Ardhanarishvar

Learning something new... This is one of the traditional Indian Folk Art style called Kerala Mural Painting and the figure is a form of Shiva called "Ardhanarishvar".

This figure symbolizes the union of male and female deities, representing the complementary nature of the universe. Shiva, the male part, is often shown on the right, while Parvati, the female part, is shown on the left. 

The concept of Ardhanarishvara extends beyond gender. It encompasses all dualities—light and dark, fire and water, yin and yang. It illustrates that the cosmos is governed by the integration of these opposites, leading to wholeness and spiritual evolution.

Kerala Mural Painting:

This traditional art form, practiced in the state of Kerala, India, involves applying paintings directly onto walls, ceilings, or other permanent surfaces. 

Kerala murals are known for their vibrant colors, intricate details, and stylized representation of figures and scenes.

Typical colors used are red, yellow, green, black, and white.

In this painting Shiva(Male side) is painted using Coffee (yes the Instant coffee). Coffee is mixed with water and painted using regular brush. The amount of water is adjusted to mix with coffee to get dark and lighter shades of coffee color. This was first time I have tried painting using coffee and found it quite interesting!  To paint Parvati (Female side), regular watercolor was used.

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10x12 inches, Watercolor, 140lbsArchesColdpress paper

Code# PK_25_002
Not for Sale

Bee Yourself

Such a wonderful nature!! I tried to work on the motion of the Bee wings. Hope you can also notice it.

This small treasure is painted on watercolor paper panel. It is varnished, so there is no need to frame it with glass on top. It will look beautiful in a floating frame!

Date finished: 11/13/2020

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Bee Yourself, 6x6 inches, Watercolor on Arches 140 lbs Cold press paper.

Code# PK_20_012 

Available - Contact preranap@hotmail.com

Ashe - Focused

This little kitty visited us and it was such a character! Although she was only 6 weeks and only the size of my palm, she was not afraid of our dog, who is 6 year old !! It was so much fun to play with Ashe. She was focused on playing with the toy, which was above her. I took bunch of pictures and here is one of them realized as a painting.

Date of painting: 11/29/2020

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Ashe - Focused, 6x6 inches, Watercolor on 140 lbs Coldpress Arches paper

Code# PK_20_011 
Available - contact preranap@hotmail.com

Grateful Heart - Squirrel

Grateful Heart - Squirrel - Created 11/5/2020

Now this one is very special for me - inspired by squirrels in our backyard!! It is a favorite pass time to see how the squirrel entices our pet dog - Lily, who is barking inside because we have closed the door :) The squirrel knows it for sure that our Lily cannot do anything as long as she is inside. 

I saw this photo as free reference images for artists on Facebook and right away decided to paint it!

I cropped the reference picture to 4x8 inches. This specific size was required by the Randy Higbee show - "The Huge Show Small Art". Its an online show to be published on Nov 7th 2020.

I chose a Taos Mini Frame (Taos Black Mini floater frame), which was on sale.

The speciality about this watercolor painting is that it can be framed without glass. The painting is varnished using archival varnish and looks beautiful in this frame.

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Grateful Heart - Squirrel, 8x4 inches, Watercolor on Arches 140 lbs coldpress

Grateful Heart - Squirrel, 8x4 inches, Watercolor on Arches 140 lbs coldpress,

Taos Black Mini floater frame (bought from Randy Higbee Gallery)

Code# PK_20_010 

Available - Info coming soon...

For other Original Oil Paintings, Original Watercolor Paintings, Fine art Prints and more, please visit my Etsy Website here: 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/preranap

Count your Blessings - Poinsettia

Count your Blessings - Poinsettia - Created 11/5/2020

What is a festive winter without a Poinsettia!? I had clicked the reference picture near Sawdust Winter Fantasy, Laguna Beach last year. I cropped the reference picture, since I had to create 4x8 inches painting. This specific size was required by the Randy Higbee show - "The Huge Show Small Art". Its an online show to be published on Nov 7th 2020.

I chose a Taos Mini Frame (Taos Black Mini floater frame), which was on sale.

The speciality about this watercolor painting is that it can be framed without glass. The painting is varnished using archival varnish and looks beautiful in this frame.

click on image to view larger 

Count your Blessings - Poinsettia, 4x8 inches, Watercolor on Arches 140 lbs coldpress

Count your Blessings - Poinsettia, 4x8 inches, Watercolor on Arches 140 lbs coldpress,

Taos Black Mini floater frame (bought from Randy Higbee Gallery)

Code# PK_20_009 

Available - Info coming soon...

For other Original Oil Paintings, Original Watercolor Paintings, Fine art Prints and more, please visit my Etsy Website here: 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/preranap

Looking on the bright side - Succulent

Looking on the bright side - Succulent - Created 11/5/2020

I love succulents and we are fortunate to have lot of succulents around. I cropped the reference picture I had to 4x8 inches. This specific size was required by the Randy Higbee show - "The Huge Show Small Art". Its an online show to be published on Nov 7th 2020.

I chose a Taos Mini Frame (Taos Black Mini floater frame), which was on sale.

