Waterlily leaves in watercolour :)

Christmas brought new paints and new brushes.

Water-lily leaves in the pond outside
Were just waiting to be painted
And then again,
Isn't everything?

Wish you all a Happy Christmas and a great New Year !

May we find all the things that are waiting to be done !!

--------And just do it.

Waterlily Leaves in Watercolour

7 x 10 inches

All rights reserved.

Onions --

Trying out stuff in the kitchen !

Onions in the bag. Acrylic on paper. 8 x 10 inches

All rights reserved.

Happy flowers

Yellow flowers in the sunlight.
Yellow is certainly a happy colour.
I keep wondering -- again and again --
How did I not know that I could take a piece of plain white paper
And make it look like this ?

--- and all I can think of is --
Our education system needs a change that is long overdue .

Yellow flowers-3. Watercolour on paper. 10x7 in.

All rights reserved.

A more thoughtful picture

An unassuming money plant. Placed as an ornament to brighten the table.
A reminder of my Goa trip.

The unassuming money plant. Watercolour on paper 8x11.5in. 

All rights reserved.

Another reminder of the winding sunlit roads of Goa.

Sunlight on the roads of Goa. Watercolour on paper 8x11.5 in

All rights reserved.

How quickly time flies

Cant believe it is 3 weeks since I last posted here. It seems like it was just yesterday. Sometimes, years pass by in this manner, don't they ?
In a way, it was good to take a break from -- painting -- not intended, but sometimes you are just hanging on to the tail of the tiger !

This is what came to me after the break ! Flying leaves.

Flying leaves. Acrylic on paper. 8 x 11.5in. All rights reserved.

Just chilling ---

Inspiration sometimes manages to find a stepping stone on our minds at the least expected time --- like just when you have put the paints away thinking that you are done for the day. Or when you are just fooling around with the paints remaining on the palette after the painting is done !

Well, this was just one of those times !

  Yellow flowers. Water colour on paper 8 x 11.5 inches

Simply red - 2 Water colour on paper 8 x 11.5 inches

Fall colours just beginning to show ---

A snap shot of the beginning of autumn in Bangalore !

Water colour 7 x 5 inches

All rights reserved.

Triangles and other shapes !

It looks good ! 

How ? Why ? I don't know yet. The colours are pleasing to the eye, and it also holds one's attention for some time. 

Enjoy !

Triangles and other shapes. Water colour 11.5 x 8 inches

All rights reserved

Flaming reds

Completed another oil painting after what seems like a long time.
I can see scope for improvement there !

But still there is the satisfaction of completion. :)

Flame of the forest-2

Oil on canvas, 10x12 inches

All rights reserved.

A far away place

A far away place

A place of soothing colours
Somewhere in my mind it is,
With lots and lots of space to be
And away with reality !

A far away place. 

Watercolour on A3 sketchpad paper.

All rights reserved.

When I stopped to stand and stare ---

Train journeys for me
Usually bring along
A little anxiety - no -
A lot of anxiety
Just thinking about it;
And then there's the packing
And hoping
Not to forget anything
And then hoping not to lose it
During the journey !!!
Oh well ---
And the thought of how tiring it is.
I think I can safely say
That I have a kind of unending list !!

Anyway, I have now found a new
Time to stop to stand and stare
During the train journey !
And I now see after so many years
Of travelling through the same places:
How beautiful they are
How timeless
I am glad I saw it now
And I appreciate the colours more
And the space
And the blue sky
And everything else too
I think there are more hidden gems
In all these views
Which perhaps
I will "see" when I am ready for them.

The Western Ghats - As seen from the train to Nagercoil.

Watercoulour on A3 paper

When life gets in the way

I want to paint everyday

But --- I sometimes don't paint everyday

Because there is so much else to do

And my mind is tired 

And I just want to sleep soon.

And then, the next day

I realize that 

I haven't done what I wanted

But a whole lot of other things.

So, I decided that I must pick up 

A brush daily

Whether I feel like it or not.

And this is what happened.

Blue Rings

Water colour on A3 Sketchpad

All rights reserved.

Practice and more practice

The idea is to keep going even when you don't really feel like it. So today, I tried to do water reflections without using white paint - and its not too bad !

A rainy day.

Water colour 11.5 x 7 inches

All rights reserved.

