tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24503906871561507172024-03-06T13:13:01.111+05:30Vinod's GalleryAssistant Professor and artist-single male, who has his own way of seeing things, who is on a never ending journey through the lanes of creativity, attempting to express himself through his paintings and sketches.Vinod Laxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06063398161334674317noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450390687156150717.post-44162092280926821922010-02-25T10:35:00.002+05:302010-02-25T10:39:10.376+05:30Scarlet Dreams<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55NFEl-l2i1QY-NsTH0vCuukU7PtrBiSN2VWl0EuPvIhCZVF7r4gRYV8m9jFXLWEzP1PMPsac_N3lsah2l8sRXs4T_yD8zgzVUegW_xHmI_FwlyaBaSZO9TGtXObC-KDtlv_LxSXqt9pg/s1600-h/Scarlet+Dreams.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 279px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55NFEl-l2i1QY-NsTH0vCuukU7PtrBiSN2VWl0EuPvIhCZVF7r4gRYV8m9jFXLWEzP1PMPsac_N3lsah2l8sRXs4T_yD8zgzVUegW_xHmI_FwlyaBaSZO9TGtXObC-KDtlv_LxSXqt9pg/s400/Scarlet+Dreams.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442043411768213858" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">It is good to be back with blogging and to exhibit my paintings after a very long while. I had missed the fun as well as serious activities and discussions in the blog world and the pull of his old habit was too much to resist that I must say I am back. Though I have made umpteen declarations to this effect several times before, I really think I am here to stay on a regular basis. I am divinely motivated..Lol! My mind is crowded with images that feed my dreams and these images have a strong bearing upon my inner consciousness, which, in one way or the other speak my own thoughts in my own voice which, ultimately paint I must!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">As always my gallery is a place to view works of art for all those who love to understand, appreciate, critique, and create works of their own. It is also a place to take a stroll, sit, stretch your back and relax as the pores of your soul absorb the essence of these paintings. It is a meeting place of likeminded wandering souls like my own self. Comments are essential to any work of art, to enrich and embellish it with various points of view. After all, what is more important is what a painting does to you than what a painting is in the eyes of its creator. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Let’s see what this painting does to you.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Title : Scarlet dreams</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Medium : watercolour on coldpressed paper (300 gsm)</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Size : 14.5 x 21 cms</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Vinod Laxman </span></span></p>Vinod Laxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06063398161334674317noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450390687156150717.post-49419026233792228492009-09-12T11:06:00.002+05:302009-09-12T11:16:20.717+05:30BFBM : Portrait of A<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9csADOPP5ZCDvZ231rl34BMxtJuos7Rlq6vwmNtjafKbnC8ssydEoIs6KYsQRhde9JAp46rFffF_7yR4vc0VFjlBFs9hLEau-rVHl0WCYnR6f0t8SLNX0Wk155GKuVfixawCbxhk5yEjA/s1600-h/Aswathy_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 317px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9csADOPP5ZCDvZ231rl34BMxtJuos7Rlq6vwmNtjafKbnC8ssydEoIs6KYsQRhde9JAp46rFffF_7yR4vc0VFjlBFs9hLEau-rVHl0WCYnR6f0t8SLNX0Wk155GKuVfixawCbxhk5yEjA/s400/Aswathy_1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380451064163479074" /></a><br /><div>Portrait of a friend painted with watercolour on smooth grained handmade paper. Reference was a mediocre quality photograph taken with flash. It is difficult in such a context to define clear cut light and shade. However, to achieve her radiant expresion I had to eliminate a lot of middle tones and the result is something that made me happy. It is always an excellent experience to paint portraits in monochrome using the traditional wash technique. Wash technique involves painting in layers or placing various transparent tones of the colour layer upon layer. It is the first time I painted on this paper and I am impressed with the result.</div>Vinod Laxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06063398161334674317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450390687156150717.post-44558324593676149372009-06-14T20:51:00.004+05:302009-06-14T20:54:40.822+05:30Plein Air Painting<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiKS_AcEj_yHMAxqteONHkN-pnlkCbwCXHdqjdzKo2jvuLIxWp_9K-R31TouYniY_KKH_VvV2shQF9PimDx1t3-FGkAP2h9DLhkLgfzSHhKs7XGwJid9ZbUZ5DxQ0D22y3ZzqKJ6nF3_Yn/s1600-h/Landscape_wide_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiKS_AcEj_yHMAxqteONHkN-pnlkCbwCXHdqjdzKo2jvuLIxWp_9K-R31TouYniY_KKH_VvV2shQF9PimDx1t3-FGkAP2h9DLhkLgfzSHhKs7XGwJid9ZbUZ5DxQ0D22y3ZzqKJ6nF3_Yn/s320/Landscape_wide_1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347203936535760594" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:11px;"><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The proper understanding of concepts like space, volume, depth, distance, perspective and 3dimenstionality comes only when we translate nature as we see it; with colours,light and shade on to a two dimensional surface.<br /><br />This is why 'nature study' or 'Plein Air Painting' is essential for every artist.