Art and Looking at Life

Marketing and Selling Art

2012-01-22T20:17:00.000-08:00

The last few days, I have been thinking a lot about how to market art. How I, as an artist, should also focus how to sell the work I have created.

I have surfed the internet to find what other artists are doing in this regard. I am learning a lot of things in the process. As a present day artist, the artist should invariably have a web presence. These would include, an artist's art website, a blog, portfolio in online galleries, etc. etc.

There is a lot I need to learn. Merely showing in physical galleries and joining competitions is not enough. Wielding the painting brush and mixing colors is not sufficient. One should learn the language of the web and be internet savvy.

Thank god my friend had taught me to use the internet in 1998. But I am not an expert yet. Technology can move ahead of you so fast. One always has to keep up with it.

Fine Art Prints and Giclees of Original Paintings

2011-07-27T21:43:00.000-07:00

The popularity of fine art prints and giclees of original paintings is very obvious by the proliferation of fine art print websites. Examples are ; http://www.imagekind.com/, http://www.fineartamerica.com/, http://www.saatchionline.com/, http://www.art.com/, http://www.allposters.com/, http://www.artprintsforhomedecor.com/, http://www.artexpression.com/, among many many others. If you are interested in any fine art print or giclee of my paintings, please contact me. Thanks.

Title: Fair Weather, oil on canvas, 50"x40", Anuradha Rajkumari

Title: Waiting, oil on canvas, 30"x20", Anuradha Rajkumari

Title: Woman in the Forest, acrylic and oil on canvas, 36"x30"

New Paintings - Large oil paintings on canvas

2011-07-23T15:32:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a few large paintings of late, and they're ready! If you are interested in any of the paintings, or their prints or giclees, do contact me.

Title: One World, oil on canvas, 48"x36"

Title: Grass is Always Greener..., oil on canvas, 48"x36"

Title: Resting on a Sunny Day, oil on canvas, 48"x36"

Paintings for Sale - Large and Medium

2011-06-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

Following are a few of my oil paintings on canvas for sale. They are either large or medium sized. Contact me if interested.

Title: Woman in the Forest

Title: Talking to Opu, oil on canvas

Title: Purple Forest, oil on canvas

Title: Mendicant, oil on canvas

The Finished Small painting

2011-04-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

Waiting for Dinner, oil on canvasboard, 8"x10"

After weeks of sporadic work, I finished my "Waiting for Dinner" painting. Took me a while to upload it, as I had been much into painting other works too.

With the new studio, years of deprivation of a proper workplace has translated into the overwhelming desire to be in the studio and work all the time. Often I forget to keep track of time. I cannot afford to forget everything in the world. Need to remind myself there is one more person in the house too.

This one is a small painting, as I like to practice on small formats sometimes. My main interest and fulfilment lies in large paintings, but being able to finish a work quickly, which is possible when it is small, acts as a great stimulus.

The Figurative Art of Painting the Face

2011-03-03T18:13:00.000-08:00

A work in progress

Firstly, it is the face that attracts anybody. As an artist, the thing I love to paint foremost is the face. It would be very easy so find the reason if one analyses it. But I would just like to say that emotions affect me. And the face is the part of the body where emotions show most easily. In that case, I would be an adherent of the Expressionist school of art, I understand.

Slowly I am getting to know my art. Why do many kinds of things? Why experiment with so many colors? Isn't it the right time to choose, to focus on some, and block out the rest. For a signature style, isn't it necessary to choose?

And layering - of colors - so that it shows in depth, is essential. For some time now, I had been concentrating on small size paintings. I had moved away from my size, which is large. In India, when I started off, I started with the large size. Due to the economy, I have forced myself to do the small sizes. But that has not been very satisfying. That should not be the case, but that's how I am feeling. My personality likes big paintings, and I should not confine myself to the small ones.

With this thought process, I am preparing the ground to restart work on the large ones. Hope this is the right path. What do you say?

A Studio At Last!

2011-03-01T18:41:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I wrote this blog. And there is a reason for that. We've been moving house. You can imagine how much time and effort it takes for that. All the stuff and the packing! Then the subsequent unpacking.

There has been some excitement for me in this house moving too. And that is, I was to get a new place to work, paint. I could not wait to get my place, clean and arrange it, and then start painting.

Amidst unpacking the innumerable cardboard boxes, getting the things arranged in the respective places, disposing of recycle thus generated, then my part time job, I had not been able to get my painting spot cleared. It has taken me more than a month to finally remove the cobwebs of the garage, sweep the floor, spray insecticide, set up the shelves and the easels, and start work.

