A Splash of Color

Archive for the ‘Acrylics’ Category

Do you remember the “300 to 30″ project that I started a year ago and have been doing over the last 1 year? Well I have completed it successfully just in time before my birthday. And this painting is a piece of cake to celebrate it. This image might be familiar for some, as I had painted cupcakes last year, as Return of the Muse. This image is a part of that reference, with the focus on just one cupcake. Also, this is done with the knife. I chose this image not just because it denoted a celebration of sorts. It was this cupcake painting last year that was the first piece I did on a black support. I have painted over 250 pieces on black after that, it is my most preferred background these days. This image was provided for the DSFDF by Karin and is one of my most favorite references from that challenge. So I chose to paint it. And I wanted to try the same subject in my current style, just to show how much my style has evolved. This was done in less than 20 minutes btw, and is heavily textured. I like the three dimensional feel that there is to the icing that tempts one to touch it.

Paint the cake and eat it too
Acrylics on board, 5 by 7 inches
© 2010 Nithya Swaminathan

I have just titled the painting thus, but I don’t eat cakes that much. I ain’t a fan of anything sweet and cakes are no exception. I just wanted to do one final painting to mark the successful completion of the project, coz I was darn proud of myself. I have loads more to write about the project and learnings and lots of blah. That will follow soon, so just have some cake right now And guess what, this painting is NOT being offered for $29. We are getting into the thirties and no more twenty something prices on paintings. Mail me if you’re interested in this one.

This is the last painting in my project 300 to 30. With this, ladies and gentlemen, I am maha-proud to declare that I’ve completed 300 small paintings while still being 29, as promised last year. There is a funny story about this painting. I had started a poppy on this board, and had left it half done. It got missed when I finished all those poppies, because my little daughter had hidden it somewhere. Oh yeah we play hide and seek with all these And after I was done with the poppies this half done painting surfaced out of somewhere and I was taken aback. I was neck deep into the lilies by then and was not in a mood to fix this one, and had left it aside to do in the end. Only to realize that when the end actually came, I could not recognize the painting with the reference. I still have a hundred poppy references and could not figure out which photo was the basis for this one. At one point I got really wild and gessoed over the board to start again. And guess what I felt like starting? Undoubtedly an iris.

Complementary Colors
Acrylics on board, 5 by 7 inches
© 2010 Nithya Swaminathan

Over the last one year, the one thing that I’ve realized beyond doubt is that it is the iris that really gets me into the zone. Something magical about these flowers that the pictures seem to paint themselves with no effort from my side. This iris is again a big favorite, as I was running short of time to complete it. I did not want to upload 299 paintings and tell that the last one will be completed later or some crap like that. While I dragged myself out of Himalayan inertia to complete this, the painting did 90% of the job and I just signed it I should say It was blissful! The reference for this is an absolutely gorgeous double colored iris from a neighbour’s garden. I was completely floored by its beauty. Let me know what you think.

How about some yellow for a change? Any other color than red actually? After doing so many paintings with red and exhausting a few tubes of paint, I finally decided to pick up another color. Let me know what you think.

Facing the Sun
Acrylics on Canvas, 5 by 7 inches
© Nithya Swaminathan 2010

This painting is one of my favorites. It is a pattern that the extent to which I like a painting is inversely proportional to the amount of time spent on it. It has been true wonderfully so far that I will list all my favorite paintings in the end of the project and let you know that all my favorites were completed in less than an hour. This one’s no exception, I think I completed it in about 45 mins or so. And I really like it. Let me know what you think.

Yellow Daisies #3
Acrylics on Board, 5 by 7 inches
© 2010 Nithya Swaminathan

Yellow Daisies #2
Acrylics on board, 5 by 7 inches
© 2010 Nithya Swaminathan

These little beauties are right from my backyard. I did not even know that they were daisies, how dumb is that. I thought they were some mini versions of the sun flower. And then googled to find out what flowers they were. I took quite a few shots of these flowers but they did not look greatly different from each other, so just stopped with 3 paintings. As a big group of flowers they looked so lovely that they’ll make a nice subject for a bigger canvas. Some other day perhaps. Let me know what you think.

Yellow Daisies #1
Acrylics on Board, 5 by 7 inches
© Nithya Swaminathan

Some time ago I was whining that I had never seen the beautiful coneflower and that all my paintings were only from reference images by others. Looks like someone heard that and planted a flower just along my way. I did not go searching for it at all, like I normally do with the other flowers. Alone my way to the bus stop, I spotted these awesome yellow coneflowers. And my initial reaction was one of immense surprise, as I did not expect them in this color. In any color other than purple so to say. I loved them and clicked quite a few photos. This is why it always helps to carry the camera around at ALL times, irrespective of whether you’re on a reference clicking trip. It pays to have it handy at all times.

Yellow Coneflowers
Acrylics on board, 5 by 7 inches
© 2010 Nithya Swaminathan

And then I had to go out somewhere and what do I see right in front on me on my way? Absolutely gorgeous purple coneflowers as well. It was as if I was destined to enjoy them that day. What a lovely flower! Do I even have to tell you that there are more purple beauties to come?! You know that too well, don’t you? Let me know what you think of this one.

Red Oyster
Acrylics on board, 5 by 7 inches
© Nithya Swaminathan

Look at me
Acrylics on board, 5 by 7 inches
© Nithya Swaminathan

I was in a dilemma whether to do poppies in groups or focus on individual flowers. Then decided that I will do them bigger focussing on the different forms than do a group. I had done poppy fields earlier anyway. One thing that I love about the poppy is that it’s texture resembles crumpled paper. And I do not mean the feel of touching it, as I haven’t touched one, but the appearance. It oozes texture and screams to be painted up close. Perfect for working with the knife. And do I need to even mention that red mesmerizes me like nothing else can? The various reds give me a high every time I work, no wonder a collection of my work looks like a big mass of red with hardly any other color to see.

Radiance
Acrylics on board, 5 by 7 inches
© Nithya Swaminathan

This entire series of poppies uses the same palette – Cadmium Red, Cadmium Deep Red, Alizarin Crimson, Buff Titanium and Lemon Yellow. A little bit of Titanium white occasionally. So lured I was with the warm palette that I have done about 30 of them in no time. I love how they look together, so much that I was ogling at the collection on my table. Tried to take a combined photo of all paintings together but they did not fit in Let me post them one by one and do let me know what you think. There are a lot many more to come!