</span></span></h3><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Title: Landscape No.1 </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Medium: Oil Pastels on Fabriano Pastel Paper</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></span>Vinod Laxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06063398161334674317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450390687156150717.post-40388921918565894052009-06-04T13:17:00.007+05:302009-06-04T19:54:19.468+05:30Portrait of byegone era<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 15px; font-family:arial;font-size:13px;"><p style="text-align: center;line-height: 1.22em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfltk60AbBLa4UF9CkTDoEvxG6RguppG8E_CtusBkr2477HbeOxC0YUwEkzgm9FR4Nv2K6enPQgL6p8IfJ1ZoKqdfWkeF3QZVrh77e5LD9R8IL4m9Jm9gOPMkgtsUB38tbqxMhF3x0iUb/s400/Portrait-Small.jpg" /><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify; line-height: 1.22em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; "><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify; line-height: 1.22em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; "><span style=" line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It is great to be back once again in your midst. I must confess I really missed all my blog friends. Friends, who are now an integral part of me and my world that is my gallery. I have been too busy with stuff at work and home. To be precise, I have been managing my time badly due to which I lost the staying power and stamina to be active online. I believe I am in a better position now, as far as my willpower goes to be active as I used to be 3-4 years ago in 360. The closing down of 360 was as predicted. Yet when the moment of truth arrives there is a soft, sweet pain of nostalgia.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify; line-height: 1.22em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; "><span style=" line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify; line-height: 1.22em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; "><span style=" line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Many friends have gone away and things will never be the same without them. That is life after all. Everything undergoes the natural process of change. Our backgrounds change, situations change and so are the moods and temperaments. So has it been with me. As an artist who is engaged in constant conversation with life and works, the changes around me has had its impress on my works of art as well. I have been like a researcher spending days on end in the laboratory experimenting with new compounds and formulas. I have been experimenting on the extends of possibilities on mediums that would suit my current lifestyle and available time. Acrylic on canvas has taken a back seat. So has it been with the meticulously detailed works in Gouache. I have taken up Soft pastels (dry) for several reasons. One, they are pigments in the purest form capable of imparting the original and pure colours. Two, they are dry, and can be worked with much faster than the wet paints. The result is always instantaneous. 3) the feel of the soft pastel sticks with the fingers give a direct connection with art work. Believe me, this ‘feel’ is magical which, a brush or a pallet knife can never produce. Soft pastels suit my present state of mind which is fascinated by bright and vibrant colours. It also suits my current enthusiasm to do away with too many details- to work with the bare minimum details in forms and shapes. In short I am celebrating the impact of colours in the mind more than the impact of a rigid translation of the objects in nature, with traditional mediums such as water colours and oils. However, as it always has been, I cannot stick to a style or genre for a very long time. For me it comes and goes in cycles, which means I would cycle back and forth between new styles and the old ones every now and then. </span></span></p><p align="center" style="text-align: justify;line-height: 1.22em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; "><span style=" line-height: 1.22em; font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p><p align="center" style="text-align: justify;line-height: 1.22em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; "><span style=" line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Title: 'Portrait of byegone era’</span></span></p><p align="center" style="text-align: justify;line-height: 1.22em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; "><span style=" line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Model: Mayra</span></span></p><p align="center" style="text-align: justify;line-height: 1.22em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; "><span style=" line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Medium : Soft Pastels on paper</span></span></p><p align="center" style="text-align: justify;line-height: 1.22em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; "><span style=" line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Size : 21cm x 29cm</span></span></p><p align="center" style="text-align: justify;line-height: 1.22em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; "><span style=" line-height: 1.22em; font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;line-height: 1.22em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; "><span style=" line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Note: Composed in the style of high renaissance portraits, yet finished in a completely contemporary fashion. Only warm colours used to define the fiery character of this beautiful young lady.