Earnestly, I should have done this long back, immediately after the move. But I wanted it to be a smooth, pleasant experience. So I didn't rush. And I am happy to see the outcome. After burning incense, dusting regularly, the garage has turned out to be a great place to paint. Much more than I had imagined.

The lights are insufficient, but very soon a couple of tubelights would do the trick. I've given up the idea of using track lights, as I realised that track lights are best for exhibiting paintings, but not for making them. Working under track lights would focus brightness too much on them, which would not be comfortable for long hours of work. Moreover, painting requires flooded lighting, not focused.

Why do so many artists end up with their studio in the garage?

How to Paint when I don't have an Art Studio

2011-01-01T11:43:00.000-08:00

I am an artist. I like to paint as often as I can. I do paint frequently, in intense patches of time. But what are the options for someone who does not have a studio? I have been seriously facing the crunch of space and looking to solve this issue. I am sure many artists face the same problem as this.

I have a table where I do my smaller paintings like ACEO, pastels, sketches. The smaller table top easel is used for the smaller upright works. On the balcony, I have set up my large easel. That is for the bigger works. Sometimes I use the portable easel when the work needs to be moved around.

But all these makeshift arrangements have not been easy. I am in need of a permament work place. A proper studio. My own art studio.

And, I am happy to say, that dream is soon going to be fufilled. We are going to shift to a new place, where I can have my own workplace. The garage would be my new studio. I am so elated about this whole thing. I would have a place to set up all my easels, my table, my racks with paints and brushes, and fill up the walls with new work. The new year is going to be great! I thank God for all this mercy.

Should Paintings be made to be Sold?

2010-12-27T12:17:00.000-08:00

Exploration, oil on canvas

Should a painting me made solely to be sold? Or is it a labor of love only, with no pecuniary aspects attached to it? It all depends on the intention of the artist, I would think.

A painting originates in the mind of the artist. Much before the artist picks up the pencil or the brush, the image is formed, whether vaguely or clearly. An artists paints, first and foremost, to give shape to the image or idea in the mind. After the image comes the real making of the painting. This involves lines, color, texture and all the details that goes into the making of a painting.

Art always originated in the realm of the mind. But then, the existence of the artists engaged in making this art also becomes important. Artists have to make a living too. Hence, art came to be sold. For the artist to continue making art, her art has to be sold.

But the question, whether art should be made solely with the art market in mind, is highly debatable. It is considered that art produced for the market only does not have a uniqueness. It tends to adhere to the norms, rather than break norms to create something new. The entire purpose of art and creativity - which is to create something new - is defeated.

The Human Figure in Painting

2010-12-20T14:49:00.000-08:00

Waiting, oil on canvas
Status: available

Any artist, even landscape artists, should know about the human figure. And the way an artist should know the human figure is to know the anatomy in detail. But if one is a figurative painter, then knowing the human figure is very important. And for those who are portrait painters, and those who stick to realism, I don't have to explain much at all.

Knowledge of the human figure to an artist should be as clear as it is to a physician. The overall structure of the body and the curvature is what gets apparent in a finished painting. But to be good in that, an artist needs to know the details of the bones. Where are the long bones and the short ones, the joints, kinds of joints, musculature around the different limbs of the body as well as in the body. There is a lot of finer points that the artist has to keep in mind while tackling a human figure.

Drawing and sketching cannot be emphasised more when it comes to practising the human figure. Only with enough drawing can one get a grasp of the subject. No part of the figure can be ignored. Whether it is the fingers, the facial muschles, the shoulders, the legs, the back. The shape of the head too. If one likes figures in motion, then one needs to hone ones skills in that department too.

The Use of Color in my Oil Paintings

2010-12-20T12:21:00.000-08:00

Evening Calm
Status: sold

Many of you would be surprised that I started painting from the beginning with oil colors. I started with oil, and it is only later that I also began using acrylic, pastel, and doing sketches. For me, the whole process happened in the reverse way. Art students in art colleges would find it difficult to believe this.

Actually, what influenced me to take up oil colors first? A friend. He is a good artist, who paints regularly. He has given up his day job, supports a wife, pays mortgage for a new home, with his earnings from art. Isn't that great? He has done well enough to do all this. I admire him. He has always been my role model. I have looked up to him. Initially I was in awe of his talent. Now I admire him as an excellent fellow artist.

