Mysore Trip Post - VI

Date - 31st March 2014
Time - 4:30 PM

Mysore trip had ended. We were on our way back. I really did not want it to end. But all good things come to end anyway. Well thats what we thought. We took a detour to Bangalore University campus (which is about 15kms odd from Bangalore CBD) for a small break. And as the campus was nice we thought we could end our trip by sketching a little. As we were searching for a spot this coconut seller with his stack of coconuts caught my eye. I really loved the way light was creating a nice atmosphere around them. So immediately my paper and brushes were out.

We did not have much time as it was soon going to be dark. I was painting as fast as I could with leftover colors mostly and this was completed in 20 minutes only. And incidentally I liked it. 

So finally the trip ended with a piece that I liked. Waiting for the next trip now..

Plein air @ Bangalore University

10 x 14 inch

Mysore Trip Post - V

Date - 31st March
Time - 09 : 00 AM

It was our last day at Mysore and we were going to Chamundi hills to paint. The previous day evening we had made a quick trip to Chamundi hills to find a spot, where we could paint the next day as we did not want to waste time searching for a spot. And I had also managed to make a quick sketch, though most of it was done in dark as the sun seems to set too quickly on a hill.

When we reached Chamundi hills our spot was not quiet as good as it was the day before. The reason being the previous day we had seen the spot in afternoon sun light and today it was the morning sun. So now again we had to find a new place. After drving around for sometime we decided to settle down at this place, where we got a little shade and a decent enough view.

I usually paint quarter sheets outdoors, but Madhu encouraged me to go for half sheet and he passed a Langton half sheet to me. the scene was complex. the sun was rising fast. Not to mention the wind and on top of that half sheet. It was going to be difficult and it was. I struggled quiet a bit and soon the sun was beating down hard. We planned to return with unfinished works. Later in the studio I completed it. 

We were back in the hotel and after a little freshening up we were on our way back to Bangalore. Mysore trip had ended, but not with a satisfactory work.

To be continued............

En Plein Air at Chamundi Hills, Mysore 31st March 2014

14 x 21 inch

The sketch done in dark

Mysore Trip Post - IV

Date - 30 March
Time - 12:00 PM

After painting at St Philomena's Church the plan was to go to the most famous landmark in Mysore; Mysore Palace. At the gate we were informed that we need permission to paint inside the palace campus. So we went to the palace management office to get permission. After obtaining permission from the palace management office and security officer we finally found a spot and settled down to paint. And it was already mid day and pretty hot. Thankfully we found a well shaded place from where we could paint.

But the challenge of painting at this heritage location was far from over. What a difficult subject it was. It was just not getting simplified for a watercolor. Little thumbnails were also not helping. Nevertheless I decided to go ahead and paint and this is what I ended up with.

As a stand alone piece this is not really great. But considering the massive subject I had in front of me I think it is still a success in its own way.

En Plein Air at Mysore Palace

10 x 14 inch

Mysore Trip Post - III

Date - 30 March 2014

Time - 8:30 AM (approx)

So after a much eventful day 1 at Mysore our day 2 morning itinerary was decided. The plan was to paint at St Philomena's Church in the morning followed by Mysore Palace. In fact we had also decided the place where we would be sitting, so that we are in shade with a good view of the church. Its always good to explore a place a little to get an idea of which place will be good to paint from. It does save a lot of time and helps in painting peacefully.

As decided we landed up at St Philomena's church in the morning and settled down quickly. The sun light was perfect, the view was amazing and I enjoyed painting this.

The next place was Mysore palace. There were initial hiccups before we could paint there and it was one of the toughest subjects yet. But more on that in the next post. Have a great weekend.

En Plein Air at St Philomena's church, Mysore

14 x 10 inch

Mysore Trip - Post II

Date - 29 March 2014
Time - 5:30 PM

After a paint over at Srirangapatna we headed to Mysore. It took us sometime to find a decent hotel at reasonable price. By the time we checked in and got ready for our Mysore adventure it was around 4:00 PM. Our hotel was close to the Mysore palace and many of the landmark and historic buildings were just a walk away from there. So we just decided to explore a little. What we did not realize was that in our excitement we had failed to notice the heat. After an hour of exploration we stopped near the palace. Madhu was very exhausted and had a head ache. I was quite tired too. So we decided to just sit there and sketch a little.