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;line-height: 1.22em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; "><span style=" line-height: 1.22em; font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;line-height: 1.22em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; "><span style=" line-height: 1.22em; font-family:Helvetica;"><span style=" line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">© </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Vinod Laxman 2009</span></span></p></span>Vinod Laxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06063398161334674317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450390687156150717.post-38395516716185522782009-04-26T21:21:00.000+05:302009-04-26T21:22:08.680+05:30Absence : Pablo Neruda<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; "><dt class="post-head" style="clear: both; font: normal normal normal 170%/normal georgia, 'times new roman', serif; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; "><br /></dt><dd class="post-body " style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(214, 214, 231); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-left: 0px; "><div class="image-wrapper" style="clear: both; text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; "><a href="http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog/slideshow.html?p=9938&id=87vqgkA9RLD914ILtAOL" id="m9938" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); "><img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49ad5fa3z6381727e/94/__sr_/e3c2.jpg?mgQaI9JB4.jEEM69" alt="Absence : Pablo Neruda" height="333" width="287" border="0" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a> <a href="http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog/slideshow.html?p=9938&id=87vqgkA9RLD914ILtAOL" id="m9938" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); "><img src="http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/nt/ic/ut/bsc/srch12_1.gif" alt="magnify" height="12" width="12" border="0" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></div><div class="content-wrapper" style="clear: both; font: normal normal normal 100%/normal georgia, 'times new roman', serif; "><div style="text-align: center; clear: both; "><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SvrG1OxHCwL4humiQ4CBZw?feat=embedwebsite" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5CJBWsDZSGPmmO9K4ree6G8sMi8oRqLt80RbrBfMyDOpDrHyOwL8sGgdudu62Bo4SbFT0jWd-SB8BUJ7MQ7MvUGoSiK65VWvBPNOtgssytfeOxIPv8cZG1qb0d1BUORZse4qPOz_9iSu/s800/Rashmeet_portrait.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; clear: both; "><span style="font-size:100%;">Absence<br />~ Pablo Neruda<br /><br />I have scarcely left you<br />when you go in me, crystalline,<br />or trembling,<br />or uneasy, wounded by me<br />or overwhelmed with love, as when your eyes<br />close upon the gift of life<br />that without cease I give you.<br /><br />My love,<br />we have found each other<br />thirsty and we have<br />drunk up all the water and the blood,<br />we found each other<br />hungry<br />and we bit each other<br />as fire bites,<br />leaving wounds in us.<br /><br />But wait for me,<br />keep for me your sweetness.<br />I will give you too<br />a rose.<br /></span><br />________________________________________________________________<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; clear: both; "><span style="font-size:85%;">Ausencia<br /><br />Apenas te he dejado,<br />vas en mi, cristalina<br />o temblorosa,<br />o inquieta, herida por mi mismo<br />o colmada de amor, como cuando tus ojos<br />se cierran sobre el don de la vida<br />que sin cesar te entrego.<br /><br />Amor mio,<br />nos hemos encontrado<br />sedientos y nos hemos<br />bebido toda el agua y la sangre,<br />nos encontramos<br />con hambre<br />y nos mordimos<br />como el fuego muerde,<br />dejandonos heridos.<br /><br />Pero esperame<br />guardame tu dulzura.<br />Yo te dare tambien<br />una rosa. </span><br />________________________________________________________________<br /><br /><br />Watercolour on handmade paper<br /><br />Model: Rashmeet<br /><br />________________________________________________________________<br /><div style="text-align: left; clear: both; "><br />Vinod Laxman</div></div></div></dd></span>Vinod Laxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06063398161334674317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450390687156150717.post-4089628386484808792009-04-26T21:16:00.000+05:302009-04-26T21:19:33.446+05:30The Portrait of Amma, The Hugging Saint, The Divine Spiritual Master.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; "><dt class="post-head" style="clear: both; font: normal normal normal 170%/normal georgia, 'times new roman', serif; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; "><br /></dt><dd class="post-body " style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(214, 214, 231); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-left: 0px; "><div class="image-wrapper" style="clear: both; text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; "><a href="http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog/slideshow.html?p=9960&id=87vqgkA9RLD914ILtAOL" id="m9960" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); "><img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49ad5fa3z6381727e/95/__sr_/2599.jpg?mgQaI9JBb4x2HQsO" alt="The Portrait of Amma, The Hugging Saint, The Divine Spiritual Master." height="333" width="276" border="0" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a> <a href="http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog/slideshow.html?p=9960&id=87vqgkA9RLD914ILtAOL" id="m9960" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); "><img src="http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/nt/ic/ut/bsc/srch12_1.gif" alt="magnify" height="12" width="12" border="0" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></div><div class="content-wrapper" style="clear: both; font: normal normal normal 100%/normal georgia, 'times new roman', serif; "><div style="text-align: center; clear: both; "><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PIc-pb-j3mLfaCdAe0pl6g?feat=embedwebsite" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz3s35FChwBHhEfIz93ZM2MS_79gBbLobTxr-hbP89uRjfAHeyjanhjflqU8fsoQ315QFB_o2ePR2WYFbyCoahG0rxEAa6ESFY8k62w_SRiMzf_2_hX-QUvWS8hjdOgvlWzgn4x-nuRaVh/s400/Amma_portrait-&-I_5.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; clear: both; "><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hyGWp5T9S8nsaQyD5vc4Fw?feat=embedwebsite" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9h6KTyXyZ8SKOk8YxFBdRffXNHxFDFZr1SwufBRk9neKKFIJHS3E-aIQNfmmv3xcSxh46Nz0MoFFVqmMM4doRo8INsgK17u0meLJZudGozICX87zmZvMXhYm31AGOc-QcWjLrRiRnfI4/s400/Amma_portrait-&-I_4.