So I began with oil colors. Those days I was living in New Delhi, India. Due to the dry weather characteristic of New Delhi, I had a great time painting with oil. Especially because it dried so fast there due to the minimum moisture in the air. In that period, I was able to paint quite a few oil paintings, and fast too. I did not have to wait ten days between layers, for them to dry.

After relocating to Santa Barbara, California, the drying of colors has been a major issue. Initially I was frustrated that the paint took forever to dry. Then I discovered a drying agent. That helped somewhat. But I had to wait for the color to dry anyway, of course for less time.

And now I discovered acrylic colors - its quick drying effects. For places like here, acrylic is great. I'm loving it. And then, I've also been trying my hand at pastel.

Framing of Paintings

2010-12-20T11:28:00.000-08:00

Below are samples of different kinds of traditional ornate frames for painting:

Before the advent of modern art, before art installations assumed the centerstage in the avant garde art market, there was something that was the most popular way of bringing beauty into a house or a building. The two-dimensional painting. Artists painted scenes from everyday life like reading, kitchen, gardening, etc. Flowers were a popular theme. It gave both color, and simple beauty. And to capture everything in a painting, was the frame. The quality of the frame, how ornate or imposing in size it was, showed the status of the owner, as they came in high prices only. Frames were hand carved by master craftsmen, finished and polished. The gilt frames were most valued.

Even nowadays, in art galleries where old masters are exhibited, these kinds of frames are the only ones used with their work. They show off the effects, colors and brush strokes most effectively and to the best advantage.

With the minimilastic present day form of art, frames have become less or not ornate at all. Simple flat straight edged frames are used for water color and pastel artists. And many oil artists have done away with frames at all.

Pastel painting is enjoyable!

2010-12-18T17:36:00.000-08:00

Landscape, pastel.
Status: Sold

I'm gradually discovering the magic of pastel painting. I've had a large box of oil pastels from years. Occasionally, I had tried using it, but not for long. Then one day I bought a book of pastel papers by Fabriano. And the wheel started spinning.

From vague sketches, I have graduated to detailed drawings, and then to paintings.

The most arresting feature, apart from the high saturation of the color of pastels, is the texture that goes with the application of pastels. Is it only me who is so hung up on texture? The whole premise of pastels is texture of the ground. No texture, no pastels. It is the ground that holds the loose particles of the color, and then a binding agent is applied when the work is completed.

The fascinating feature is also the different qualities of oil pastels as compared to soft pastels. Using soft pastel is like applying butter to paper. It is also like skating on smooth ice, isn't it? The painting gets done fast, and one needs to distrbute the colors and then fix it.

Usage of oil pastels requires a little bit more of pressure from the fingers than in soft pastels. But the effect is so amazing. And if I use smaller size paper, I finish quickly and get a new painting in a few hours. How about that. I can finish 2 pictures in a day. Isn't that great? There is such a sense of accomplishment when I am able to do that.

One of the important aspects of a pastel painting is to store, display or preserve it in the correct way. That means, it should be fixed. Fixing the colors is good for keeping the work appear the same as it was in the beginning. After the fixative has dried, the next step should be to keep it framed. It is the best way to enjoy a piece of art.

After all, isn't a thing of beauty a joy forever? And, when the thing of beauty can be seen on the wall, what more does one want to make a day beautiful and happy?

More Thoughts on Art, Art Marketing and Publicity

2010-11-19T11:35:00.000-08:00

Mendicant, oil on canvas, 30"x20"
Status: available

Artists love to create their stuff. Many of us like to remain engrossed day and night in our media, our canvases, our paints, etc. etc. We stay awake whole nights to finish a piece. We think about it when we are not working at it, and thus become the subject of our family and friends' jokes because of our absent mindedness. That is the lot of all artists, we say. That our end is to create art, the things we love.

But is it enough to just create? What is the goal beyond this? Should we conceive an idea, then spend days and nights making it, and when it is finished, should hang it up on our walls for good? Eternity would find these pieces on our walls when we are not there anymore?

Many artists among us would disagree on that. What is the purpose of art? Is it to show just beauty, so that the world becomes a more beautiful place? Many modern pieces of art would not fit the label of 'beautiful things'. They may even be ugly.

So, is the purpose of art to educate the world? Some would stress this fact vehemently. Art educates the world. Especially by encapsulating the present, it records the present, and preserves it as history for future generations.

Therefore, spreading art becomes important. And thus, marketing of finished art, through publicity, and sales, enters the list of things that an artist needs to do. And many artists are inept in that.