The speciality about this watercolor painting is that it can be framed without glass. The painting is varnished using archival varnish and looks beautiful in this frame.

click on image to view larger 

Looking on the bright side - Succulent, 4x8 inches, Watercolor on Arches 140 lbs coldpress

Looking on the bright side - Succulent, 4x8 inches, Watercolor on Arches 140 lbs coldpress,

Taos Black Mini floater frame (bought from Randy Higbee Gallery)

Code# PK_20_008 

Available - Info coming soon...

For other Original Oil Paintings, Original Watercolor Paintings, Fine art Prints and more, please visit my Etsy Website here: 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/preranap

Yin Yang - Calla Lily

Yin Yang - Calla Lily - Created 9/13/2020

I was in search of painting something white in watercolors. Not sure if you know but painting white in watercolor can be challenging. This is because actual white color is not used. The white that you see in the painting is the white surface of the paper. So its mostly the negative painting technique used for painting the flower itself. The Calla Lily was perfect to paint and I found plants in our neighborhood - awesome reference pictures!!

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Yin Yang - Calla Lily, 8x10 inches, Watercolor on Arches 140 lbs Coldpress

Code# PK_20_007 

Available - Click Here

Find Original Oil Paintings, Original Watercolor Paintings, Fine art Prints and more on my Etsy Website here: 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/preranap

Inner Glow - Bird of Paradise

Inner Glow - Bird of Paradise - Created 7/26/2020

Bird of Paradise is growing all around our neighborhood and in my office complex. I have clicked hundreds of photos of this plant and flower at different times of the day. Looking for inspiration, I found one such click and decided to paint it. Here is the outcome:

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Inner Glow - Bird of Paradise, 8x10 inches, Watercolor on Arches 140 lbs Coldpress

Code# PK_15_050 
Available - Click Here

Find Original Oil Paintings, Original Watercolor Paintings, Fine art Prints and more on my Etsy Website here: 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/preranap

New Life

Red Rose from my back yard. I was inspired to paint this after getting the good news and seeing the photo of a good friend who delivered a baby boy! The Read Rose is for a vibrant new mom and the bud is the new baby.

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New Life - 8x10 inches, watercolor on 140 lbs coldpress Arches Paper

Code# PK_20_004
Available - contact - preranap@hotmail.com

Blueberry Bliss

This is my new favorite painting, it was difficult to stay focused on it due to complexity. I am feeling so accomplished! This is a plant - shrub, in my front yard. Everyone that suggested the title on Facebook thought that these are blueberries. But these berries are not edible. This is an evergreen, drought tolerant shrub, very common in southern California. In my neighborhood, I see this plant as shrub or hedges, very common in parks, street dividers, homes etc. Around Easter time, these berries turn into beautiful start shaped small pink or white flowers. For long time I did not find the name of this plant. Its called Indian Hawthorne. Below, I have some pictures of the plant with berries and flowers.
I used my own picture as a reference. The morning or evening light is very dramatic and that's usually I take pictures for painting.

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Blueberry Bliss - 22x30 inches, Watercolor on Arches Paper, 300 lbs coldpress

Code# PK_20_003 Available - contact preranap@hotmail.com\

Indian Hawthorne in full bloom around Easter time

Indian Hawthorne in Fall with berries. These are not edible

Remover of Obstacles

I was getting in the mood of creating Ganesha Sculpture for the upcoming Ganesha Festival. Casually browsing through Pixabay, I thought of searching keyword "Ganesha". To my surprise, I found a real good image of a Ganesha Sculpture. I could not resist painting it, even though I knew I would be delaying other projects that I should finish... I did crop the original image to just do the head and see if I could get the texture of the stone that I desired in the painting. I am very happy with the results. I will be doing a larger one for sure! Another challenge I overcame in this painting was to get subtle color variations. I just love how this came out!

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Remover Of Obstacles, 8x10 inches, Watercolor on 140lbs Coldpress Arches Paper

Code# PK_19_007

SOLD

Silk Floss Tree Blooms

When you ride a bicycle and find beautiful flowers or plants or trees, it is a must to stop by and take multiple pictures... This is exactly what I did on my ride one day. Looking at the blooms, I could not resist taking a water break right there. The natural habitat of these trees is South America, but I see them a lot here too in Southern California. They are drought tolerant trees and the best part is they bloom in Fall. As you can see in the painting, there are barely any leaves, but the whole tree is covered with these pink flowers. Another unique thing about this tree is that there are thorns on the tree trunk, which usually we don't see for other trees.
Read more about it on Wikepedia..

Enjoy these beautiful blooms!!

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Silk Floss Tree Blooms, 22 x 30 inches, Watercolor on 300 lb Coldpress Arches paper

Code# PK_19_004 

Available - contact preranap@hotmail.com

White Plumeria Duet

It had been long that I painted a White Flower. I browsed through all my saved reference pictures and this White Plumeria appealed the best at the time. So cropped the picture and this time I thought I would create it on paper glued to canvas. I will eventually varnish the  painting before I send it over to frame it. The framing for this painting will not required glass. I am thinking a floater frame would be the best option, but there may be other frames that would work good too!