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; clear: both; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; clear: both; "><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YP7pztl639XwpM99WZvdMg?feat=embedwebsite" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSKU7XS_iOAqvsG4wLWf_tkIt-6FMtCd6FJE7f7VRKDBrUBjCeCXE-T-294peSnoFRVOZNyGMpv64FLtiOeqnY9BflpTK2WVm7TO_0EIIY-qv-rw1QEHgD5C3ooMv4QdJYV3Z6_LSleWQ/s400/Amma_portrait%20&%20I_1.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MNKqd9pi4IJNjxHMOjgxsQ?feat=embedwebsite" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGCtphbDUYGYPQ3xfhe3mdPA1WZYMrwBvVXJDdLbr-QEZMERgk1pLk36aE2JxqtTs-fQRg36B1TmQ23n3ftNlsXa5TN9NWs9hbrKyHs2J3aH3SVJPLHxur9vsgXmin1UldSnmciP-5VsS/s400/Amma-and-I_1.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /> </a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7TfGcB7jF7RTsgNy0SNeKA?feat=embedwebsite" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqlyrdDeOj0NBIm__NWBz5ln39L7R-quHrDTojhcrCXOXdKP0-f3xf4bkVZEm2KVq4Qks_aBteVY5b2DxR87Iu2OGIWnGhBvKWKCAz7UH_ra5KAKQo3C5akPT6BLeG8Bo-oCPr9_2f2EfW/s400/amma-and-I_2.jpg" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /> </a><br /><br />Presentation of the portrait to Amma on 18-04-2009.<br /><br />_______________________________________<br />For more info on Amma, the Hugging saint : <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mata_Amritanandamayi" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); ">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mata_Amritanandamayi</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amma.org/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); ">http://www.amma.org/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amma-europe.org/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); ">http://www.amma-europe.org/</a><br /><br /><br />______________________________________________<br /><br />Title: Amma <br />Medium : Watercolour on Hotpressed paper<br />Size: 7' x 5'<br /><br />_______________________________________________</div></div></dd></span>Vinod Laxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06063398161334674317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450390687156150717.post-70940266803860813542008-12-28T14:34:00.000+05:302008-12-28T14:36:18.269+05:30Mirrored images<div class="content-wrapper"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/eE2DPEyPmlC3XtIsF0SvMQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Ssd4WbM_nfaHKj21I8Z_rtKC8nq5uZLByBlis8x4XNcwgZRVqPpKZOpGOo27Pbvs_YDOQDka1vxn_1mKFqE4gXFtLPFvGhf3hJMCUJLtt7EXv_O5eA0_8a-D5f7xYr6SaFJX8QIBdLbH/s400/Ana_portrait.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />I tried this style after a very long while. I'm not particularly fond of this because it requires a hell lot of calculations, and believe me, a minute seemingly insignificant stroke placed wrongly, destroys the reflected image completely. After having wasted several sketches, this one finally came through. I didn't have a good cylindrical mirrored reflector to capture the image without abrasion. The tiny dents and imperfections of this steel reflector have caused some distortion in the reflected image. Kindly excuse that :D<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;">(model : Shruti)<br /></div> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vUYX7M-lRGZExTYmEBbIkQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xQRtvRl8IjvY-ub9OjyTDSO5l0xyhvNRlP0_uV3TEDnxgO4IMHefY5cVKFZ1dKNZMEZbfwhTTXwiZAEg_lGr_suZ1x0YAMf7i_1QNFDiU6KALCpHRFRAlAhV4iA6EFumhu84iax0kUgb/s400/Portrait_reflection.jpg" /></a></div> </div>Vinod Laxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06063398161334674317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450390687156150717.post-14282681908666524272008-08-03T11:55:00.002+05:302008-08-03T11:57:19.023+05:30The Great Banyan Tree<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXD4fmMwo5knNzWTUNs1_r5qVAHVKMEqQ6drvdZmmJbKbGdeqXwzuKpg0a4I1t57TCp9ii5cf4WBgaic6yIsOA7_Cj-GfinClAWO3mOBcltTVPnMX6StVbCNzLeNbgKVJl4uWpvDMGas_C/s1600-h/The-Big-Banyan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXD4fmMwo5knNzWTUNs1_r5qVAHVKMEqQ6drvdZmmJbKbGdeqXwzuKpg0a4I1t57TCp9ii5cf4WBgaic6yIsOA7_Cj-GfinClAWO3mOBcltTVPnMX6StVbCNzLeNbgKVJl4uWpvDMGas_C/s320/The-Big-Banyan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230174192385716690" border="0" /></a><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="cattitle"><a rel="bookmark" href="http://vinodsky.multiply.com/journal/item/122/The_Great_Banyan_Tree"></a><br /></td><td class="itemsubsub"><nobr></nobr></td></tr></tbody></table><div id="item_body" class="bodytext" author="vinodsky" author_possessive="vinodsky's"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div> <p style="text-align: justify;">The grand old banyan tree of my native village has caught my attention again. It is hundreds of years old, say the local natives. The legends and folklore of the area, believed to be hundreds of years, speaks of this tree. This Banyan is situated on the banks of a river “Chittoor Puzha”.