What is Art? A Question I Often Ask Myself

2010-11-18T17:12:00.000-08:00

The above pictures were taken at Pismo Beach in California, during a trip to Arroyo Grande to meet a friend. Our friend led us to the beach, and then the cliff, from where the drive through beach was visible at a distance. On the edge of the cliff, was this small park like feature with provision to sit and enjoy the landscape. It also had a few small but strikingly beautiful flower plants.

That was months ago. But what has remained firmly printed on my mind about that trip are these pictures of the flowers. Even thinking about them fills me with unimaginable joy. The other elements of that trip have become remnants by now, and not very clear.

Were those flowers art? They were not part of a painting or a sculpture. But they were there, at that moment, and even afterwards, some of the most beautiful things ever created. And now, the question arises - who created these flowers, this divine beauty?

Art Marketing and Similar Topics

2010-11-18T10:17:00.000-08:00

Landscape, soft pastel on paper, 6"x6"
Status: available

With the art market once going into a slump simultaneous to the current recession, many questions have risen in artists' minds all over. How to market in such an economic condition? Would art hold an important place when other needs are to be met more urgently?

The traditional methods of selling art are still available. Gallery shows, group shows in public buildings, weekly and periodical shows, curated national and international shows, competitions are a few at the top of the mind. Beyond that, the other way to market has been through word of mouth, referrels, catalogues, advertisements.

Very few artists are now unaware of the great importance the latest electronic media, the Internet, has assumed on the context of marketing art. A lot of debate is going on about whether artists generate sales through the internet, but whatever is the result, utilizing this media for marketing and publicity is gaining popularity.

Some New Thoughts on Art

2010-11-17T16:09:00.000-08:00

Can there be any new thoughts on art? The same things keep coming and going. They rise in the mind, then disappear, then rise again.

This is most true of work that has been started, worked on for some time, then abandoned for some time, and then picked up again. Why does some work (most work, to be correct) require such an incubation period/ And why do they emerge better, afterward. Even though the initial thought with which the work was begun, had changed.

Fair Weather

Oil on canvas

50"x40"

Artist: Anuradha Rajkumari

Status: sold

The above mentioned painting is one such example. It was started and finished in the year 2007. But much went into its initial conceptualisation, then execution. Not only because it was a large canvas, but also because I was experimenting with colour and texture.

Size of a Painting

2010-06-17T10:20:00.000-07:00

Title: Between Heaven and Earth

Medium: Oil & acrylic on canvas

Size: 36"x36"

Even in painting, the question of size is sizeable. At least for some people. Some like things miniature. Like miniature paintings, writing your name on a grain of sand. Some might wonder - is that even possible? And how? For others, like architects, large format is the buzzword. Large buildings, offices, townships, cityscapes, skyscrapers. They laze in the sunshine of the humunguous.

For people like me, it is the size, but in the two-dimensional sense. As an artist, I have been most comfortable painting on canvases that are 20"x24" or more, like 40"x40" and 40"x48". It is an accepted fact that a larger surface creates a greater impact.

But it does not mean that one paints a better painting on a larger canvas. A good artist paints equally good pictures on both sizes. But the point is about comfort. If an artist ios comfortable with a larger canvas, then why not?

I have been trying to make smaller paintings too. And the greatest advantage, I feel in that, is the lesser paint and time it takes. A smaller painting gets done faster, so my results are there to see quicker than it would be normally if I do a large canvas. And I think that is not too little an advantage.

And then, one can do a lot of practice in smaller formats. Like with charcoal, ink and crayons. As the days pass, I discover more advantages.

It will be some time before I find out the exact size that would be right for me. But meanwhile, I would continue to work on both large and small canvases. There are joys in both.

How does an Artist Feed herself???

2009-11-03T11:43:00.000-08:00

Creating art is the main aim, the life's goal of an artist. She would do anything to create, hold a paint brush and make the marks on canvas. Stroke by stroke, the picture emerges. A thought that takes a shape, color, produces vibrations. Connoiseurs stop and look at it and sigh in amazement.

The result of an artist's labor is breathtaking. It brings happiness, knowledge, inspiration, to others. And mostly that is what an artist gets. Admiration from people, acknowledgement about her talent, encouragement, publicity, fame.

The more mundane of all the things hardly crosses anyone's mind when they look at an artist's work. How does the artist sustain such a passion, day after day, holding brush and mixing paint, giving shape and color to one vision after another, for the world to see? Is it just her passion? How does she get her material like paint and canvas? Does it come from an unknown quarter? Is it being donated to her for free from art lovers? Who sustains an artist while she is at work, creating the breathtaking striking works?

