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Viva Art
1. Konaseema, Andhra Pradesh
Acrylic on Canvas Dimension : L - 48cm/ 18 Inch, H- 154cm / 60 inch Price : INR 1,40,000 $ 2,290.40
Artist's thoughts I carry a huge collection of memories of paddy fields, from my childhood and during adulthood too. I wanted to capture them, but only from memories, and that too was the spirit of the memories. Whenever I watched paddy fields extending into and beyond the horizon, what struck me was the similarity between these fields and life. Both look pervasive, but only in the background. The prominently visible ones are the punctuating elements—trees in the case of paddy fields and events in the case of life. These elements seem to define reality, but in reality, the underlying expansiveness of paddy fields and life only prevail. I tried to capture that reality.
Location
Konaseema is a delta in East Godavari district. There is such beauty here, and as you drive along dusty rural roads along the Kalavalu, which carry waters from the mighty Godavari River into the villages, one such village is Mori, which is where our ancestors grew up. I am always attached to the coconut groves, the paddy fields, and the little sweet carts by the roadside.
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2. Monsoon Flamingos, Porbandar
Acrylic on Canvas Dimension : L- 60cm / 24 Inch, H - 60cm / 24 inch Price : INR 49,000 $ 801.64
Artist's thoughts Heavens coming down to impregnate Mother Earth is a sight to watch every monsoon. One can spend hours staring at the patterns created by the falling water drops on a sheet of water in a lake or even in a backyard filled with rainwater. The whole world goes into a huddle, blunting all the sharp edges of the individual entities and presenting only a silhouetted world. Amidst such a featureless landscape emerges a burst of light, which is as soft as those Flamingos, streaking through an opening in the dark cloudy sky, symbolising life with all the myriad details presented to the onlooker.
Location
This was at Porbandar as we were leaving it. There was a flock of flamingos, and the scene captures that feeling. I am always amazed that the pink is not their own colour but formed from the algae they eat. When you watch its beak, it is beautifully formed to scoop up sand, algae, and shrimp, and it shows how evolution has developed and evolved sympathetically, or indeed systematically, for biological benefit.
There is more on Porbandar here
3. Bhutanatha Temple, Badami.
Acrylic on Canvas Dimension : L - 76cm / 30 Inch, H - 76cm / 30 inch Price : INR 1,35,000 $ 2,208.60
Artist's thoughts
My family left me for a few hours at this spot. It is the Bhutanatha temple near Badami. Built in the 7th century, the sanctuary and inner hall are early Chalukya, while the outer hall overlooking the tank is thought to be late Chalukya (11th century). An age has passed, but this temple grabs you and holds you. Set in picturesque surroundings with cool- breezes wafting as majestic hills rise, I felt a desire to capture the asymmetrical portions along the horizontal line of the deck. The water tank, a typical feature of any Hindu temple, helps to capture the reflections. The midafternoon activity of washing clothes assumed a special importance for me.
Location.
A small, well-proportioned sandstone temple to "Lord of Ghosts/Bhuth" at the edge of a large, green Agastya tank nestled among hills, this is a peaceful temple full of charm. Built in the late 7th" century by Badami Chalukyas, the outer mantapa was added in the 11th century by Kalyani Chalukyas. In the 7th century, this area was called Vatapi, and the Chalukyas overran a large empire that was at war with Pallavas to the southeast. Temples at Aihole, Badami, and Pattadakal (the last on the UNESCO world heritage list) heralded their strength. One of the temples at Aihole has an inscription by poet Ravikirti giving us the date of Pulakesin Il's success. Despite all this historical importance, it is this temple to Bhuthanatha that captures the imagination of the artist here.
4. Nandi Hills, Karnataka
Oil on Canvas Dimension : L - 61cm / 24 Inch, H -91cm / 36 inch Price : INR 1,35,000 $ 2,208.60
Artist's thoughts
I was on the hill top of Nandi hills which has this beautiful guest house. I gathered my paints and the aisle and poured the oil in a "Fanta" bottle. I was soon surrounded by some watchful monkeys. One of these curious friends simply carried away my bottle and drank the oil. So, I started to work with capturing the first impression as I saw of the view.... As these monkey's got used to me, I painted these huge eucalyptus trees on which they were perched.
Location
A popular summer tourist place this is a quite area where Tipu Sultan had a summer place, a hunting lodge - now over run with monkeys. It struck me how people have always come here to escape the heat. At 4800 feet above sea level there is often mist rising in the morning and an early morning walk is really atmospheric. An exotic place with large Eucalyptus trees with dense undergrowth and rich bird life above. A special place and from the hill top you can see paddy field in the plains below.