<span style=""> </span>To reach the spot one has to travel by foot for about 2kms. I make it a point to visit this spot each time I visit the pace, once or twice every year. I go there alone so that I can spend hours, sitting on its roots, absorbing the unpolluted air and the serene atmosphere with all the pores of my skin, into every cell of my body. It is an exhilarating experience. An experience where one feels one with nature. The ultimate Nirvana of body and soul. </p> <p style="text-align: center;" align="center">Title : The Great Banyan Tree</p> <p style="text-align: center;" align="center">Medium: Watercolours on cold pressed paper</p> <p style="text-align: center;" align="center">(little bit of airbrushing done for the background)</p> <p> </p> Vinod Laxman </div>Vinod Laxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06063398161334674317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450390687156150717.post-37547976811425311252008-08-03T11:51:00.001+05:302008-08-03T11:53:54.042+05:30My Beautiful Friend<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="cattitle"><a rel="bookmark" href="http://vinodsky.multiply.com/journal/item/121/My_Beautiful_Friend"></a><br /></td><td class="itemsubsub"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><dl class="body"><dt class="post-head"><br /></dt><dd class="post-body"> <div class="image-wrapper"> </div> <div class="content-wrapper"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/vinodlaxman/UntitledAlbum/photo#5224724997487912962"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/vinodlaxman/SIHztBRe6AI/AAAAAAAAAdw/4I0dEosZ_50/s400/Puja_portrait1.jpg" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> The Definition of Beauty is</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">That Definition is none --</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">Of Heaven, easing Analysis,</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">Since Heaven and She are one.</span></span><br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> ~<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">Emily Dickinson</span>~<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /><br />Title: My Beautiful Friend<br />Medium: Watercolours on coldpressed paper<br />Model: Puja<br /><br />Vinod Laxman</span></span></div></div></div></dd></dl>Vinod Laxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06063398161334674317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450390687156150717.post-6057240508454929392008-07-06T18:31:00.005+05:302008-07-07T18:52:32.383+05:30Face in Blue<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJvUEnF0jgIQ_sKY4MJhHVLhaiub6tYhhd1cL4VCUrhyyyXb-MYCWYwBBciENhYCqCPr5mFzPWn90XtcVVZe152r30d0gAPX-9mR0PCrnVzVh8S20aqvVjhNJlujVkKe3950s-dU7MoVv/s1600-h/Ithee.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJvUEnF0jgIQ_sKY4MJhHVLhaiub6tYhhd1cL4VCUrhyyyXb-MYCWYwBBciENhYCqCPr5mFzPWn90XtcVVZe152r30d0gAPX-9mR0PCrnVzVh8S20aqvVjhNJlujVkKe3950s-dU7MoVv/s320/Ithee.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219885693551672674" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This is a stylized portrait. Someone unreal who was to me at some point of time - REAL. Still fresh in my mind! </span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Title: Blue Face<br />Medium: Watercolour on coldpressed paper<br />Genre: neo expressionism</span><br /></div>Vinod Laxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06063398161334674317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450390687156150717.post-18220462895885504082008-06-28T17:24:00.000+05:302008-06-28T17:25:31.197+05:30When lotus blooms<dl class="body"><dt class="post-head"><br /></dt><dd class="post-body last"> <div class="image-wrapper"> </div> <div class="content-wrapper"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/vinodlaxman/Paintings/photo?authkey=JAFR7-VsZf8#5216848347504422818"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/vinodlaxman/SGX37pgVr6I/AAAAAAAAAcA/-fYQsMBtrbo/s400/Blue-Lotus.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">“God is the Sun and when His rays fall upon your heart, not impeded by the clouds of egoism, the lotus blooms and the petals unfold.”~<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sathya_Sai_Baba">Sathya Sai Baba</a>~ </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> </span><br /> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> (I have been experimenting on some advanced techniques in oil pastels, and their ability to blend and mix with other shades, while maintaining the pigment quality. I must confess, Oil pastel is one of the toughest mediums I have come across. Yet this is one of the best for Modern Art, which include Expressionism. I rate Oil pastel above all traditional mediums in its ability to make bold statements)</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> Title: "When lotus blooms"</span><br /><br /><br /><br /> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> Medium: Oil Pastels( artist grade wax crayons) on Paper</span><br /><br /><br /><br /> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> Genre: Expressionism</span><br /><br /><br /><br /> </span> <div style="text-align: left; font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Vinod Laxman</span></div></div></div></dd></dl>Vinod Laxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06063398161334674317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450390687156150717.post-26452153509157780312008-06-20T23:02:00.002+05:302008-06-20T23:05:46.250+05:30out into the sea<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOd5shdO0OkZVUw3Ua04Mu_jykgJxC2H1z9etnK9-J0R1mCqCfAxEnBqPLpGSWE4p4YT4TxhnkimwBRP62HQxCAoZV1Z8tTbwunI-HQKi9i1RwYkYNGQTPiyrbEuO5gp-Thw7xhgykRm4/s1600-h/Fishermen_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOd5shdO0OkZVUw3Ua04Mu_jykgJxC2H1z9etnK9-J0R1mCqCfAxEnBqPLpGSWE4p4YT4TxhnkimwBRP62HQxCAoZV1Z8tTbwunI-HQKi9i1RwYkYNGQTPiyrbEuO5gp-Thw7xhgykRm4/s320/Fishermen_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214018429631194546" border="0" /></a><br />Preparing for the jouney<br /><br />Watercolours on coldpressed paper<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Vinod Laxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06063398161334674317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450390687156150717.post-90480175235075268012008-06-20T08:43:00.003+05:302008-06-20T09:11:51.104+05:30Fishermen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeoYf45QSUlNwzKCxkxWXLdsdrGlmJjTzBGSiwEe7yB0Fiz7QlNDdkFcjJj_Wu92gd8GUdZtHNytAHcK1-wkUgILrz7HW261E2uojdT-trL62OJqCpeXXBGE-5E7H4xdGmmiNjvzsiwzy/s1600-h/Fishermen_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeoYf45QSUlNwzKCxkxWXLdsdrGlmJjTzBGSiwEe7yB0Fiz7QlNDdkFcjJj_Wu92gd8GUdZtHNytAHcK1-wkUgILrz7HW261E2uojdT-trL62OJqCpeXXBGE-5E7H4xdGmmiNjvzsiwzy/s320/Fishermen_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213797211933181938" border="0" /></a>As the early morning sun beats down the salty seashore, they relax, reflecting on yet another of the midnight adventure in the sea. Satisfied with whatever mother sea gives them for a living, counting their blessings.