As I was sketching the famous horse carts of Mysore the market area in front of me was catching my eye time and again. But as the sun was about to set I decided not to paint it as it would take some time. But then in a rush of blood I just decided to go with it. I painted this scene without stepping back even once to look at it. It was painted in flat 30 mins and I was delighted with the outcome.

The sun had already set by that time and I returned to the hotel energized all over again.

To be continued...

Plein Air @ Mysore 29 March 2014
10 x 14 inch

Carts. The scene I painted was towards the left of this place.

Mysore Trip - Post I

The first post from much hyped Mysore trip is here.:)

More posts will follow soon.

Date - 29 March 2014

Time - 11:30 (approx)

Though we had planned to start for Mysore early in the morning, we could start only by 8:00. By 11:00 AM we had reached Srirangapatna, which is around 20 kms before Mysore. As it is a historic city we decided to stop there and check if we could paint there. The sun was already very harsh and after cooling ourselves with some tender coconut water (which was really very sweet and refreshing) we found this arch, which is actually the entrance to Srirangapatna city. We took shelter below a tree and decided to paint there.

The subject was great and both of us were really excited to paint. It all went well till we started putting paint on paper. The heat was so powerful, that by the time we went back to a wash with more paint, it would already be dry. It was a huge challenge to paint that way. To add to our woes the sun had gone around the tree and hence the shade also was gone. So we decided to move with unfinished works.

After I was back, I looked at the painting, evaluated it and then completed it as the memory was still fresh in my mind and I had already got the major shapes in place in the painting. Hopefully you'll be able to feel some of the sunlight through this work.

Have a great week ahead. Will be back with the next post in a few days time.

Plein air @ Srirangapatna 29 March 2014

14 x 10 inch

This is what I had managed at the location.

One more post before Mysore posts

I know I should be posting works from Mysore trip. I have created so much hype about it already. LOL. But I guess you'll have to bear with me for just one more post. I am analyzing those works, correcting them and in some cases completing them as they could not be completed on the spot. I'll post them real soon. Till then here are two more plein air works, which I painted on 16 March at RMZ Infinity Food court.

I'll be back really soon with works from Mysore trip.

Plein Air @ RMZ Infinity 16 March 2014 - II

14 x 10 inch

Plein Air @ RMZ Infinity 16 March 2014 - III

10 x 14 inch

Back from Mysore Trip

I made a trip to the heritage city of Mysore last weekend with fellow artist Madhu Kumar. Mysore is at a distance of 140 kms from Bangalore. We started very early on Saturday and were back in Bangalore on Monday evening. Mysore is a very beautiful city. Mysore is known for monuments like the Mysore palace, Chamundi Hills, KRS Dam and Vrindavan Gardens etc. But the artist's eye sees much more than that. Mysore was simply stunning. We were surely spoilt for choices, when we started painting. I felt like a greedy child who was left to swim in a ocean of candies, and he did not know where to start from.

The only let down was the weather. It was too hot and in the afternoon we had to stay indoors and could not paint during that time. But otherwise it was a great trip for learning and exploring my creative side further.

One thing that I learnt was that such trips with fellow artists are a great time to learn and share. As painting is the only thing that everyone has on their minds, it creates great energy, focus and intensity. It surely brings out certain aspect of an artist which otherwise may have been laying dormant. And moreover the discussions, critiques etc by other artists is a great value add to one's learning. I am really looking forward to more such trips in future.

And couple of days and half was no way good to be in Mysore for. One needs at least a couple of weeks to do some justice to the beauty of Mysore.

I'll be posting the works in the coming weeks, when I photograph them. Till then I'll leave you with a study from my trip and another plein air work that I had done a couple of weeks ago.

Plein air at RMZ Infinity 23 march 2014 - I
12 x 9 inch

Study at Srirangapatna (20 kms from Mysore)

Thats me painting on Chamundi Hills

Compilation of Madu and my works at the end of the trip