House with Eight Skylights

[caption id="attachment_314" align="alignnone" width="500"] Skylights[/caption]

A stone house with many skylights, it has a unique appeal. However, it is hard to make a painting of just one house and keep it interesting. I pulled in a few other structures on the both sides to keep the space more dynamic and interactive. Most of the surrounding colors are subtle and toned down, but there are a few spots of primary colors to keep it lively. This is still work in progress.

X-Mas day Still Life

[caption id="attachment_307" align="alignnone" width="371"] flower[/caption]

It has been a long time, at least a few years since I have tried painting a still life. This painting is in a very beginning stage and I hope to complete it before the flower wither away.

Dark and Cold Winter

[caption id="attachment_299" align="alignnone" width="500"] View from a Parking Lot[/caption]

With a chance of snow on Saturday, it was cold and dark. The painting surrounding evolved to the darkness theme but the glimpse of light remained.

View from a Parking Lot

[caption id="attachment_287" align="alignnone" width="500"] View from a Parking Lot[/caption]

In winter, outdoor painting is limited to painting from inside a car.   I made a little more progress on this painting from Black Friday.  As the day progress, around 2:30 pm the almost the whole building is covered with shadows of other tall buildings.   A sliver of light at the edge of the buildings and surrounding large portion of dark shadows made the contrast very interesting.  I would like to capture that darkness but may be in a next painting.

December Openings

 



Smaller Works and Other Offerings
Annual group member exhibition
Galatea Fine Arts
December 4-29, 2013
Reception: Friday December 6, 6-8 PM
460B Harrison Ave., #B-6
Boston, MA 02118

 

[caption id="attachment_242" align="alignnone" width="450"] Ode to New Bedford, 8.5" x 11.25", Oil, 2013[/caption]

Attleboro Art Museum
Members’ Exhibition 2013
December 14, 2013 – January 31, 2014.
Opening Awards Reception: Sat, December 14, 2-4pm
86 Park Street
Attleboro, MA 02703

Black Friday Painting

Cold weather, only in the mid 30s, but I was happy to have started another painting.

Observing Lual

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"] Lual - Work in Progress[/caption]

Sinking ship, one of my favorite subject is no longer on site. However, a small fishing boat named "Lual" docked near a shipyard caught my attention. After keeping an eye on it for a few months to make sure that the boat is not there only temporarily, I started to draw it yesterday for the first time. Although Lual is a small boat, it has many interesting lines and shapes I look for in my subjects. I was happy with how the drawing turned out.  The painting is in its beginning stage. It will require a few more trips during this cold weather.

[caption id="attachment_207" align="alignnone" width="500"] Observing and Drawing Lual[/caption]

I enjoy working from observation.  Painting from observation is not about depicting what's in front of you.  It is about constructing your own world; through keen observation, your imagination and interpretation of what inspires you.   All the visual elements are in front of you, around you;  lines, shapes, colors, relations; waiting for you to piece it together, like a jigsaw puzzle.  Sometimes you are lucky, every piece is already in place.  Most often than not, you will need to tweak it, move it, remove it, to make it work in your world.  

Painting on site brings another level of excitement; you are a part of the world in which you are observing and painting.  Then you are also challenged by the light and time.  Every change passes by you; the light, the wind, the smell, the sound, the crowd.  It is exciting and dynamic; every little change is a motivation to keep going.  You will never be bored.

Autumn Colors - lets start over

It is hard to scrape off your painting and start over.  When the painting is not working despite all your best efforts,  starting over may be the only solution.

Winding and Spiraling for 42 months

a dream begins
up and up and up
round and round
down and down and down
round and round
up again
down again
....

Rainy days are not fun

 

Scatterd showers and heavy rain today has been unfortunate for painting outdoors.  However, I made some progress on this painting yesterday.

Mayflower II

[caption id="attachment_135" align="aligncenter" width="387"] Mayflower II, 9.5" x 12"[/caption]

In March 2013, a ship was being repaired in Fairhaven.  It looked elegant and out of this world;  I had an urge to paint it.  Later found out that the ship is the Mayflower II, a full size replica of Mayflower.  Many hours from May to July was spend working on this painting, until Mayflower II was taken back to Plymouth in the end of July.  Finally, I revisited the painting today and added some finishing touches to complete it.

 

Learning about a Sinking Ship - Challenge

[caption id="attachment_108" align="aligncenter" width="499"] Sinking Ship[/caption]

View of New Bedford port is enjoyble from the other side of the water in FairHaven.  Growing up in a land-locked country, Nepal, I am fascinated with marine life.  I have been spending some time painting near a shipyard and I was drawn to an old ship.  It is sinking, falling apart and looking abandoned.  Ironically, the name of the ship is Challenge.  I am happy to have completed two paintings of my favorite ship earlier this summer.

[caption id="attachment_107" align="aligncenter" width="499"] Sinking Ship, 9.5" x 13.75", Oil, 2013[/caption]

The ship has been there for a year or two.  It is not repairable and no longer salvageable.  I think it may be cut up for scrapes next year.  Thanks to a gentleman John who has been living in this area for a long time, I have learned a lot  about this ship including a picture posted below.

