Waiting For A New Dawn

''Happiness is a Swedish sunset, it is there for all but most of us look at the other way and lose it. '' -Mark Twain

The sun begins its journey daily, going through different courses till it retires as a fair traveler in the west, yet promising a bright rise again. Known for its beauty while it paints the skies gay, it sinks to its rest. So that's how, the beauty of a sunset became my primary source of inspiration. The very thought of sunset evokes a mixture of contradicting feelings. For some, sunset is the end of the day symbolizing the end of hopes, feelings of despair while for others it's the step towards a new dawn, thus, new hopes...

Waiting for a new dawn or watching the sunset.

Just a blurred picture in my mind and an inspiration to paint sunset was all i had till i came across a friend's snapshot. It was somewhat of a silhouette, with a sunset in the background. That's how the concept of the loner happened. However, painting a loner was somewhat tricky; for one, you lack the inspiration to paint when you are in high spirits. The ideal moment to paint, remained the moments when i actually related to that feeling. At a glance at the loner, it's hard not to miss out on the way he appears to be staring vaguely, in despair and relate that 'lost' feeling. 

Picturing the loner.

The drowning sun beneath the long dark lines of mountains and clouds that have piled up, lights withdrawn, no birds in sight and the gloom of the coming night dwells on everything. Each and every element just add on to setting required to create the feel i wanted to convey.

Talking of medium used, its acrylics on paper, except for the wooden 'seat'. Its a blend of acrylic paint and colored pencils, basically done to highlight the texture of the wood. It was challenging to paint a sunset for i had to keep in mind the various blend of colors that it entails yet paint it with a fine finish.

As said before, the feelings evoked when looking at the painting of the sunset is based more on viewer's state of mind. Hence, while one individual might easily relate to the feelings of despair or loneliness and the darker sides of life; some others having an optimistic approach, might see a world of hopes even when there's none- thus, waiting for a new dawn. 

Hope you enjoyed this piece of work. Critics and comments are most welcomed. :)

Glass Painting

Few days ago, I found this bottle among some old art works. I tried glass painting some years back. Not perfect of course. But not bad for a first attempt. The intention was to try it on a round fish tank, that is why, I chose the theme of nature; wild plants and its wild creatures. However, I wasn't able to find myself that kind of fish tank in time, so managed with this bottle.

Trying to make good use of it, I used it as a piece of interior decoration, adored with colored pebbles, shells and corals. It adds value to an empty side-bed table. It very much suits the decor of my room and its color palette. Hah! Those readings on Interior Decor was never a waste of time! :)

Preparing A Romantic Dinner

I started out this painting as soon as my final year exams of university were over. Finally in holidays, I had a lot of ideas, endless plans that I wanted to put on my to-do lists. Lying somewhere in between of being a student and having a job, lied this great opportunity- to be idle and catch-up on hobbies and all the crazy things I would not have had time to do otherwise. This painting happened when bored, I was browsing through my favorite fashion magazine, Femina, checking on the the trendy winter wears. Then came the hard-to-miss section- Food and Recipes. Quick dinner recipes made easy, too irresistible not to catch my attention! As I was grabbing my pen and recipe book to jot the dishes down, I noticed how worn out was the cover. Just then came an idea, to combine my two interests. Why not paint a cover for my notebook of recipes collection? It would be a pity if I couldn't paint myself a creative and pretty cover for my Recipe Notebook. The very night I started out with the paint work. Few good food I had browsed through earlier in the day and good wine seemed to be something I was motivated to freeze with my paint brushes. Two months' of work, and here lies the painting, completed. 

Below are the emphasized parts of the painting. 

Part 1: I love this one most in the painting- Read wine and Spicy Mixed Vegetables side-dish, enough to make any dinner wonderful and romantic! 

Red wine and a 'Mixed Vegetables' side-dish 

Part 2: The Ingredients & Spices, Vegetables and Equipment [Mortar and Pestle] used in the cooking of the dishes. However, i took this picture while this piece of work was still incomplete- the cap of the bottle is left to be painted and the final touch is lacking. 

Mortar and Pestel, Salt, Oil and few ingredients

In the frame, we have a Bottle of Oil, Mortar and Pestle, Salt, Red Chilly, Garlic, Capsicum, some Peas scattered on the table, that were used to prepare dinner. Pasta in Red Tomato Sauce and a Mixed Vegetables side-dish, accompanied by a Jug of Lemonade and a tray of Glasses Served with Red Wine. Voila! That sets the mood and atmosphere for a romantic dinner, cooked home.

Here is the final still life... 

Final Still Life

Painted in Acrylics on paper. Style used: Renaissance Art, and stressed upon Transparency Art, playing on colors on the reflective surfaces.

I haven't placed it as the cover of my Recipe Notebook yet. I still need to find myself a nice heading or I may just go with something like 'Recipes Notebook', that's still undecided. But when I finished with the paint work, the painting in itself has brought me a sense of completion! :)

Rose Bud

Rose

[In water color on paper]

Say it with Flowers

Dahlia and Roses

Painted in water color and colored-pencils on paper. 

Custard Cupcake

Acrylic on paper, while using the Renaissance Art which is best suited when I want to incorporate a greater sense of light and color. Here, I wanted to stress upon the fluffiness of the cream and cause your eye to view it in 3D.

Maize

[In coloured pencils on textured paper.] I painted these after my dad went for grocery shopping and came back with fresh fruits and vegetables. We ate them the very night but i still have them captured in their fresh and good shape in the painting. It isn't perfect and still lack some details especially those leaves; but within that short span of time only this was possible. 

Used candles

[In oil pastel and acrylic painting on textured paper] 

[In dry pastels on textured paper.]

Apple-shaped candle

[In water color and gouache technique on paper.]

Candle 2

[In water colour and coloured pencils.]