Statue of the Lion

Pastel on Sennelier La Carte paper  11" X 14"

This is a painting of a sculpture outside of Saciyamata temple in Rajasthan, dating back to 8th-9th century AD. Generally, the lion figure in Indian art symbolizes royalty,  or is in association with deities like Durga, Parvati or Vishnu. I am always fascinated by the amazing craftsmanship of the ancient Indian architecture, and hope to eventually make a series of paintings based on them.

Elephant sculpture -2

Pastel on Sennelier La Carte paper  8" X 10"

I haven't been blogging for quite a while. Took a break from painting to prepare for my music show. Getting back to painting was difficult, and blogging even harder.  Hope I can pick up the momentum soon. 

Anyway, I had made a similar painting to this a while back in oils, you can see it here. I let my daughter give it to a friend for Christmas. Looks like I wasn't too happy to part with it, so I decided to make another one for myself.

Stone head

Oil on Canvas  9" x 12"

This is a painting of a stone head sculpture from Sarnath dating back to the 3rd century BC. It probably portrays the head of a merchant, evident from the adornments. I actually started this painting before going to India this summer, and decided to finish it a couple of days back. Interestingly,   I saw the original sculpture  ( or perhaps something identically similar) when I visited the National Museum in Delhi. It was a delight to be there and to trace back our roots in the journey of fine-arts. The sculptures of the Gupta period were astonishing!! Someday I hope to paint some of them. 

Thanks for visiting my blog! I have a couple of more paintings finished, waiting to be uploaded. Come back soon for more!! 

Vishnu sculpture

Graphite 8" x10"

This is a pencil drawing of the Hindu God Vishnu.  It's from a red sandstone sculpture of the Gupta period   (about 5th century AD). Despite all the damage it has sustained, the form maintains perfect elegance.

This drawing takes me back to the days when I decided to make a serious commitment to art. My journey started a little over two years back, but at that time I had no idea where to go. A friend of mine, Soumitro Banerjee gave me the initial guidance, help and all the encouragement that I needed to spend endless hours slogging. The first year was all about improving my drawing skills. I moved on to other things after that, but somehow the pencil drawings still remain closest to my heart! 

Shiva-Parvati statue

Oil on Canvas 24" * 36"

This is a painting of a 11th century statue of Shiva and Parvati. I pushed myself to make a large painting after a very long time. Usually, I paint small and tight. I don't think I have the patience to work big, so I will get back to the smaller ones that can be completed in a couple of days! And that way I can post on my blog more often too. Hope you keep visiting!!