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Fishermen of Kerala, India<br />Watercolour on paper<br /></div>Vinod Laxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06063398161334674317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450390687156150717.post-808810963708784402008-06-10T12:13:00.001+05:302008-06-10T12:18:16.489+05:30Unveiling the Diva's portrait<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGLPsSLJ0b3yeEDGfWwkhTO4lzXT7Gk6CCdXvoJKL_n14AUyyakG3Kzfd4v6WsP_NWXcBLFTGA-Ny4RyHCmTNhJBuQkR5lv2Wir8z-mqoCgABPsP_9rTzskYKKkTzlLWaMdGUFzbzprTJ/s1600-h/Mina-Sketch_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 356px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGLPsSLJ0b3yeEDGfWwkhTO4lzXT7Gk6CCdXvoJKL_n14AUyyakG3Kzfd4v6WsP_NWXcBLFTGA-Ny4RyHCmTNhJBuQkR5lv2Wir8z-mqoCgABPsP_9rTzskYKKkTzlLWaMdGUFzbzprTJ/s320/Mina-Sketch_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210140858494879538" border="0" /></a><br /><dl class="body"><dt class="post-head"><br /></dt><dd class="post-body"><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="image-wrapper"><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog/slideshow.html?p=9394&id=87vqgkA9RLD914ILtAOL" id="m9394"><br /></a></div> </div> <div class="content-wrapper"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 0); font-weight: bold;">H</span><strong>appy birthday to <a href="http://uk.360.yahoo.com/profile-XxgwUZM9epkjGK3OzAjo">Mina</a>!</strong><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 0);">A</span>s words must be our medium, a poem,<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 0);">P</span>erhaps, may best my birthday wishes send,<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 0);">P</span>oems being inner portraits out on loan.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 0);">Y</span>et I would be a landscape in the mountains,<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 0);">B</span>right sun battering an empty sky,<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 0);">I</span>mmense rock faces answering all questions,<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 0);">R</span>esolving all in what instead of why.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 0);">T</span>o you I send a hope for happiness<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 0);">H</span>edged with roses bristling in the wind,<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 0);">D</span>oing double duty for their mistress<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 0);">A</span>s sentinels against the tricks of mind,<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 0);">Y</span>et luring well the love that makes life kind.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">_________________________________<br /><br />Mina: Portrait sketch with Conté sketching crayons on paper <span style="font-size:85%;">(inspiration from the classical style of Da Vinci)</span><br /><br />Mina's birthday is on the 27th of May.<br />_________________________________<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Vinod Laxman<br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div></dd></dl>Vinod Laxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06063398161334674317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450390687156150717.post-48987942674009082102008-06-10T12:05:00.002+05:302008-06-10T22:27:27.594+05:30First Time Evar!!! (200th blog in Yahoo!360)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1Ut6KGR74v2baJmsxyp8itM3eSQqFAAWMA5FQ9qjsUSx4t3qfZFKBNGAk4OStDgUXJ7ZioG1dN9cBwEwqGgYZBms0EltS_6jbR67ywDZWLOoFL29-Kyz6JTymrQsbWI8bbMBFJ2eeGYo/s1600-h/Tigerbg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1Ut6KGR74v2baJmsxyp8itM3eSQqFAAWMA5FQ9qjsUSx4t3qfZFKBNGAk4OStDgUXJ7ZioG1dN9cBwEwqGgYZBms0EltS_6jbR67ywDZWLOoFL29-Kyz6JTymrQsbWI8bbMBFJ2eeGYo/s320/Tigerbg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210266263934525906" border="0" /></a><br /><dl class="body"><dt class="post-head">First Time Evar!!! (200th blog)</dt><dd class="post-body"><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="image-wrapper"><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog/slideshow.html?p=9427&id=87vqgkA9RLD914ILtAOL" id="m9427"><br /></a></div> </div> <div class="content-wrapper"> <p style="text-align: justify;">As a child, I was never bothered if the sun went around the earth or the moon went around the sun. I cared a tinkers damn if √2 is a rational number or an irrational number; if a chemical equation was balanced or not!!! I was only thinking of putting down the images that flash across the mind on a piece of paper, notebook, or<span style=""> </span>for that matter any surface like the wooden desk. </p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">I started drawing or scribbling like any child even before I can remember. I remember painting (which consisted of only filling shapes with colors), with dry watercolor cakes when I was 5 or 6 years. <span style=""> </span>Completing one painting per day after school was aimed at honing the skills and improving the rapport with the medium. Apart from vivid mental images, I used to get excited at looking at photographs of wildlife and landscapes. My immediate urge would be to express the same with colors in my own way. </p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">When I was about 11 years, I had a feeling that I had ‘mastered’ painting with watercolors (I laugh at myself thinking of such foolishness now). I wanted to try out oil painting. But I had absolutely no idea about oils. A great artist whom I idolized then, Paul Thomas, who was several years my senior, gave me the first inputs on oil painting. He gave me a list of materials, which included a box of 'Camel' Artists’ Oil colors, a bottle of turpentine, purified linseed oil, a few flat brushes and a few sheets of oil sketching paper.