Some time the artist has to stop, while she is working, as sher stomach makes her lose concentration. She cannot live on air. And she has to live somewhere, store her supplies in some place, under some shade. From some shop she has to procure her supplies.

Most people expect an artist to just thrive on plain air. As if, due to their exalted profession, they do not require food, clothing and shelter like the rest of the human race. Such an outlook is harmful. It has not helped the artist one bit to be looked at with such regard. People have to look closely at an artist, and recognise her for the work, the hours put in, the labor, the expenses. Art is sometimes just ground level hard work and logistics.

Beauty and the Duty of the Artist

2009-10-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

The recent years have seen the overwelming availability of information. What they call information explosion, or information overload. In this situation, one thing that is obvious is that all kinds of information are floating around, in tne various kinds of media available.

A new generation has grown up in the midst of this overload. I wonder if youngsters today can discriminate between the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly, the same way previous generations had been able to.

Now more than ever the profession of the artist assumes more importance. It is the duty of the artist to depict what is good, what is beautiful, what is not ugly, in their creations. The question now is, are they able to do that?

All kinds of art is being created, reflecting the contemporary world. Much of these are not beautiful, but they are being created by artists. Use of extremely clear images, especially in art installations, using materials like blood, urine, stool, gunpowder....it is doubtful whether they are creating any beauty at all. They may be more educative, for in the line of activism. But art?

Beauty of Santa Barbara

2009-08-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about art a lot, for some time now. I've been keeping an eye on the kinds of art that is on show in Santa Barbara, the competitions and exhibitions that are organized from time to time, the number of participants, the kind of responses these get.

One of the major drawbacks I feel here is the absence of large sized galleries. Due to the architectural requirements of the city, the buildings are not allowed to be higher than a certain height, and expansions and additions to buildings are discouraged and if done at all, severely restricted. The main aim of this actions is to maintain the beauty and exclusivity of the city, not to allow modern influences transgress the lifestyle, and urbanization overtake the sleepiness of the area.

All that is in good faith, and that has served to preserve the basic structure of the city in decades. The price of hosuing and rentals is very high, and for this reason, the number of commuters to Santa Barbara is much more than its current residents. People who work here prefer to stay in a less expensive place, and then drive to work. And that has resulted in the large number of vehicles on the roads during office hours.

Film and Art

2009-07-31T22:46:00.001-07:00

I am watching this film Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. All about young adult romance, friendship, misunderstanding. The same love triangle, age old Hindi Film formula. But the director has tried to use a different style, narration. Old content, new style. The dialogue is simple, some effort has been made to bring in modern music.

Lot of interspersing threads, which draw in the details. Friends retell a story of their two college friends who were best friends, but did not know that they were in love too. A bit like Kuch Kuch Hota Hain. Kajol and Shah Rukh, and then, Rani Mukherjee.

The effort is to bring in elements of the fantastic, like Arbaaz Khan and his brother, coming on horses, wearing felt hats. Then the director also touches upon issues like violence, police atrocity. Upper class Indian homes, partying, drinking wine, dating and numerous affairs.

The pace is slower than masala films, and difficult shots have not been used for super special effects. Realistic portrayal of modern urban life and people in Mumbai.

Summer Art Lessons

2009-07-24T12:58:00.001-07:00

It's that time of the year when children are at home, school vacations are leaving them with a lot of time in hand, and parents don't know what to do with either the time or the children.

And the solution is in the hands of numerous summer camping grounds, summer sports, the beach, the trails and mountains, the picnics, the bicycles and the hikings.

There are also the interesting classes. Dance, if the children like to be on their toes, painting, if they enjoy colour, music, if they have a tilt towards the instruments or vocals. the list is endless. As long as there are different types of interests in different children.

Adventure sports is for the older children, who have grown up into teenage, and want to show their independence and strength.

And reading lessons. Who can deny the weak in spelling and English a little bit of tryst with the story book, or a flirting with the pen and the notebook?

So there is a lot to do. Only one needs the inclination, to start off the process.

Texture in my Work

2009-04-13T12:08:00.000-07:00

Title: Untitled,

Medium: Oil/acrylic on canvas, 36"x30"

Price: $1000

In this painting, I applied colour in big swathes, with my brush sweeping in side to side motion. When one layer was complete, I allowed it to dry, and then applied another layer. I don't recall how many layers I applied in total. but the were quite a few.

The complementary colour scheme also added to the brightness of the painting.

