Looking back 2018 - The Year of Oil Painting with a Soulful experience...

Looking Back 2018
The Year of Oil Painting with a Soulful experience

As another year goes into history books, it is that time of the year to look back before saying "Goodbye". The year 2018 is a great year for my Art with remarkable memories and milestones along the path. Following are just some of those to cherish forever:

• Accepted the challenge and did a live painting in 30 minutes organized by Calcutta Club, USA. The painting was auctioned at the end to raise funds for a charity. It was the first live painting experience for me and I enjoyed it fully.
• Also, performed another live painting at Sanskriti 2018, an Indian Book Fair and Literature Festival at which Shobha De was the keynote speaker.
• Approached by TANA to do a cover page for Ugadi issue, TANA magazine. Very first time for my painting to appear on a cover page for a magazine, was certainly an honor.
• My Engineering classmate and one of my good friends, Kiran dedicated a song sung by him to my Art, what an honor by another talent!
• Exhibited my Paintings along with fellow Kalakruti Artists at a couple of events including the annual conference,  Learnquest Music Academy in which one of my watercolor paintings got Sold. Thanks to Mrs. Sukanya Lahiri Soderland from Winchester, MA who owned my painting.
• Designed a CD cover for a spiritual music album done by Mrs. Shuchita Rao which was officially released at this year's Learnquest Music Academy annual conference. Thanks Shuchita Rao garu for approaching me giving me this opportunity.
• Did a series of watercolor paintings inspired by the movie, Rangasthalam. with the first sketch done at Chennai Air Port on the way to my hometown Nellore while I had to wait for an hour for my sister Indira. 
• Took Dancing Krishna painting with me to Nellore, India, got it framed and gifted to my brother Sridhar. Dedicated it to my beloved Baamma without whom I wouldn't have been what I am today.
• Visited my favorite book-stall ChelvaPilla Book Stores, Kavali after nearly 25 years. Buying a pen and a pencil selected by the owner Lakshmi Narayana garu was the most memorable experience of this year.
• Painted Lord Ganesha, based a gift that I got from my sister Chinni, both in Watercolors and in Oil.
• Created special morning time during my summer Canada trip with the family, and did sketches from the hotels we stayed in Quebec City and Montreal, Canada.
• Made two sculptures Lord Ganesha and a Woman bust with Natural Clay.
• Visited two Art Museums: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
• Gifted a few paintings to friends and family.
• Painted statues of Goddess Durga, Radha and Krishna at Sri Sai Chavadi Temple, Canton, MA.
• Displayed two of my paintings selected in a juried Art Show organized by Rhode Island Watercolor Society, Pawtucket, RI.
• Concluded this year with an Oil Painting as my tribute to Indian Classical Dance.

I am absolutely pleased with my dedication, efforts, participations and museum visits this year. My summer visit to two Art museums, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Canada and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA hooked me to Oil Painting. I did more Oil Paintings this year that I could ever imagine to do in the shortest possible time. The sizes vary from small (11" x 14") to very big (3 feet x 2 feet). Also, styles vary from realism to abstract.

That's a fantastic soulful of satisfaction. With several professional-quality Oil Paintings done, this year, I took my Art to new levels. I can certainly declare 2018 year as "The year of Oil Painting" in my life. Once a dream media, Oil Painting, is not a dream media any more. I am glad that I could live up to the title of my blog My Soul on Canvas. When I started this blog, my heart-felt title is fulfilled now. I am looking forward to put more of my soul on the canvas in 2019 with new goals set at new heights.

Thanks to all friends on Facebook for their likes and encouraging comments. Thanks to people who took time to visit my paintings & read my writings (my another passion) on my blog and shared their feelings by comments. Also, thanks to Art lovers on Instagram who loved my Arts.

“Moving on is a simple thing, what it leaves behind is hard.” - Dave Mustaine

Thank you very much 2018, a Soulful Goodbye!

Welcome to 2019! Happy New (Painting) Year!!
నూతన సంవత్సర శుభాకాంక్షలు!!!

Bonded with Love...

Nátyánjali - My tribute to Indian Classical Dance

Oil on Canvas 16" x 20" (40 cm x 50 cm)

I wanted to end this year with a Painting that I would be bonded with love. I never struggled this much to start a new Painting. I started a couple of underpainting sketches on canvas, but was not happy and scrapped those at the early stages.

I already had a rough underpainting sketch done for this Painting about a month ago, but I was not happy with my start. As I messed up body proportions, I kept it aside. I picked it up again and said to myself, 'this is the subject close my my heart, and I cannot leave it like that, I will have to complete it'. I corrected proportions as I was progressing. The size is bit small for getting this kind of output, and I had to put more efforts to get the outcome I wanted.

I am glad that I picked up this and I am quite happy with the result. This is my 9th finished Oil Painting, and 7th one this year alone. With that, I conclude this year, 2018. This is not the first time I leaned the fact that 'when we add love to what you do, we achieve excellence'.

"Love is the bond of perfection." - John Winthrop

Happy Painting!

Keep up the good work!!

Details

Title: Nátyánjali - My tribute to Indian Classical Dance
Mediums: Oil on Canvas

Inspiration: Passion for Arts, Dream for Oil Painting

Reference: A photograph of Dream Girl - Hema Malini from my collection

Size: 16" x 20" (40 cm x 50 cm)

Surface: Stretched Canvas board

Happy Holidays...