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">He then gave me a series of lectures on the difficulties of oil painting (which I discovered for myself later, that it was one of the easiest, but laborious medium), and how painting with oils is different from painting with watercolors. Right from the difference in dilutions to the method of applying it on the surface, oil painting appeared to be confusing. While watercolor painting is done with thin dilutions of the paint with water, Oil painting was done with thick paint mixed slightly with linseed oil. When watercolors were done with layer upon layer of thin washes, oil colors were applied in thick dabs. The most confusing part was this : building up a watercolor painting begins with applying the lightest tones first <span style=""> </span>to the darkest tone in the end. While oil painting is just the reverse!!!</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">I gave the list to Dad, and best Dad as he always is, bought me the entire list in no time. I think he was more excited than I was in my progress, for he asked me several times what I was planning to paint and if I had begun. </p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">I was scared, confused and tensed thinking of all the formulas of oil painting instructed to me by Paul. I had the image playing in my mind for a considerable amount of time now. Managed to get a few reference pictures and ONE FINE DAY , I took the dive!!!<span style=""> </span>While painting, I was facing the greatest road block now… the paint was not drying up like watercolors!!! Several telephone calls to Paul’s house ensued and finally I was convinced to believe that the painting would take about 10 days to dry and the painting process would never be complete in one day!!! After about 3-4 days my painting was complete, and the excitement was indescribable. Weeks and days of struggle had attained fruition! Finally, and finally I could ‘paint like the masters’ (Lol) with oil paint!!!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Posted above is my First ever painting in Oil<br /> </p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">There is an internal struggle the first time. A fear of committing a mistake, as one wrong stroke can spoil the whole effort.<span style=""> </span>It is after a series of such struggles and conscious efforts, painting becomes a natural mode of expression!</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">I would like to present to you the “First time ever” paintings of a few of my friends here.</p><p><br /> </p> <p> </p> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.in/vinodlaxman/Paintings/photo?authkey=JAFR7-VsZf8#5209376232685059314"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/vinodlaxman/SEtsFUqOPPI/AAAAAAAAAak/91-8Uh-aI8w/s400/Jannath.jpg" /></a></div> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://360.yahoo.com/profile-3YC2YAs5brVCt6xm.RqSLst0aUrn">Husna’s</a> first Oil on Canvas titled “Jannath”</p><br /> <p style="text-align: center;"><br /> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.in/vinodlaxman/Paintings/photo?authkey=JAFR7-VsZf8#5209376243171630082"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/vinodlaxman/SEtsF7uanAI/AAAAAAAAAa0/Zm_w37Idpzo/s400/Maddy-still-life.jpg" /></a> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"> </p> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.in/vinodlaxman/Paintings/photo?authkey=JAFR7-VsZf8#5209376243171630082"> </a></div><p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://360.yahoo.com/profile-vfv8aQs8eqKCnC8v22se.6lalYSF">Madhavan (Maddy’s</a> first painting of a still life with a real life object as reference)</p><br /> <p style="text-align: center;"> </p><br /><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.in/vinodlaxman/Paintings/photo?authkey=JAFR7-VsZf8#5209376227773943058"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/vinodlaxman/SEtsFCXUjRI/AAAAAAAAAac/sobO_zQBNpg/s400/Minas%20Still%20life.jpg" /></a></div> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://uk.360.yahoo.com/profile-XxgwUZM9epkjGK3OzAjo">Mina’s</a> First watercolor painting of a still life.</p><br /> <p style="text-align: center;"><br /> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /> </p> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.in/vinodlaxman/Paintings/photo?authkey=JAFR7-VsZf8#5209376236669887186"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/vinodlaxman/SEtsFjgR4tI/AAAAAAAAAas/nzfCLZ_zpJ0/s400/Anki%20abstract.jpg" /></a></div> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.in/vinodlaxman/Paintings/photo?authkey=JAFR7-VsZf8#5209376236669887186"> </a></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://360.yahoo.com/profile-YbCiFbUjeqtKMeJ7lPL9MUM5">Anki’s</a> First Ever non figurative abstract in watercolours. </p> <p> </p><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 159, 64);"><a href="http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-xEs_Jbs8eq7KDSwP5iZujroyOfs-?cq=1&p=1460">Please take a look at my friend Mahesh's Blog where he has posted a few of his FIRST art works.</a></p><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /> </p><p style="text-align: justify;">On this occasion of the 200<sup>th</sup> entry in my gallery, I dedicate this blog to all who love Fine Art for its own sake: who love art but cannot paint, hobby artists, beginners, and professionals alike!!!!</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Thank you all for the support you all have given me all through out, without which I wouldn’t have had the enthusiasm to continue this long.