I used Golden Soft Gel on one of the 12x12 inch Canvas boards I had. Then carefully pressed the paper all over it so that there wouldn't be bubbles or uneven patches. Once the surface was ready, I did the drawing. Then started playing with colors. Hope you like it!

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White Plumeria Duet - 12 x 12 inches, Watercolor on 140lb coldpress Arches Paper

Code# PK_19_003 

Available - Click Here

Cacti Sundance - SOLD

This painting is from a photo that I clicked at Laguna Beach. It was afternoon sun and the light and shadow patterns were so interesting that I could not resist painting it.
However just as I was drawing it on paper, I realized this one is going to take me long to complete. Towards the end I was running out of patience, it felt like a never ending painting. I could not start a new one until I finished this one.
It feels a great relief and accomplishment to get this one behind me.
I must admit that I fall in love with every painting I finish and this one is really very special for me.

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Cacti Sundance, 22x30 inches, Watercolor on Arches Paper

Code# PK_17_016

SOLD

Fine art prints available Click HERE

Passionate Red Lilies

Every evening I take my dog for a walk and on the way I see several Daylilies - all different colors. Everytime I see a patch of these flowers, I stop by and take pictures. I have pictures of yellow, dark red (almost maroon color) and these daylilies. Also there are smaller varieties of these colors that look like colorful stars shining among the greens. So of course I needed to paint from one of my pictures!!

"Earth laughs in flowers." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Passionate Red Lilies, 11 x 15 inches, Watercolor on 300 lbs Coldpress Arches paper.

Code# PK_17_015
Available - Contact preranap@hotmail.com

Pink Fulfillment

Looking at my paintings from this year, it feels like I am still in my pink mood :)
Well this one for sure made me feel fulfilled with shades of pink once again!!
Looking at my cropped and adjusted reference picture, the composition seemed perfect for the painting.  But now looking at it, I think I should treat the far left side rose even more muted. So even though I signed it, I might go over it again a bit. What do you think?

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Pink Fulfillment, 15x22 inches, Watercolor on 300 lbs coldpress Arches paper

Code# PK_17_014

Available - contact preranap@hotmail.com

Welcome Spring

My friend posted quite a few wonderful pictures of hummingbird on her facebook. One of them I liked so much that I asked her if I could use her photo as inspiration for my painting. I had never painted hummingbird before and there were striking Gulmohar kind of flowers along with it!! So it was a must to paint this. We recently celebrated Holi and with that in mind, the background became Holi like.

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Welcome Spring, 11x15 inches, Watercolor on Archespaper, 300lbs Coldpress

Code# PK_17_011
Available - contact me - preranap@hotmail.com

Betty Boop Duet

I clicked several pictures of these roses in my garden last year. Finally chose one of them to paint. In case you are wondering about - "Betty Boop" - its the name of this rose. This is a floribunda type of rose plant. The speciality of floribunda is that roses bloom in bunches i.e just one branch has a bunch of 5 - 10 roses / buds etc as opposed to just one Rose at the end of the branch in normal rose plants. Its a treat that we live in California and don't have to wait till spring for Roses to bloom. We get all kinds of flowers all year round pretty much.
Betty Boop ges through quite a transformation from its bud to a fully bloomed stage. Here I have shown just 2, the pink one is fully bloomed and the petals are ready to fade out and drop in couple days. The one above it is fully bloomed too, but it is in it prime youth!! It stays like this for about 3-4 days.
Hope I have tempted you enough to get one of this rose plant for your garden....

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Betty Boop Duet, 11x15 inhes, watercolor on 300lb coldpress Arches paper

Code# PK_17_010 

Available - Contact me - preranap@hotmail.com

In OCFair Ice Museum

A new experiment in watercolors... This is painted from a picture of my daughter inside Ice Museum in OC Fair, in front of an Ice Sculpture. How do you show the texture of ice? I thought the best medium was to try out texture in watercolors using cling wrap for the ice.
I am happy with the texture of Ice wall. The sculpture itself is ok. Best I liked is the wrapped blanket around the girl. And pulled my hair apart on the face.. :) Could not get it right. Nevertheless, I love the overall painting.
Very good memories associated with this painting!

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In OCFair Ice Museum, 11x15 inches, Watercolor on 300lb Coldpress Arches Paper

Code# PK_17_009
contact me for info - preranap@hotmail.com

Soul Searching Rose

In my last post I mentioned that I am ready to move on to a different color. Sure enough, I tried, but had to use some hints of PINK, This pink color is called Opera Pink and is available in Winsor and Newton Artists color. I could not do without it.
As always I am working on catching the light effects on the flower. The original background of my reference picture was different and so was the flower. But I used my artistic license to make it look the way it is.
For those who know Marathi language - the song that I was thinking about was - Tya phulanchaya Gandhakoshi.... I love the song!!

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Soul Searching Rose, 22x30 inches, Watercolor on Arches 300lb coldpress paper

Code# PK_17_007
Available - email preranap@hotmail.com for more info

(I am entering this painting for a juried exhibition, so for about couple months I will not be able to sell it)