[caption id="attachment_106" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Challenge in its glory[/caption]

 

• Built in 1964 by Newbert & Wallace, Thomaston, Maine


• Length  x Breadth  x Depth    56.7 x 17 x  7.8


• 350 Horse Power


• Owned by Challenge Inc, New Bedford, MA

Chief & Clyde has been repaired

I went back to the ship yard today and I was disappointed to see that Chief & Clyde had already left.  Fortunately, the painting already has most of the ship's structure and there are few other similar ships in the yard for references.  I focused on the surrounding of the boats.  The house was repainted with different shades of yellow couple of times before settling on the darker shade of green.  The placement of the window is still not ideal, it has been moved a few times.  I will come back again with fresher eyes to add finishing touches.

 

This blog has move to http://www.nivaartwork.com/blog/

http://www.nivaartwork.com/blog/

Chief & Clyde and Dictator

Chief & Clyde and Dictator, these are the names of the two boats I am currently painting in a ship yard.  The ship yard is large. There are all kinds of ships:  sail boats, fishing boats and commercial yachts. When the boat is on land, the view is magnificent.  You see the other half of the boat that is usually in the water.

I spent a few hours on Saturday drawing the two boats.  I love to draw.  I usually spend a few hours drawing and getting the composition right.  Once I start painting, the drawing underneath disappears.  However, I am already familiar with all the details from the drawing process.

Today I spent a few hours in the morning adding the first layer of colors.  It was a good start.  I used to finish a plein air painting in one day, yet for the last two years it is taking me longer.  I used to paint what is in front of me.  Now I am spending a lot more time editing and thinking.  This process is a lot more enjoyable.

 

Last day of Brimfield Antique Show 2013

Sunday, September 8th was the last day for this year's outdoor antique show in Brimfield, Massachusetts.  It is considered one of the largest outdoor antique shows in the world.  There are vendors from all around the world; Afghanistan, Nigeria to name a few.  Unusal and rare items can be seen in this show.  I especially enjoyed looking at old telephone, lamp, bicycle and typewriter.

Film Projector

Rotary phone

The smallest sewing machine

  

Judgement vs Dexterity

"That painter who does not doubt learns little. When the work surpasses the judgement of the worker, that worker acquires little and when the judgement surpasses the work, that work never cease to grow better, unless avarice prevents it."~ Leonardo Da Vinci

I could not find the original author who found this quote.  The description states that it is from Da Vinci's own Trattato della Pittura standard edition of H. Ludwig, Vienna 1882, paragraph number 62.

There is a similar quote by Michelangelo but I prefer Da Vinci's.
"A man paints with his brains and not with his hands." ~ Michelangelo

Third time is the charm

I was back at the same spot for the third time.  The weather was different than it was the last two sittings.  However, I only needed to borrow a few elements to finish the painting.  The yellow building seems a bit void so I added two different windows.  After a few hours of working, I was pretty happy with the result.



Sometimes, you are working on your painting and your work is going in an unfamiliar territory.  You don't know what to do next.  That has happened to me a few times.  I usually stop and then look for more inspiration or look at other artists that could shed some light.

The painting below looked a bit different than my other work.  I really enjoyed the open space and raw lines for the spiral staircase, yet I was stuck.  I began this painting at least 5 months ago.  I brought it  along with me again,  eliminated a lot of surface work and removed repeated lines and shapes.  After few hours of working, I feel stuck again.  May be the third time will be the charm!

[caption id="attachment_25" align="aligncenter" width="300"] May 2013[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_24" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Second Time[/caption]

 

 

Eighth Summer in Maine - Part II

Foggy days are my favorite time in Stonington.  It is quiet, gray, water rises and fall, fog rolls in and out; everything is so poetic and mysterious.  Friday was one of those days.  I went back to my favorite ledge in the morning.  I remember while setting up my easel, there was not much to see.  Fog has enveloped most of the surroundings.  However, it was not dense and it kept on changing like someone playing peek-a-boo.  I loved every minute of it.

Eighth Summer in Maine - Part I

I am back from a painting trip in Maine.  This is my eighth summer in Stonington. The first week was a painting workshop with Jon Imber.  There were 19 other artists in the group.  It is inspiring to see everyone's work and to have a critique with Jon.  I always come back with more energy and motivation to keep working.

Labor Day 2013

I fell in love with Northampton when I first visited Smith College Museum of Art in April 2010.  I have been painting in this town ever since.

This year's trips to Northampton has been limited.  Labor day weekend was the perfect excuse.  I went back to the painting spot where I started a painting in June.





The weather was cloudy and was very humid.  Besides few scattered showers in the afternoon, the light was constant.  The painting only had a light layer of color, so it was easy to change it to a cloudy atmosphere.The houses I was painting have beautiful lines of wires and pipes leading from one house to the next, unique windows at each floors.  It was a few hours of battle to choose what to paint and what to leave out.

The painting is almost done this morning, however, it may need some finishing touches.  Looking forward to my next visit.