The rhythm of the valley

An oil on canvas 20 by 22 inch, Yosemite valley is a glacial Valley in Yosemite National Park, in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of California.The valley is surrounded by high granite summits and densely forested with pines.

Every place has a rhythm of its own. Yosemite valley makes you feel the vibes of a perfect balance of harmony in nature. I have tried to convey these vibes through much simplified shapes and intuitive colours in this effort. The result is no where near to what you feel in the valley, but at least it is an effort :-)

I remember Gandhi's words here.."Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment"

I thank all of you who have motivated and supported me all the year 2011 through, to keep sharing my thoughts and art !

I painted this just before I left Bangalore and it was bought by a very dear friend. I moved from Bangalore to Muscat, Oman this week and now the first thing is to find where I can get my art materials :-)

Pillars of Strength

An oil on canvas 20 by 16 inch, this painting is done from my visit to the Brihadeeshwara temple in Thanjavur, South India, which was built by the Raja Raja Chola in 1010 AD. One of the most spectacular piece of South Indian architecture, the temple tower is among the tallest of its kind in the world.
To be honest, I am not religious, still I love visiting old temples of India, the lovely architecture and wall paintings are a visual treat. But the visits are much more than that in a way. Though I believe that God is omnipresent, a visit to a temple or a church or a mosque has always given me strength, hope and courage to deal with the uphills of my life.
Probably it is to do with my mind set, but it is helping me to move from darkness to light :-)

Repetition and Growth

Some times, repetition may be a key to learning and growth.

These paintings "The Ocean Talk" and "The Sky is not the limit' are done on 18 by 24 inch canvas in oil. I had done similar ones about an year ago, in acrylic.The visit to Muir Forest and Point Lobos, California is close to my heart and a pleasure to paint, so I thought of trying out the same again, this time in oil.

I think that when you re do a work after a long gap, it is interesting to see if the brain decides to go for a new approach, overcomes the obstacles faced previously or just follow what had been done in the older version..a sort of self analysis of growth or stagnancy!

Both these paintings are presently part of the "Nature" show at the Linus Gallery, Pasadena, California