I did not draw from a model. On most occasions, I draw figures from imagination. That is the reason I have a dreamy quality to my figures, I feel. My figures are not real. But they are not unreal either. They exist in my mind.

On being Unattached

2009-03-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

Title: Mendicant, oil on canvas, 30"x20"

Original: $600

Giclee: 150

Print on paper: $70

Indian philosophy and religion have, over millenia, tirelessly pointed to one thing.

In religious discourses, public commentaries, cultural practices, that is the only thing that describes everything else. That of renunciation.

The yogis and the mahatmas have followed a lifestyle that is intricately connected to this philosophy. The general population too have not been too far away from this philosophy.

Take the example of Sri Krishna's teachings in the Bhagawad Gita. Krishna exhorted Arjuna to follow the call of duty, and renounce everything else. He asked Arjuna to ignore his feelings and emotions, and also any expectation of a fruit from his work, or labour. But just to do his duty, and participate in the Mahabharata war.

We have seen in art the theme of renunciation, not only among Indian artists, but also from other religions and cultures.

Art Fair and Stearns Wharf

2009-03-11T18:40:00.001-07:00

Title: Untitled, oil on canvas, 36"x24"

Original: $900
giclee: $150
print on paper: $70

Yesterday I went with my husband to the screening of the Santa Barbara art walk, held every Sunday, at Stearns Wharf.

Since my arrival in Santa Barbara about a year ago, we've been at the Stearns Wharf innumerable times. Sometimes just to listen to the sea, sometimes to watch a program, sometimes to feel the sand beneath our feet (sandals/shoes?)

This time it was for my art. And I met quite a few artists. The judges at the screening were artists, some of them having shown art at the Santa Barbara Art and Craft Show for decades. One of them was a fourth generation artist.

My husband met his former manager, who has found peace in jewellery making. She did look in sync with herself. That is what art does to everyone. We find our voice, our calling.

And then there was our neighbour, who was harried by the falling real estate prices, as the value of her condo has fallen by $220,000. And paying the mortgage was an enormous task, in these times.

The Process of Creation

2009-02-28T21:29:00.000-08:00

Title: Fair Weather, oil on canvas, 50x40"

Giclee: $300
prints on paper: $150

Any process of creation seems to me to have a similar path from beginning to the end, when the outcome takes the final shape.

I have to still think it out if this is a generalization. What does one need to create? A thought. An idea. This is the germ, the seed. Whether it is in growing a tree, or creating a painting, or writing entire volumes of a novel, the seed is of the utmost importance. Rather, necessity.

First the thought, the idea. Followed by the real seed. Whatever the idea is, the seed would follow. The idea, the thought, is the most powerful, and the first step to producing results. Greats results, or otherwise. Whatever is the seed, other things would follow.

That is the basic premise in any field of study. Botany, agriculture, zoology, veterinary science, any field of study. This also pertains to intangible fields of study, or those fields which does not require the kind of scientific discipline that produces laboratory analysis and outcomes. Like the various artistic fields.

It is the germ that determines the steps that follow. After the selection of the germ, what other steps follow this initial step, I'd write about it subsequently. Now I need to go to bed and sleep.

Picking up Orchids

2009-02-27T10:52:00.000-08:00

Title: Picking up orchids, oil on canvas, 48"x36

Original painting available for $1,800
print on paper for $150
giclee for $300

This painting was about dreams, like picking up dream flowers. Large format, oil on canvas, the experiment was about creating a dream like feeling, with the background merging in wavelike motions.

Doing it brought me great satisfaction. Of course it took a lot time, and many many layers, as the canvas kept absorbing whatever initial layers I brushed into it.

The outcome was lovely. Somewhat stylized. And the style conservatives find points to draw attention to. But I love the effect.

Participant or Onlooker?

2009-02-26T22:37:00.000-08:00

Title: Dilemma, oil on canvas, 50"x40"
Original: $2000
Giclee: $300
Prints on paper: $150

What is art all about? Is it about being part of something, or is it about looking, from a distance? Untouched. Not touching. Using a barge pole to experience things. Life. Anything.

I think, art is about being both. While creating, one is a participant. With the medium, the paraphernelia that goes into the making of art. But otherwise, during the period before, or after the process of creation, one is more an onlooker.

There is a distance during this period. Because, without distance, art cannot be produced. There needs to be a perspective, and that perspective can be gained only when one has placed some amount of distance between oneself, and the thing that is going to be created.

And that thing, although it comes from inside, requires some amount of observation, or being an onlooker.