Climb High...

I didn't know what material I needed, where to buy and how to start. All I knew was I wanted to do Painting. A strong desire to learn Painting. That strong desire drove me to explore all book-stores and shops in search of Painting material in Vijayawada, my college-town in India.

In fact, this one was my very-first-attempt to do a watercolor painting with Camel Poster colors I bought. I still remember that joyful moment of my first step into a long journey of Painting! The journey started about 29 years ago today...This Day that Age!

Keep your Aim always higher than the goal.

Happy Painting!

This Day that Age: The very first step of my journey into Painting

Details
Title: Climb High
Inspiration: Desire to test & improve my skills
Reference: Newspaper Ad
Mediums: Camel Poster Colors
Surface: Paper

Size: 15" x 9' (38 cm x 23 cm)
Dated: Feb 20, 1987

Drawing like a Painting...

Portrait of Bhanupriya - Ballpoint Pen on Paper

I heard some Artists saying- don't paint like a drawing. That's true! When you are painting, don't paint like a drawing. But, what if I am drawing and I want to draw like a painting? That's an interesting thought and exactly what I questioned myself before I started drawing this.

In Painting, there is always a set of colors to choose from and different values of single color to get the composition and all the shades desired. The surface chosen to Paint also helps and plays an important role along the way. In drawing, you don't have all that luxury of choices and help. Typically, all you have is the surface and one medium like pencil, ink, charcoal etc that you choose. Of course, each medium comes with it's own challenges. All you depend on is, just your own skill.

Painting doesn't require accuracy, but drawing does.

In Art, in my opinion, there are no boundaries, and no hard and fast rules. Just go with no rules and boundaries and do you what you enjoy doing. When you enjoy and love what you do, nothing else matters much!

Happy Drawing and Happy Painting!

Here is a snapshot of work in progress:

Drawing in progress...

Here is a few seconds glimpse of my drawing while progressing (video credits: Bhuvan Pottepalem):

Youtube link to video: https://youtu.be/Sd0WzgL0xgg

Details
Title: Portrait of Bhanupriya
Inspiration: Desire to test & improve my skills
Reference: A paper cutting from my college-days (portrait of Telugu actress Bhanupriya)
Mediums: BIC round stic Grip fine Ballpoint Pen
Surface: Utrecht Smooth 2-Ply Plate Finish Acid Free Paper

Size: 11" x 14' (28 cm x 36 cm)

Crispy Sketching with Ballpoint Pen...

Woman in Towel

Sketching with Pen is very common. Ballpoint Pen offers more crisp and sharp lines than Ink Pen. Artists often use Pen in their sketching.

Though I started doing a rough sketch as a reference for my Painting, it took me on the finer path and helped me doing more detailed study.

Woman in Towel - work in progress

First time ever, I tried to capture a video while sketching (video credits: Bhuvan Pottepalem).

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/3st6OVfyhOw

Happy Drawing ;)

Details
Title: Woman in Towel
Mediums: Ballpoint Pen on Paper
Surface: Heavy weight 80# Sketching Paper

Size: 11 x 8 1/2" (27.9cm x 21.6 cm)

Art Taking Part in BigHelp Annual Event - 2016...

BigHelp 2016 - Stage Decoration

A quick brainstorming of two Artists, one hour conference call with BigHelp committee, more than 10 hours of paper-cutting & preparations and 3 hours of stage decoration, all these efforts together had set this year's BigHelp Annual Event's Stage with a simple but elegant look. Within the limited time, resources and BigHelp's theme with added simplicity, Radha Jaldu and I took this task of Stage Decoration and we were pleasingly satisfied with our efforts & the outcome.

Though I have been helping with Art Contest for last few years, this year, it was a very satisfying experience for me, sitting in the audience and enjoying the cultural programs with my heart filled with the feeling of- our Art Taking Part in BigHelp Annual Event.

