Tag: oil paintings

A Tryst with the Divine

Hey folks! Now that I am through with the Dragon Series, let me introduce you to the next couple of paintings, the subject being, Divinity. For this set of artworks, I have attempted to capture the essence of the Buddha onto my canvas.

Enlightenment

The first painting, titled “Enlightenment”, is a portrait of the Buddha. The word Buddha is not a name, but a title, which means the enlightened one or the awakened one. It is a Sanskrit word that means “a person who is awake”. What a Buddha is awake to, is the true nature of reality. When the Buddha passes into the peace of Nirvana, it is like a transformed state of existence.

This perfect state of existence, where knowledge or wisdom co-exists with compassion, is called Enlightenment. Knowledge here does not means worldly knowledge of things around us, but a true understanding of reality and the intrinsic nature of things surrounding us. Enlightenment is so much beyond the realm of outside ordinary experience that it cannot be described, but only be realized and felt within ourselves. If I were to put it in words, it would be a paradise within us.

I call this painting a partial portrait, wherein I have painted only half of the face of the Buddha, representing that true reality He sees upon attaining Nirvana. Once enlightened, He is oblivious to all external influences, thus the other half, which symbolizes a superficial exterior, ceases to exist.

The medium I have used for this portrait is oil paints. However, I have been a tad bit adventurous with the background of this artwork! I am greatly inspired by the palette knife technique of my all time favorite artist, Leonid Afremov. He is a Russian–Israeli modern impressionist, who works mainly with a palette knife and oils. Using his unique knife painting technique, he dabs paint onto the canvas in relatively thick and small strokes, creating paintings that seem to be a burst of countless bright colors.

Using a palette knife to paint is very different from a brush. A brush bends and flexes as you move it. The palette knife is a more rigid tool. It can be used to carefully add a straight line or toss on a huge blob of paint. While Leonid possesses his own signature style, I have attempted to reproduce similar effects using a brush instead of a palette knife in my painting. Also, instead of using several colors (like Leonid does), I have used different tones of blue to create an Ombre effect as part of the background of this artwork. Ombré (literally “shaded” in French) is the gradual blending of one color or hue into another, usually moving tints and shades from light to dark.


Sounds Greek and Latin to you? I shall attempt to “enlighten” you all in detail on these terms some other time. For now, it’s Adios till my next post!!

The Art Dungeon is back!

Yo people! Sorry for being MIA!! I was compelled to take a break from my blog as I was relocating. Moving house was on the cards in the distant future, but due to unforeseen circumstances, had to do so sooner than I expected. Have been packing, shifting and unpacking for the last two weeks and phew! Am I glad it’s over!! Now that I have settled into my new nest, and my Art Dungeon is up and running again, I am all set and rearing to go on with my posts! So, I shall make my comeback and continue with my ongoing Dragon Series. Once again, apologies for the lack of posts last couple of weeks. Now that the blog is back in business, so am I!!

Dragon – Camouflage

Hey all! Sharing a really cool new technique that I came across and used for my next piece of art. It’s called PEEL PAINTING. It’s one of a kind and I had loads of fun trying it out! The best part about this method of painting is that not only is it quick and easy, but also produces, not one, not two but multiple paintings, depending on how much paint you have used. It basically involves squeezing paint between two surfaces, then “peeling” them apart to reveal all these intricate and cool textured, veiny lines…and Voila! You have a Peel Painting!! Read on for a more detailed description.

The scales of a dragon are largely impervious to flames, hence serving as protection for the more vulnerable flesh and musculature beneath. As a dragon ages and becomes more ferocious, its scales thicken and harden, providing not just protection, but also camouflage to this beastly predator’s fiery cauldron. The human mind builds around itself, a similar impregnable fortress, which conceals its deepest and darkest emotion, namely, anger. Not only does it attempt to conceal it, but also struggles to contain it within. Just as the scales of the dragon serve as an armour to its burning fury, the mind tries to disguise its frenzy by appearing dispassionate and unaffected, thereby attempting to blend into oblivion.
And now for the fun part! PEEL PAINTING!! I used this awesomely fun technique to depict the scales of a dragon in this artwork. As the name suggest, it involves peeling! I dropped blobs of paint randomly onto the canvas, (keeping in mind the composition I wanted to achieve, of course), then pressed another canvas or canvas sheet on top. After applying considerable amount of pressure to ensure that the paint had spread evenly all over the canvas, I literally “peeled” off the canvas on top and I am happy to say, I successfully achieved the effect I was aiming for! Not only did the colors merge and blend-in perfectly, but also rose out of the canvas in the form of “peeks”, if I may call them that. I thought they pretty much gave the effect of dragon scales! What say?