Shadows in the water

Its a good feeling to achieve even a % of what one set out to achieve. Maybe that's setting targets too low ? Anyway, sometimes, targets have to be low to keep us going and it is pretty important to keep going !

So -- I was trying to get shadows in the water, and its a success - in part. Better than my expectation anyway, and that is definitely reason to smile.

Have a look at http://sindhu-chandrasingh.pixels.com/

Shadows on the water.

All rights reserved.

Fun in the backyard

Red tiled roofs, and brick walls. Green plants growing unheeded. Usually with the sound of birds and squirrels and crickets.

Hide and seek in the backyard, police and robbers, collecting leaves, fruits, wood, whatever ----These are only memories now.  But still makes me smile.

Behind the shed. Oil on canvas.
All rights reserved.

Strips of a blue sky !

If the sky was a curtain, then it would have strips of different shades of blue, and the strips would move with the breeze, and maybe I could touch them -- or maybe I would feel it brushing my face ---

Strips of a blue sky.

https://shar.es/1xYfIc
Click on link to buy.
Blue-Green Watercolor Painting by Sindhulina Chandrasingh on Paper, Minimalist based on theme Sindhu's Paintings. See beyond your wall !.

All rights reserved.

Sketching trees--

Bangalore's tree lined roads now touched with red and gold. I love the feeling as I drive on them.

Poster colours on paper.
All rights reserved.

The joy of blues and greens.

The joy of touching paints to paper  - that is a joy indeed!

There is a colour -- or colours of course in my head
And to see that take shape into trees or flowers
Or anything
Is something to look forward to
Should definitely do it more often
Everyday ?
Is that really possible..
It probably is.

Poster colour on paper.
All rights reserved.

Of secrets and gardens

A money plant on a garden wall --

It reminds me of hot days in which we played
Forever,
Except -- it seemed to end so soon
Always.

It reminds me of "best friends" sharing secrets
And
Ready made snacks right from the plant itself
Like Raw mangoes

I can just feel my mouth watering
Even now
And imagine looking up to see a
Clear blue sky.

Memories
Certainly the essence of life itself.

Acrylic on canvas.
All rights reserved.

Happy when being still

By the ocean.

The ocean is not still, it is actually constantly moving. But there is also a contrary stillness in the repetitive sounds of the waves and the constancy of it.

And I think my happy place is a still place.

All rights reserved.

Blue ribbons

Of sadness, of hope
All intertwined.
Lives which are intertwined with ours
Or were
They leave a fragrance
Of all that was good in them
And it was all good
That we can get a whiff of from time to time
Sometimes it makes you cry
But later, it will just be the sweetness
And gratitude
That I got a bit of that fragrance as well.

All rights reserved.

Thinking in colour.

Red swirls
This is an original thought which looks like this when expressed in colours. Who thought you could think in colours and shapes. I never did.
And just like that, I am looking at so many infinite possibilities in thought. It is certainly a gift, and not something earned. But perhaps practice will make it better and smoother.

All rights reserved.

A sight in mornings first light

- A banana tree with red bananas. (we call them plantains).
I was trying out a green palette. Again. I remember having done a green one before in oil - but can't remember the painting right now.

I tried to draw on site, and seem to have succeeded - well, I was never sure if drawing from a photograph would be different to drawing on site. Not too different, I think -- this time.

I continue to be amazed at the richness of colours that can be produced by Camlin's watercolour. My impression was always that it was all light shades and highlights. I am thrilled to discover the new shades that come with layers of shading.

A yellow leaf again

Painting leaves makes me happy.
Mostly because they turn out so well, and I somehow feel that I can do anything ! ( any painting, that is).
It makes me feel on top of the world.
Once in a while, among all the challenges that we set ourselves, I think we have to take time to do the easy ones as well, because, that's a easy way to a high!-- sometimes, the only way.

All rights reserved.

A misty morning.

How we miss beauty when it stares at us in the face sometimes.
I lived in this place for 5 years.
And realised how beautiful it is after I left
I guess I am happy that I got it late
Better than never ---

Brings back memories of cold mornings
Hot breakfasts
Playing among the tea bushes
And coffee plants
Exhausted and happy

Memories are made of this.

All rights reserved.

