhance its beauty and stayed for a while to beautify all the elements who seemed waiting for its grand arrival. Let us have a look of the rhythmic canvas.

The coy visage

The complete picture: The rhythm

All hanged up

After taking their places they looked like having earned their rights of getting looked at and loved by a number of eyes. They seemed amazingly proud up there narrating the story of my one month companionship with them and the whole story of their evolution. Finally in the chamber of goddess they held me connected...

Now waiting for the next puja.......................................................................................