The Dragon Within

It is said that dragons are fire transformed into flesh. They emanate so much heat from their bodies that they steam during cold nights, as if sweating fire. Their breath is so hot that the flames they exhale are used by them to cook the meat they consume. They are a burning furnace of hot, molten lava on the inside, sheathed on the outside by an impenetrable crust… The Scales.
So look out for my next artwork, which is an expression of this anatomical attribute of the dragon, hence the superficial veil of the human mind. Keep following for more!!

Dragon-Fury

Hey fellow art lovers! As promised, I am back with my next post!! Come join me as I dissect the dragon, hence the human mind further, digging deeper inside, in search of the innermost receptacle of its darkest emotion…ANGER.

This composition, titled Dragon-Fury, represents the enraged being at its destructive best. It also symbolizes the turbulent state of the human mind, when it is at the peak of its ferocity. The monstrous creature, when in rage, fills its belly with smoldering embers, depicted through luminous hues of yellow and red for the dragon’s abdominal muscles. As the frenzy builds up, the fuming embers ascend the gut and illuminate the gullet of the ferocious creature, as seen in the painting. The storm continues to build inside, until it cannot be held back anymore by the dragon(in other words, the human mind), and inevitably explodes like a volcanic eruption. I have illustrated this wrath in the form of molten flames emerging from the dragon’s mouth. How did I do the flames? Well, that’s where the secret lies! It was a painstakingly slow process of melting wax crayons over the canvas, graduating from yellow to red..but it was worth the effort, as I was quite happy with the end result!

Coming Up Next….

After exploring the physiological nature and the mental psyche of our beloved Saphira, I have attempted to dissect her psychotic rage further and dig deeper into her anatomy. At the same time, I am excavating into the emotional archives of the subconscious human mind, with an endeavour to analyse the metamorphosis of the delirium building up inside it….Coming Soon…The Dragon – Inside Out!

The Wise Dragon

This one portrays Saphira in a solemn state, when she has overcome her savagery to attained peace and serenity. Full of remorse for the devastation she has left behind in her raging frenzy, she has chosen the path of retribution, thereby transforming into a calmer, wiser and more tranquil being. She represents the penitence of the troubled human mind after it has let loose its fury. Once self realisation sets in, it rises over its unbridled emotions to emerge victorious and attains a transcendent state of eternal peace and harmony. The cooler tones of blue rendering this portrait are symbolic of a contented and peaceful entity.

The Furious Dragon

My next composition portrays Saphira, hence the human mind, in a different avatar…strong, yet ferocious and destructive. Like the dragon, when the mind is full of rage, the darkness tends to take over and it wreaks havoc all around it….I have attempted to bring out this fury in the eyes of Saphira through her menacing glance, waiting, watching and threatening to breath out the smoldering embers of devastation onto all that dare to cross her path…just like an enraged mind threatening to erupt.

Red Dragon

The Dragon…this legendary, mythical being, capable of breathing fire, caught my fantasy at first sight. It is believed that they are telepathic creatures and can “imprint” on humans soon after hatching, thereby bonding telepathically with them. That is exactly what the majestic Saphira did when I first set my eyes on an image of her…It was love at first sight and inspiration galore for the artist in me!
As an attempt to delve further into her psyche, I decided to explore her intrinsic nature…the raging fury within. Soon enough, I realised how similar she is to the temperamental human mind and Lo and behold! My first muse was born!! So the Red Dragon is not just a portrait of Saphira but also a metaphor for the turbulent human mind. I have tried to depict this through a bright palette with warm tones of yellow, orange and red…the varying shades of fiery anger.