Leaves and shadows of leaves

I think this is more of a fixation than anything else - the need to paint leaves, that is. But I like it. very much. It makes me feel like there is a breeze on my face and I can hear the soft whisper of the leaves on the trees -- and I am without a care, if only for that moment in time.

All rights reserved.

Many shades of green

That's the view of the garden next door. The painting looks more like a tropical paradise, no ocean of course.

It's easy sometimes to lose sight of what's in front of you, cliched though that is.

Take time to look at what you have and feel inspired today !

All rights reserved.

Of apples and oranges !

Of an orange, really !

Tried shading in water colour. Not too bad for a beginner, I think.

The colour orange, brings to mind, so many things
Of course, the orange of course,
And the tangy smell that comes
When you are peeling it open
Just the  memory of the sweet sour taste making my mouth water already  !

Then of course there is a memory of buying oranges
From carts loaded with oranges
Of so many sizes and shades
Especially, the "loose jacket" ones.
In the days of "orange season".

And then, Chrysanthemums
In bunches and bunches
And fields full of them
Some with a red tinge on the yellow,
And the smell of crushed petals.

And autumn too.
All in reds and yellows and oranges.
Its like nature is saying
Renew ----.
And I can't decide which of the three is my favourite one !


All rights reserved.

An ordinary day.

Here is an ordinary tree from an ordinary day.
Sometimes we forget how easy it is to have a day that is not ordinary - a day when everything goes wrong. Perhaps that was the whole week, not just the day. Perhaps, that is the norm, if you really think about it.
But I was glad to find a little piece of the ordinary during my day - an ordinary road side tree with ordinary pink flowers!

A blue sky and a gentle breeze

The clouds came out just right - just like that !

And that's a feeling that's worth waiting for

Well, mostly !

If you have the time to enjoy the feeling

And I did - this time 

And I am glad!

Coming soon to http://www.fizdi.com/brands/Sindhulina-C.html

All rights reserved.

A blue landscape!

Sighs
A sigh of relief
A sigh of despair
A deep breath just swallowing
What I might have just said
An inhalation or exhalation
All fit under sighs
But the best one is
A sigh of awe
At something bigger than us
Like a never ending blue landscape
Like this one.
It makes you want to
Breathe in deep
And assimilate
The sight and the sounds;
And to hold
That moment
For times of other sighs!

All rights reserved.

This is me trying to decorate a red room !

Leaves of all hue and colours
Backgrounds for all the beautiful flowers
But take away the flowers
And we will all be leaf-lovers !

A red autumn day !

Trying out new colours in watercolour!

We don't have these fall colours in India, ours are more earthy colours of brown and yellow shades more than red and orange.

Anyway, I imagined that this is how it would look if we had these colours on our trees !

A dash of green and shadows before the colour.

I learnt that in water colour, the shadows go in before the colour -- well it looks better in this case anyway. 

I just wondered perhaps if, sometimes our lives also may not be like that. Sometimes it just looks better if the shadows get added before the colour ? 

All rights reserved.

Carpe diem !

Of job security or not ---

I realized today that I think of my job as secure ----- now how secure is that ????
Life can change at any time. Actually any thing at all can happen. There is really no such thing as " security" in a job or of life. So, of what use is planning ??

Planning is for a foreseeable future, but sometimes what happens in future is not what we foresaw !

Oh well --- Carpe diem ! Seize the day which you already have - no other way to live !!

All text and images belong to the writer and artist by copyright.

Of tote bags and towels

Who thought that art would appear on tote bags and towels.
But its possible to get a customized piece on your bag. That's blue oceans for you !

leaves tote bags for sale

Swirling in Red !

Its interesting how one comes upon interests or likes. I find that I am one those who stumble upon it rather than know it right away ! Well some of them at least.

Mostly , I am a " know it right away " person, So its odd and confusing to find that I seem to like things that I didn't think I likes before, and I am thinking about all kinds of things in different ways ! Its like being a teenager again ! In a way. 

Anyway, its a journey of discovery, so have to kind of take the confusions that come with it !

This is my new and unfinished piece - just I don't know if a memory or a feeling or what it is, but it seems to flow rather effortlessly !

Red Fire. Acrylic on Canvas

Copyright for all content including text and images belong to the writer and artist.

A picture from not so long ago ---

Purple orchids

This is one of my very early attempts at painting realistically. And its probably done with all kinds of  paints ! But it brings back so many memories and it looks like it was the start of something good !