It was an amazing satisfaction for taking our Art become part of this year's BigHelp Fundraising Annual Event for the noble cause of helping needy students. Not just the stage decoration, I also took part in helping with Judging the Art contest, Rangoli contest and Coloring contest.

I am happy to take my Art part of this event for a noble cause.

Thanks to BigHelp President & Chairman Mr.Chand Pasha Shaik and Boston Chapter President Mrs.Sandhya Bommaraju for their trust on our creativity and making us part of this wonderful event.

Also, thanks to all those helpers who helped us on the stage arranging each and every bird and making sure that we were getting the shape that we visualized.

"Enjoy the satisfaction that comes from doing little things well."

- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

The complete stage decoration

New Year - New Hope...

Sketch

New Year comes with new hope. New hope gives new energy...

Happy New Year!

Happy Painting!

Details
Inspiration: Sagara Sangamam Movie
Mediums: Ink and Watercolors on Paper
Surface: Strathmore SmoothBristol 100 lb (270 g/m2) Acid Free Paper

Size: 8 1/2" (21.5cm x 28 cm)

Good Bye - 2015...

The Journey - 2015

As the year 2015 comes to a close in just few hours, I thought I would end this year with a fast sketch. Once again, my picture-collection-treasure-box became the source of inspiration for my last Art work of this year.

This year also has been a wonderful Art Journey year for me. To depict this journey, I chose to do a sketch of this train going through beautiful mountains. Like a train journey takes us through many stations, life journey takes us through many years in life-time. Each year comes in bringing new hopes, new surprises and leaves us with many memories. As the life journey goes on, we keep collecting memories from each year and cherish those in coming years.

In any journey, we come across new people. We make friends of some. Some, just come and go. I met many wonderful people along this year's Art Journey. Everyone who looks at my Art and expresses their opinion by saying something, takes part in this journey. Some leave me with many Artful memories. I always look back into my past to cherish every such fine moment.

2015 is an exceptional year for me and my Art. With my heart heavily filled with memories, I have to say "Good Bye" now to 2015.

Like many years, I always remember this year!

Good Bye 2015!

Happy painting!

My last Art before saying "Good Bye - 2015"

Details
Inspiration: Random Picture from my Collection
Mediums: Ballpoint Pen and Watercolors on Paper
Surface: Utrecht Smooth Surface Acid Free Paper

Size: 11" x 14" (28 cm x 35.5 cm)

Classic Art...

Indian Classical Dance - A Sketch

Practice is the only way to improve any skill. Art becomes Classic when it reaches the highest in it's quality and standards. Indian Classical Dance is the best example of such Art.

Practice the skill you have and make it reach "Classic"...

Happy Painting!

Indian Classical Dance - A Sketch in progress

Details
Inspiration: Random Picture from my Collection
Mediums: Ballpoint Pen and Watercolors on Paper
Surface: Heavyweight (80#) Sketching Paper

Size: 11" x 81/2" (28 cm x 21.5 cm)

Sketching to learn...

A Sketch

Sketching is a quick way of visualizing. For Artists, it is a way of quickly studying the subject.

Happy Sketching and Happy Painting!

Details
Inspiration: Random Picture from my Collection
Mediums: Ballpoint Pen and Watercolors on Paper
Surface: Utrecht Smooth Surface Acid Free Paper

Size: 11" x 14" (28 cm x 35.5 cm)

Looking Back 2015 - another Artful year in my life...

Looking Back - 2015

As the year 2015 comes to an end, to soon become the past in life, I look back into it with my Heart filled with Art.

The year 2015- is yet another Artful year for me. My watercolor exploration continued at it's fastest pace ever cruising into the new year with the first painting done on a Cruise-Ship during my Christmas vacation. I am glad that I took couple of hours away from my busy time for Painting on the Cruise-Ship, leaving my memories mixed with my Art and no scope for regrets.

