Spring Roses 2 - SOLD

Once again indulging in Watercolors!! I had started another version of Spring Roses couple months ago but left is half done. Finished this one today. The earlier Spring Roses can be seen here.
In this new one, I added more texture in the background using rubbing alcohol and salt. I love how the texture shows in this and added a more defined bud on left side compared to earlier one.

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Spring Roses 2 - 16 x 20 inches, Watercolor on Arches paper

SOLD

Spring Roses - SOLD

I don't know if I was burnt out or what, but couldn't continue on Oil painting. So took a break for sometime and saw these beautiful Roses. I love painting flowers and I had not done watercolors for so very long! I love how watercolors create a magical effect when mixed.
For some reason, I have never mixed colors on palette. All my color mixing is done directly on paper in this case and on canvas directly when I am painting oils. The 2 colors laid side by side on paper using watercolor creates a magical effect. Its a surprise to see the effect when the painting dries up.
Also this is the first time I have painted this large size - 16x20 inches using watercolors. I think I should work with even larger paper now, its fun experimenting with this medium!

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Spring Roses - 16 x 20 inches, on Arches paper

SOLD

Email me if interested in a similar piece - preranap@hotmail.com 

Ring on Blue River - SOLD

The scene is on Blue River in Colorado. This is a commission painting for her upcoming wedding!! It is the place where she got engaged.

It was fun and relaxing to paint this - my favorite time of the day - sunset, beautiful rocks, sound of river flowing, a bit chilly weather - perfect romantic atmosphere!!

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Ring on Blue River - 16 x 20 inches, Oil on Canvas Panel

SOLD

This picture is taken under studio lights, in daylight, the colors will look different.

Lake Mission Viejo Sailing Fun

Mission Viejo is our neighbouring community and year round there are lots of activities around the Lake. I painted this from a picture I took before the Jazz festival on the lake. One of the activities on that day was Paint the Lake competition. I painted this as my entry for the competition, but did not post on the blog, since I was posting one painting a day in this month.
Hope you like it!

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Lake Mission Viejo Sailing Fun - 20 x 16 inches, Oil on Canvas Panel

Secret Revealed

Now here's one with two ladies and dash of masala talk - sharing secrets... They are Rajasthani Ladies - its a beautiful native costume. I am born and brought up in Rajasthan and so this painting speaks a lot to me...

Hindi Title: Mai to laaj ke mare ho gai paani paani

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Sharing Secrets - 16x20 inches, Oil on Canvas Panel

I posted this on FB first and asked for suggestions for Title of this painting. Got a lot of responses - here are few:
- Mai to laaj ke mare ho gai paani paani
- sub logone sunlee meri kahani
- baat nikal gai baat baat ma.....
- Two ladies and dash of masala talk
- man kyu bahka re bahka aadhi raat ko
- sakhi ri mera man ulaze tan dole
- Mirch Masala

I am still looking for Title suggestions, so looking forward to hear more in your comments.

A walk around Lake Mission Viejo

I am going to enter this painting in "Paint the Lake" contest held in the city of Mission Viejo. The idea here is to go and do plein air painting on the lake. Or one can take pictures of the lake and develop a landscape in the studio. In this Landscape painting, I wanted to tell my story about experiences walking around the lake. So here it is a very non-traditional kind of Landscape: (do let me know your comments)

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A walk around Lake Mission Viejo - 16x20 inches, Oil on Canvas Panel

 My story here is that for taking pictures, I walked all around the lake which is around 3 miles. There is a wonderful walkway below (Alicia Parkway). There are these shells embedded all along the walkway which attracted me. Lot of activities happen in the lake - fishing is a very big one and that day we actually saw a boy getting quite a big catch @ 6AM. In that morning hour, there was even sail boat and canoe etc. There are wonderful houses surrounding the lake on both sides. One other great feature of this lake was the beach, which I tried to highlight as if seen through a magnifying glass. On a typical holiday afternoon there are lots of people picnicing in the beach area and it is sooo fun to watch all these activities going around the lake. I wish I had an year round pass to this lake, so that I could also join these people!

A Chat in the Flea Market

In the morning it was a cloudy day, but by afternoon it became bright and sunny. I knew I would enjoy my visit to the Jamestown Village Vintage Fleamarket in Old Town Tustin. It is the joy of strolling alone in such places. I throughly enjoyed window shopping the antique shops and walking around among the people in the flea market. It seemed that these people in my painting met after a long time, had lots to catch up and had a gr8 time chatting!

Hope you all enjoy the painting!

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A Chat in the Flea Market - 16x20 inches, Oil on Canvas Panel

Common Coot with its Young

With this painting I have a riddle for you all. The young one of Duck is called Duckling, young of Hen is called Chick... Now here is a Common Coot - whats its young called? You can post your answers in the comments...
Spring is fast approaching, in US the official start of spring is on 20th March. So as you must have guessed, spring time is the inspiration for this painting.

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Common Coot with its Young - 16x20 inches, Oil on Canvas Panel

1...2...3...JUMP

I almost titled this painting as - Life is for having fun or Life is for enjoying! but 1..2...3...JUMP is the best I liked. There are lots of participants in the making of this painting - the jumping teenagers, having fun and someone who clicked their photo! Thanks to you all.
It was as exciting and fun to paint this as much as these friends jumping in the sand.
Let me know if you like the painting.

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1..2..3..JUMP! - 16x20 inches, Oil on Canvas panel

Little Gymnast On the Beach

It was sunset time, we reached Newport Beach. It was bit chilly weather in November and so very few people on the beach. Someone must have played in the sand before us, so there was already a rectangular boundary drawn. My daughter quickly made it "her" spot to show off her Gymnastic skills!

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Little Gymnast On the Beach - 16x20 inches, Oil on Canvas Panel

Ducks at Sunset - SOLD

Friends, here's another one from few weeks ago. Again the photo really doesn't do justice, the actual painting is much more bright. This one was painted as a wedding gift and absolutely fun to paint!

Ducks at Sunset - 16x20 inches, oil on Canvas Panel

SOLD - Commissioned painting for wedding

The Parrot Fish

This is an underwater beauty - the Parrot Fish! I wish one day I could see such sea life in person. But this one is painted from a picture that I got in wetcanvas reference library.

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The Parrot Fish - 16x20 inches, oil on Canvas Panel

About Parrot Fish from seaworld.org:
Parrotfish have thick, heavy bodies and large scales. They are found in tropical waters throughout the world and appear in a wide variety of colors, which may change depending on their sex, status, or maturity.

Church n Fall Colors - SOLD

It might seem really odd that in the middle of summer I came up with this fall color landscape, hmmm....  I had started this one during the first painting workshop I had attended couple of years ago. Since then it was lying around unfinished. Yes! finally... I am very happy that I got done with this :)

This landscape reminds me of my time living in Minden, Germany. It was a very similar setting. In the fall season, I went for long walks with my host family (the Klaus Kettig & family) in this wilderness. Enjoying nature, collecting nuts and listening to German conversations. Good Times!

Church n Fall Colors - 16 x 20 inches on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

SOLD