I was younger then even though by just 4 years;
So much seems to have happened then
Loss, death , -----
Stress, of exams which are not mine;
Stress of no "me" time ! And then,
Finding deep joy in the ordinary.

A realization that time is short
Time really waits for no one;
Taking time to breathe
And trying to enjoy experiences
To the fullest.
Thats a lot for just 4 years !

Is this growing up ?
It probably is.
I think I just appreciate growing up
Because I am a grown up !
Fun in the small things
That is growing up for me.

Purple orchids - Mixed media on paper.

Copyright for all content including text and images belongs to the writer and artist.

Faster than the speed of light

How time flies when we are in that place where flow and focus meet ! That is a time when there is such a sense of fulfillment at the end of it, when you wake up and realise that you have been away, in another world.

That is how I felt this morning after about 5 hours of just me with my brushes and my colours. What's the distance or unit between one shade and the next - I think its infinity. An infinite range to choose from and try out - isnt that something !

Anyway I am not sure how to find this kind of time and how to make it fly, but,I 'm glad I stumbled upon it today !

Red flowers in the meadow. Oil on paper.

All content, including text and images are the copyright of the writer / artist.

Check it out !

I am on Indiaart.com   :)
( Click on link above )

Keep the moment

I have a picture today !

Keep the moment.

So much to see in the world around us;
So much that could fill our hearts and minds
With beauty that removes all other thoughts,
If only for a moment ---

Then I must have as many of those moments
As possible and maybe one day
I will move from one such moment to another one
And I would be fulfilled.

For sure, one cannot see it if we are not looking;
Maybe we can, but that's just the rare occurrence
When God takes pity on our lives
Which have become just another rat race.

So, look, my friend, look for beauty
In colour or words or in a smile
And drink deep of that moment
Before you move to the next!

The Lone Tree. Water colour on paper

All content, including text and images is the copyright of the writer and artist.

Not a painting every day perhaps :)

Oh well, too many things happening in life, isn't it ? Sometimes, well, most times it is quite difficult to live in the here and now --- even with all the sayings on mindfulness and so on. The future does over power the present at many times, and this week was one such time. Of course the past doesn't do too badly in the over powering department as well !! So we are in the present, which will go away the next moment and its like the universe is conspiring to let the moment slip away. So for peace of mind and focus in what you are doing, its a very simple solution --- Don't let that moment slip away ! That takes practice, I suppose, but I'm hoping its like learning to ride a bicycle - once you learn, then you don't need to think about keeping your balance all the time.

So, in my moment, I looked at the oil colours on my palette and I had the experience of  a new "high" looking at them ! Here they are -- The Greens.

All content, including text and images is the copyright of the writer and artist.

Why paint a picture a day ?

What is the most valuable thing in this world and perhaps in our lives ? I think it is Time. Time is the currency that we have been given. The amount of time that we have is probably already decided - I like to believe that my life is preordained -- by God, if you will. How we use it is actually in our hands - I get to decide what to do with the 24 hours that I get today. That is the most empowering thought that I have ever had. No, that is probably THE most empowering thought.

So, then there is no such thing as not having time to do something. I just choose not to do it in the time that I have. So, then, I guess the next most valuable thing in our life is the choice of what to do with the time that we have.

How does one decide that ? And I didn't even consider it that way till I am 45 yrs old ?? Well, I have thought about it at various times in different ways, but not really with such clarity.

I certainly have to work it out, and I figure that the answer is floating somewhere just out of reach, and I just have to reach far enough and I will be able to touch it.

Anyway, I started to consider all this close to the brink of a likely burn- out doing a job at a place that I really love. Which was brought to the fore front because I realized that I was able to put a brush to paper and produce an image there that was pleasing to the eye. And I thought that I came upon it too late, but, I think that its a wonderful thing to find it at all.

Having said all of that, the value of MY Time just went up, didn't it ? And since I am unable to make any life changing decisions leading to life changing changes right away, I thought that I will try and paint a picture a day and see how it goes !

So here's to time and the choices we make to use it !

Here is my art for the day --

Deep in the woods - Poster colour on paper.

Check out my facebook page at : https://www.facebook.com/sindhuspaintings/

All content, including text and images is the copyright of the writer and artist.