5. Bird Bath, Jodhpur
Acrylic on Canvas Dimension: L-60cm / 24 Inch, H - 60cm / 24 inch Price : INR 85,000 $ 1,390.60
Artist's thoughts
Many a time a subject for a painting starts for no apparent reason. As the painting progresses the expression takes root and finally a picture emerges. What prompted me to undertake the journey of this painting is the very vague connect that I perceived between the stoic edifice that has been sitting there for ages watching in silence the world pass by and watch the depleting water table levels. Well, the tree adapted itself by 'Shedding its leaves but what about these birds - where will they get the water? The vulture waits on this tree patiently for its next meal. Humanity around sees the plight of these little birdies and leaves behind each day these mud bowls of water. And adopts it as a religious ritual throughout Rajasthan. These birds don't have just water to drink but play in these "Bird Baths". As the painting was in progress, I wanted to connect both the stillness and the movement using the light that seems to be emerging from behind and which seems to be brightening up by every moment.
Location
Jodhpur the site of the mighty Mehrangarh fort and you see from it the expanse of blue houses. You think of Brahmans and the warrior princes and all that history of conflict. You think of Raja Jodha (ruled 1438-89), then you think of the fierce Rajput-Mughal conflicts, then the fanciful Jodhpur's and polo attire...The place has class. Though at times it feels like a faded history though not that distant. And then it is a gateway to get to that golden city of Jaisalmer.
6. Golconda-Rock, Hyderabad
Acrylic on Canvas Dimension : L- 60cm / 24 Inch, H- 91cm / 36 inch Price : INR 1,05,000 $ 1,717.80
Artist's thoughts
Golconda - Time stood still: Many a time in life, in everyone's, moments arise when time seemed to have stopped moving. Living in such moments for extended time is sheer joy and one wishes to be captivated by those moments for ever. The context and the content of Golconda is unique to each person. I wanted to create an image that can encompass as many contexts and contents as possible so as to bring to life those personal moments that are tucked away in the memory lanes of this city built on the Deccan plateau which signifies the rock formations from millions of years ago. To me when I see the rock, I think of the eons of time that have passed. Time that "Started 13.6 billion years ago, earth being born 5.4 billion years ago, earth crust and rocks 4,900 million years ago. There are so many stories hidden here. That is why this painting is not a reflection of any one context but reflects a string of such moments meant to awaken the personal moments when TIME STOOD STILL at Hyderabad.
Location
"Golla Konda" - the Shepherd's hill, and the place that produced the Koh-I-Noor diamond and the Hope diamond this place for me always attracts. Here I think of Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah and that other magical place in Hyderabad the Qutb Shahi tombs. I think of Aurangzeb and Fateh Darwaza, of the Nizams of Hyderabad. This is a magical place especially when the sound and light show is on.
7. Autumn
Acrylic on Canvas Dimension : L- 60cm / 24 Inch, H- 76cm / 30 inch Price : INR 65,000 $ 1,063.40
Artist's thoughts
Autumn is the season that is the most colourful of the year particularly in the northern hemisphere. The colours are very rich with ripeness and range. There is so much of radiation of colour around that the colourless air too seems to have been filled with colour. Nature seems filled with richness of colours as rich as a wise man's depth of wisdom. All the leaves seem to be glowing as bright as an evening sun's light after a rain cleansed the skies off the dust. The trees want to lend those colours to mother earth that nurtured them helping them bear those leaves rendered with wonderful colours. They seem to be giving back to the earth. They have decked the mother earth with all those colours by shredding their leaves. Accentuating the experience of the richness of colours is the gentle chill of the onset of the winter that hasn't set in yet completely but is making its presence felt by wrapping the world in its thinly spread mist thus completing the wonderful picture of Autumn.
Location
For me Autumn brings memories of some extraordinary beautiful and vibrant colours. Walks where I live in Northern Yorkshire where leaves are of variegated hues. Happy walks in the hills amazed at how nature can burst into colours though everywhere leaves are dying. The science of pigments of leaves being uncovered when the leaves stop making chlorophyll which being green masks all these underlying pigments. I love the feel, the vibrancy and though poets talk of melancholy in Autumn I do not feel that emotion.