</p> <p> </p> <p>Vinod Laxman</p></div></dd></dl>Vinod Laxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06063398161334674317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450390687156150717.post-14139954137188626112008-01-18T23:24:00.000+05:302008-01-18T23:32:16.735+05:30When Silence Speak<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5EvF2AW6wYrkRMTIj3pQvTswbas5TBOkJEEIQxypm5yvuq1OzvJU7AnB-ZG9Ia6Vg9plUKXaK6VFSla79GgyUJ1yKu-O6NGf9Y9N62wGcbthWtPn14nEaL3S7yg_FjCyFRPskMq9_XxU8/s1600-h/Silence.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5EvF2AW6wYrkRMTIj3pQvTswbas5TBOkJEEIQxypm5yvuq1OzvJU7AnB-ZG9Ia6Vg9plUKXaK6VFSla79GgyUJ1yKu-O6NGf9Y9N62wGcbthWtPn14nEaL3S7yg_FjCyFRPskMq9_XxU8/s320/Silence.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156876839278728418" border="0" /></a><br /><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">That’s what arrest is : It’s a blinding flash and a blow which shifts the present instantly into the past and the impossible into the omnipotent actuality... so runs the words of Alexander Solzhenitsyn in the first volume of his four volume treatise “The Gulag Archipelago” The book I have started rereading after some years. Though the book addresses a different context, these words sum up the abstract thoughts and theories and the fundamental epistemological questions going on in my mind at the moment.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">A single word or a single action can change your life forever. <span></span>It can propel you into the future or throw you into the past according to the nature of the word uttered or deed done and how it is perceived. A total incarceration of your own self into the situations you create, by someone else. Or do we actually create situations? Are they not the reaction or result thereof, of our own past actions and deeds? Does it speak of any involvement of the person to whom the words and actions are addressed to? This is in other words, a situation breeding another situation and the resultant entanglement of countless complex situations? <span></span>The ever rotating wheel of cause and effect? The merciless torments of karma? How does this happen? Is there no escape? Why is it that I am a prisoner of my own thoughts that have arisen by someone else’s actions? </span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Am I right? Am I wrong? Or is that that I need a cup of strong tea at the moment? </span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Let me search for the answers in my own Silence. Let the Silence speak.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">__________________________________________________________________________</span></p><div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Title : Silence (old work posted before)</span></p><div style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Genre: Abstract Expressionism</span></p><div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Medium: Acrylic on Paper digitally edited with Photoshop</span></p> <p style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">__________________________________________________________________________</span></p><span style=";font-family:'Calibri','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" >© </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Vinod Laxman, 18.01. 2008</span></span>Vinod Laxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06063398161334674317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2450390687156150717.post-65047509264053492152008-01-14T21:05:00.000+05:302008-01-14T21:36:36.046+05:30The Spring<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyh5e4QAreB0WGptFDKmzxRWxCOYiWJjczn8xidFDeMSiGmgfoTVrMZqLKtzGZtwPPK35lB3bh8tYEpHQwNBVkUn9fNIzKNs_e3yCj8pnd2h4i3Z3ycWhIPGFEm_qhY1zII3zQR6jE-Fp/s1600-h/Golden-Spring.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyh5e4QAreB0WGptFDKmzxRWxCOYiWJjczn8xidFDeMSiGmgfoTVrMZqLKtzGZtwPPK35lB3bh8tYEpHQwNBVkUn9fNIzKNs_e3yCj8pnd2h4i3Z3ycWhIPGFEm_qhY1zII3zQR6jE-Fp/s320/Golden-Spring.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155356687143916738" border="0" /></a><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:12;"><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring; renenwed shall be blade that was broken, the crownless again shall be king.”</span> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">~</span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><strong style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="">J.R.R. Tolkien~ ~The Lord of the Rings~</span></strong></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;" align="center"><strong><span style=""> </span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;" align="center"><strong><span style=""> </span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><span style="">________________________________<br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><span style=""><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><span style="">Title : the spring</span></span><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><span style=""></span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><span style="">Medium : water colour and acrylic on cold pressed paper</span></span><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><span style=""></span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><span style="">Size: A3</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><span style="">Genre : Neo Expressionism</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><span style=""><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><span style="">________________________________<br /></span></span></p> <span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><span style="">Vinod Laxman </span></span>Vinod Laxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06063398161334674317noreply@blogger.com0