Looking Back - 2015

Subjects:
I chose various subjects for my paintings ranging from some of my passionate subjects like Portraits, Indian Classical Dance & Hindu Temples through Landscapes & Birds, to even some of my bucket-list specifics.

New Art Mediums:
Also, this is the year, that I can proudly mark in my life by saying- "Yes, I got into my dream medium of Art- Oil Painting" by successfully finishing a couple of Oil Paintings.

Competitions:
I participated in TANA 2015 Art competitions held in Detroit by submitting three of my Watercolor Paintings as entries and all three making into finals and one winning a Prize. This is the first ever Cash prize that my Arts were awarded with.

Looking Back - 2015

Art Exhibits:
This year also I have had a participation in couple of Art Exhibits in Sharon town.

Specials & Surprises:
The opportunity that I got to do four sketches for "Tripaadi Ganga Dance Ballet" by Sailaja garu and her students from Kuchipudi Natyalaya was a very special honor happened to my Arts. And, one of my college-days-drawings of Bhanupriya appearing on TV9 left me with a very pleasant surprise.

All in all, it's been another artful year, which when I look back, makes me feel proud of my efforts in Arts. I learned many lessons along the path. If life is treated as a book, every chapter in it is a lesson. When we closed a chapter, we learned a lesson. When we open a new chapter, we are ready for new learnings. Keep learning from lessons that life goes on teaching!

I am looking forward to another colorful, beautiful, artful and heartful learnings from a new chapter in another New Year.

Thanks to all who give me energies!

Happy Painting!

Happy, Safe & Healthy Holidays!

Morning sketching...

It's always very refreshing, doing some sketches on a Saturday morning after a busy week.

Details
Mediums: Staedtler 0.3mm Ink pen Prisma Color Brusk Tip Markers with a touch of watercolors
Size: 8.5" x 11" (14 cm x 22 cm)

Surface: Acid Free paper

When Art meets Art...

 Ganga Kuchipudi Dance with Ganga Art backdrop

Yesterday evening was a memorable experience for me watching the Magnificent Kuchipui Dance Ballet Tripaadi Ganga choreographed, directed and performed by Sailaja Tummala garu with her dance school students at the Collins Center for Performing Arts, Andover, MA organized by World Hindu Council of America (VHPA) and Sri Kuchipudi Natyalaya.

It was a delighting experience seeing my Art as the backdrop on the stage during this two-and-half-hour long wonderful ballet on the concept of different forms of Ganga - Sweeya, Parakeeya and Saamaanya, beautifully narrated and depicted on the stage through Kuchipudi Dance.

Following are the three sketches done for introducing those three forms:

Sweeya - A woman who loves, marries and lives with one for life

Parakeeya - Marries one but loves another

Saamaanya - One who can be with many

Indian Classical Dance has been one of the subjects that I have been doing series of paintings in both Watercolors and Oil colors. I admire this divine form of Art so much and always get inspired by it. I am truly honored to get this opportunity to do few sketches for this beautiful Kuchipudi Dance Ballet that depicted Ganga in three forms from 1) Born for Lord Shiva (Sweeya) to 2) Living with King Shantanu (Parakeeya) due to Bramha's Curse and 3) Reaching millions of people in India now who live and depend on it's water for daily living.

Many Thanks to Sailaja garu for giving me this opportunity and I was humbled by her words when she mentioned my name and my Art at the end of the show. Not only a wonderful Kuchipudi dancer, she is very inspirational speaker. I am also thankful to Radha Jaldu for introducing me and my Art to Sailaja garu. I am even more inspired now.

It was an evening very well spent and I cherish all those moments and the wonderful experience forever.

---
Some more moments captured:

Sketches...

Did some sketches for a Dance Ballet in Boston showing three shades of a woman.

Details
Mediums: Ink
Size: 5.5" x 8.5" (14 cm x 22 cm)

Surface: Strathmore Smooth Briston 100lb (270 g/m) paper