8. Bamboo Painting
Acrylic on Canvas Dimension : L-60cm/ 24 Inch, H - 76cm / 30 inch Price : INR 1,05,000 $ 1,717.80
Artist's thoughts
I wanted to capture in a painting the soft smile of a days old baby, a smile that is as soft as a morning light on a winter morning but is powerful enough to touch the hearts of us. Its subtle but radiating glow can pierce through the thick layers of conditioning that cover our hearts. The smile is not directed any anyone. It simply is a smile. I found that childlike character in bamboo plants. I wanted to depict them in a soft but glowing light with as less contrasting elements as possible. I wanted to present the glow of light by its own strength and not against the backdrop of darker hues, just like the way the child's smile is enchanting on its own.
Location
This bamboo thicket is in Kudremukh *Horse's Face" - a mountain town in Western ghats where my sister and I grew up. A place of great beauty and charm nestled in hills it was ahead of its time with eco sensitive mining of iron ore in the mountains. Some years ago, we returned to it and sat in our class rooms, walked the street, played at the community centres and came across this thicket. It is a symbol of the place now as mining has stopped and now the jungle has reclaimed the land - a place of fond memories which is no more. Now a national park
9. Rangoon creeper
Acrylic on Canvas Dimension : L- 60cm / 24 Inch, H - 60cm / 24 inch Price : INR 49,000 $ 801.64
Artist's thoughts
Among the many flowery plants that I use in my landscape projects the Rangoon flower, is very dear to me. I am fascinated by the display of myriad colours by a single flower. Though it is a single flower it is in reality a bouquet of many little ones each one displaying a different shade and tone together creating a wonderful painting made up of many colours and shades. This character of it is a reflection of life which seen from a distance looks like a single entity but is a composition of many events of life. Each little one on its own may not impress us but together they create an enchanting and enticing image pulling our psyche and forcing our eye to wander around the many tiny little spaces that they have created. I found this aspect of Rangoon flower a true reflection of life which offers each of us space to play out our own roles. I tried to reflect that aspect in this painting
Location
I saw this plant and the flowers are a cluster that droop and look small and well formed. Though used in herbal medicines it really is the beauty that captures you.
10. Panchabhootas
Acrylic on Canvas Dimension : L- 50cm / 20 Inch, H - 50cm / 20 inch Price : INR 1,65,000 $ 2,694.45
Artist's thoughts
It must be a wonderment for everyone when told that each of us is a product made with the five elements - air, water, sky, earth and fire - Panchabhootas. Wonderment for me is because independently none of them displays an ability to create Life and yet one can feel the presence of all of them in us.
Wonderment is also because each of them presents two completely different faces -one that is soft and affectionate and the other harsh and life threatening. I wanted to discover through the act of painting the two facets of Panchabhootas and this painting is born out of that urge. Wonderment is also because of the fact that all those elements are manifestation of a single source - UNIVERSAL ENERGY. I tried to depict this energy using colours which are none but the manifestation of LIGHT.
11. Gadisar Lake, Jaisalmer
Acrylic on Canvas Dimension : L - 61cm / 24 Inch, H - 91cm / 36 inch Price : INR 95,000 $ 1,554.20
Artist's thoughts
I have tried to present the many facets of life that include loneliness, maturity, and playfulness. There is a lot of movement in the painting, with a number of elements trying to move towards each other and the elements repeating themselves at many places. The painting is made up of many planes, making up the whole in a very subtle manner. Trees and shrubs make up one plane, the recesses of the structure another one, the domed pavilions are in another plane, and the steps, the reflections of the sky in the water, and the reflections of the water in the sky lie in yet another plane. So many planes are at play, and yet the few people—just the three—and ducks are unmindful of the interplay of so many planes. Here too, I have created a huge contrast. The ducks are making noise in their own playful manner while the people sit still, enjoying the quietness that they seem to have brought to such a movement-filled world. The world doesn't look the same for everyone, and how each person uses the same world is to their own liking.
Location
Built by the king Maharwal Gadsi Singh in 1400 it is in the golden city of Jaisalmer. The lake has many sand stone ghats with platforms or chhatris (domes) in the water where you stand and watch the golden sun in the distance and cool waters with slow gasps of wind. You can spend an hour or two dreaming into the distance or looking at cat fish. Jaisalmer is in the west of Rajasthan and is a unique, colourful mesmeric experience. A city of havelis of golden sandstone, it has so much to offer
12. Jahaz Mahal, Mandu
Acrylic on Canvas Dimension : L-102cm / 40 Inch, H - 76cm / 30 inch Price : INR 1,25,000 $ 2,045.00
Artist's thoughts
The author describes their experience in a ship palace, Jahaz Mahal, where they climbed two to three floors and sat on the parapet. The palace was connected to a historical monument and a unique Baobab tree, believed to have been brought from Afghanistan by Jahangir. The Adivasis live in the tree's shelter, using its fruit as their staple diet. The parrots were on the chhatri (dome) of the mahal, and a dog stretched beside them. The sun was spraying colourful hues of yellow, orange, and pink, and a mature folk song was playing in the background. The author reflects on the painting, feeling it as an offering to the universal energy that pervades all living things and elements. They describe moments when they suddenly come across an unknown but perceptible connection with the world around them, feeling unshackled from ties that hold them down. This moment of emotional content seemed to have welled up to the surface, and they wanted to embrace the whole world. The painting captures the moment of the soul embracing the world with joy, subtle but elated. The painting resonates with many contemplative moments enjoyed as they sat on the parapet of Jahaz Mahal.