Self Portrait

Watercolors on Paper 8.5" x 11" (21.5 cm x 27.9 cm)

I have done portraits of many people, but haven't done one of my own yet, seriously. This one is just a very quick watercolor self portrait, not sort of a serious painting yet ;)

My better self is still waiting for my better self-portrait.

"Be yourself, but always your better self." - Karl G. Maeser

Happy Holidays!
Happy painting!!

Details
Title: Selfie
Mediums: Watercolors on Paper
Reference: A photograph by my Son

Size: 8.5" x 11" (21.5 cm x 27.9 cm)

Surface: Artist's Loft Sketchbook, 75 lb/110 gm2 Acid-free Paper

Colorful Study...

A colorful study for an Oil Painting
Watercolors on Paper 8.5" x 11" (21.5cm x 27.9 cm) 

Artists study their subjects by sketching first in a different media. Pencil, Charcoal, Ink, Watercolors are common media as they give quickest way to study various aspects of it like, values, depth, composition etc.

This is a Colorful Study - a study done in watercolors for my next Oil Painting. Colors speak one language, the language of colors, the language of the universe!

Hopefully, I will conclude this year by this.

“Colors speak all languages.” – Joseph Addison

Happy painting!
Merry Christmas!!

Details
Mediums: Watercolors on Paper
Reference: A random photograph I came across

Size: 8.5" x 11" (21.5 cm x 27.9 cm)

Surface: Artist's Loft Sketchbook, 75 lb/110 gm2 Acid-free Paper

Strengthen yourself...

Oil on Canvas

16" x 20" (40cm x 50cm)

You can only strengthen yourself and your skills by doing, doing and doing more. Believe in yourself, in your abilities and in your hard work.

This is a different attempt in Oil on Canvas. This is my 8th finished Oil Painting of which 6th finished this year alone. I am happy, once taken months to finish an Oil Painting now came down to days. It's only the practice that makes you get better at doing anything.

"The undertaking of a new action brings new strength." - Richard L. Evans

Happy Painting!
Keep the journey going!
Never stop for anybody, and for anything!!!

Details

Mediums: Oil on Canvas

Inspiration: Passion for Arts, Dream for Oil Painting

Reference: A photograph

Size: 16" x 20" (40 cm x 50 cm)

Surface: Stretched Canvas board

బంగారు బాబు...

"బంగారు బాబు"
Watercolors on Paper (8.5" x 11")

"బంగారు బాబు" - ఇలానే పిలుచుకుంటా నా "భువన్" ని ప్రతి రోజూ.

నన్ను చూసిన మొదటి క్షణమే చిరునవ్వులు చిందిస్తూ నా జీవితంలోకొచ్చి...

"ఐ లవ్ యూ భువన్" అన్న ప్రతి సారీ తిరిగి "ఐ లవ్ యూ నాన్నా" అంటూ..

నా జీవితంలో ఆనందాన్ని నింపే నా "బంగారు బాబు" భువన్ కి 

"పుట్టినరోజు శుభాకాంక్షలు!"

- ప్రేమతో

నాన్న

Details
Title:  బంగారు బాబు
Mediums: Watercolors on Paper
Reference: A photograph I took

Size: 8.5" x 11" (21.5 cm x 27.9 cm)

Surface: Artist's Loft Sketchbook, 75 lb/110 gm2 Acid-free Paper

From the heart, onto the easel, into the frame...

Woman with Pot
Oil on Canvas - 36" x 24" (91.5 cm x 60 cm)

Paintings have long life, Oil Paintings live even longer. They are born from the heart of an Artist, go onto the easel to take a shape, and finally go into a Frame. Not every Art piece makes it's way into a frame and live longer. Of course, Art Galleries is their ultimate destination to live forever. Art is already an opinionated and crowded world.

I am happy that these two Oil Paintings made their way into Frames. They still need to be seen by public in upcoming Art shows and displays. For now, my home is their home...only until they find a new home!

Dancing Radha Krishna
Oil on Canvas - 24" x 36" (60 cm x 91.5 cm)

"We are not permitted to choose the frame of our destiny. But what we put into it is ours."

- Dag Hammarskjold

Happy Painting!
Happy Achievements!!

Details
Mediums: Oil on Canvas

Size: 36" x 24" (91.5 cm x 60 cm)

Surface: Stretched Canvas board

The New Beginning...

The New Beginning - work in progress...

Oil on Canvas 16" x 20" (40 cm x 50cm)

Every day is a new beginning, a new Beginning of Hope in life. Nature wakes up everyday with light. The light of hope to extend life. Those who jump out of the bed early are eager to get something extra out of the day given. That something extra is what the life doesn't offer, otherwise. Always, keep up the spirit of extra achievements in the light of hope. Never end the hope, just keep it in the beginnings, always with a New Beginning.

This is the beginning of my new Oil Painting on Canvas. Hoping to have a great experience along the way, as always!

"In the life of the spirit there is no ending that is not a beginning."

- Henrietta Szold

Progressing at a steady pace...

Happy Painting!
Happy New Beginnings!!

Details

Mediums: Oil on Canvas

Inspiration: Passion for Arts, Dream for Oil Painting

Reference: A photograph

Size: 16" x 20" (40 cm x 50 cm)

Surface: Stretched Canvas board