April 12, 2013

Lines of Harmony

Bahla Fort, oil on 16 by 20 inches canvas

Nijwa Fort, oil on canvas 16 by 20 inches
The most striking landmarks of Oman are the country's historic forts.There are over 500 forts and towers that served as the traditional defense against invaders. Both in terms of history and architecture, a visit to these forts is a great experience.
Here is my attempt to put a glimpse of two of the forts Bahla and Nijwa on canvas.The repeated shapes aligned at varied  angles tracing the path of light made it interesting to paint. I gave a texture to the canvas with gesso.The color in real is dull burnt sienna, of unfired mud bricks.I chose to give an abstracted color and feel to it. To be honest, the joy of painting with oils was missing since the oil evaporated  in seconds leaving back dry paint, so imagine the temperature here :-)

25 comments:

  1. I read that this Bahla fort is a world heritage site and has been renovated at huge cost.The painting gives the feel of intricate passage ways in the forts.Is the real colour red rusty as in the painting? Both the forts look impressive as brought out by you.

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  2. Love the geometry of both pieces, Padmaja! And you've achieved a truly interesting texture in both pieces. Have to say that the heat sounds really like it would be way way too much for me.

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  3. Love the mystery and intrigue you have packed in these paintings! I can also feel the sun beating down and the hot desert atmosphere. I will believe you that the oil evaporated as you were painting! Love the color changes and the angles of changing light. Great job on the whole! 500 forts eh? Hope you are planning a series ;)

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  4. I love both of these pieces, Padmaja!! I truly love
    Bahla Fort..I love burnt sienna and love the light! Beautiful work and hope that you make a series of them..it's so hard to believe that your oil paints dry
    so quickly! I can only imagine the heat...!

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  5. I never got a chance to visit Bahla Fort, only saw it passing by in the car...so wonderful to see your depiction.

    I have begun to take oil painting classes and my instructor was telling me about the joys of burnt sienna...I can now further appreciate his words after seeing your painting:)

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  6. The texture works well with the serenity of the shapes

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  7. Both the paintings are lovely.They look so neat, probably because of the subject you had chosen.The burnt sienna looks awesome.

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  8. They look amazing when side by side, I am sure.

    I am not the great fan of windowsill plants, my few examples were presented by my friends and live in very Spartan circumstances (windows looking south help plants to survive, not me). But when looking at these buildings I suddenly realized that I'd like to cover totally the windows by greens if I lived in Oman, as some form of protest to heat))

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  9. Great painting! I have never visited Oman, so getting to know the place through you. I love the texture and was amazed to see that it was done with oils! How could you get this texture with gesso? Love the colors!

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  10. Wow! I thought I knew about heat:) Evaporating oil! I especially like Bahla because of the colors. I hope you sell them to the same person because Irina is right - they belong on the same wall. Very nicely done, Padmaja.

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  11. These are beautiful. I suppose forts don't need to be beautiful, but at least in your paintings, these really are.

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  12. Really it's that hot at your place ? Two beautiful paintings with a preference for the first one with the warm rich colors...you can really feel the heat here :-) Have a nice weekend.

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  13. Wow..so very beautiful..I am captivated by the velvet-like feel these pieces carry..gorgeous textures..soft to touch! Both places are so amazing..the first with the deep reds and brick colors is stunning..and love the sun and shadows! and then the blue and creams of the second piece are exquisite...and the golden energy is awesome! You are brilliant..
    Sounds like it is super hot...stay cool my friend!Hugs!
    Victoria

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  14. The shadows make everything else make sense to me. That, and the clean color and lines.

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  15. Love the contrast in light and shadows,the colours give the warmth and cool shadow. I have always been fascinated by castles and forts and these are amazing!!

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  16. I like the diffeences in these two images because of the difference in the temperature of the colors. The first one suggests such heat and light and the second puts me in a misty somewhat hazy mood. I also like the texture you chose. On top of that? I like the play with shapes in these, Padmaja.

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  17. good morning Padmajia
    both are very very very very beautiful!!!!I love castles ,and yours are different,lovely different-)))
    kisses+hug
    Christa

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  18. I really like both paintings, with the red one giving me the feeling of a hot summer day and the blue one a cool night. I also like the graphic quality of the lines of the shapes of the buildings.

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  19. I love these paintings and the texture you made with the gesso. It really must be hot to have oil paint dry tat quickly. I don't know how you deal with it!
    I am sorry,that I've been so lack in commenting.I haven't been tending to my blogger friends and that is not forgivable!

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  20. Hello Padmaja! I cannot imagine oil drying that quickly. Us Canadians would whither and fade away faster than the paint! :) So nice to see your work again. Love the texture and colour palette you chose. Well done!

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  21. Lovely paintings Padmaja... beautiful!

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  22. I love how you paint buildings, Padmaja, with the soft gradations of shadow and light. It's really mesmerizing and soothing to look at. And the lines that flow throughout are placed in exactly the right places. And I am very fortunate to OWN one of your paintings!

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  23. Just love the way you experiment with colors rather than sticking to the subject. Fabulous.

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  24. Thanks for visiting my blog Padmaja. Your comments are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

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  25. These are sheer perfection, they satisfy something deep in me. They really appeal to me!

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