Location
Called so as it appears as a ship floating on water, this beautiful palace is in Mandu. Mandu is a ruined ghost town set in the high Vindhyas and is picturesque and romantic, with acres of atmospheric landscapes and ruins to roam in and come across evidence of great empires. This "ship palace" was built during the Malwa Sultanate by Ghiyath Shah bin Mahmud Shah Khalji, who ruled from 1468–1500. Situated between two artificial tanks, the palace has a long, slender arcaded "Zenana," or women's chamber, with a central pavilion and airy balconies projecting onto the tank. Mandu has a lot to offer.
13. Sunset, Dwaraka
Acrylic on Canvas Dimension : L- 60cm / 24 Inch, H - 91cm / 36 inch Price : INR 95,000 $ 1,554.02
Artist's thoughts
Any art form, in my view, is an expression of the mind and reflects every kind of emotional turbulence. An artwork reflects those emotions. But of course, there is a difference between art work, which is a personal journey, and reproduction. One moment, life looks as beautiful and invigorating as the sun rises, and another moment, it looks beautiful but with the sadness of a sunset, which seems to indicate the end of the story. Fortunately, it doesn't. It brings into the fold a quiet night and a good sleep to keep us in "good stead to receive the morning's sun. The cycle continues to offer us many colours and hues of life, which together make up a beautiful painting. There is a catch. To appreciate the beauty of the painting, one needs to stay at a little distance to gain a broader perspective. That is the prerequisite to appreciating the beauty of any painting—an artist's one or the master craftsman's one.
Location
Dwaraka is where history and religion sit together, as in a few other places in India. There is a historical Dwaraka, and then there is the abode of Krishna. Being one of the four cities (the chaar Dham) for pilgrimage, this view is looking away from the coast towards ancient Dwaraka, now thought to be submerged in the sea.
14. Meenakshi temple
Monochrome Rendering on Handmade Paper Dimension : L- 102cm / 40 Inch, H - 91cm / 36 inch Price : INR 19,500 $ 319.02
Madurai I sat on the footpath with a glass of coffee in hand, in the early hours watching the Gopuram towering into the sky. I just finished going around the temple watching the surreal images created by the bygone era that built this temple. As the present-day life was going about in its way before me in those early hours, I felt a very feebly perceptible connect between the era that wanted to express something by using this temple as a medium and the reality of life that is happening before me and an image started taking root in my mind and I gave shape to that image in this painting. The connect that I perceived, as I realised later after the painting has been completed, is the DUALITY of nature that prevailed all through the time that separated both eras by hundreds of years and before that and I am sure in the future too. I wanted to depict in this painting the coexistence of joy and pain in the interrelationships. The pairings of people, animals, birds and the gopurams represent the joy in the interrelationship and the lone man standing is symbolic of the pain that lies on the other side of joy. But the best part of the Creation is that both are needed to make the life beautiful. One can't imagine a life that is devoid of either of them.
Location
This historic and magnificent gopuram profusely covered with sculptures, is actually part of a whole temple complex - a series of quadrangular enclosures. It came into prominence due to the munificence of the Nayaks - they who were military commanders during the Vijayanagar empire and later establishing a powerful empire they evaded being under Mughal rule. The architecture is replete with halls with intricate but solid carvings, cool ceremonial tanks and a guardian of south Indian tradition of Hinduism dedicated to the goddess of Meenakshi, an avatar of Parvati, consort of Shiva.
15. Sanchi Stupa
Acrylic on Canvas Dimension : L - 76cm / 30 Inch, H - 56cm / 22 inch Price : INR 90,000 $ 1,468.80
Artist's thoughts
I saw in a Buddhist Stupa a space station that takes us into the outer space. We are fa removed from the real world and are suspended in mid-air in space. Meditation does that to us. Buddha advocated meditation as a means to free ourselves of all the bonds - that are the cause of suffering. I tried to present Sanchi Stupa as a space station that seems to be glowing in awareness amidst the dark space of ignorance.
Location