The old walls: Part 1

A sudden and unplanned trip to Hampi was something that I will cherish forever. It was a desperate attempt to go somewhere with friends and Hampi happened because we couldn't manage any other place due to last moment planning. And trust me, it was worth, Hampi happening to me. Right from my first step to this small place that served as the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, every part of this place have made me fall in love with it. Each piece of ruin stands for the grandeur and rich culture of the glorious empire that ruled India for more than 3 centuries. A mesmerized me, so overwhelmed with the trip and still admiring what my eyes could behold!

The Stone Chariot inside Vittala Temple campus (Little blurred I know. This is what my phone camera could manage). 

Pencil on paper

Hope to share many more renditions of my wonderful trip to Hampi, soon!

The hill top & a little pencil jamming!

The thought of getting up early in the morning scares me; but then, I decided to give it a try on one fine Sunday and joined an immensely talented group to a trip to the beautiful Nandi Hills in Bangalore. And trust me, it was worth the try. Missing those long hours of sleep on a lazy Sunday and instead, joining a group to a wonderful trip to the hill to capture the breathtaking views of nature in a canvas was not painful at all. Lot of mystery surrounds the name of the hill. Legend has it that Nandi Hills got its name from Yoga Nandeeshwara who had come here for mortification. Yoga Nandeeshwara also has a temple dedicated to him.

Another very popular reason behind the name is the fact that the hill looks like a sleeping Nandi (bull), the vahana (which carries) of Lord Shiva. The place is equally interesting, just like the myriad legends behind its name. And we went there to enjoy nature and do some sketching. Believe it, what spectacular show of Mother Nature it was! The sun and rain playing hide & seek and the lush green meadows dancing with the wind!And those old walls of Nandidurga (fort) built by Tipu Sultan that served him as a summer home during the Ganga period completed the picture...Lovely it was!

Finally, I managed to divert my mind from the surrounding and pay some attention to my artbook...It's blank pages were looking at me for long while my heart was busy cherishing every bit of the view :P

:)

The new painting

Yes, it's been a little late that I am posting and the reason being it took me some time to finish this painting. And then, there is whole lot of other works to do, especially when you stay away from the comfort of your home.

Sometime back, somebody send me a link of his blog that featured some interesting posts about Indian heritage and culture and this is where I first came to know about Shri Yamunaji. It is said that Shri Yamunaji is the Queen consort to Lord Krishna.

After reading the entire story about the origin of Yamunaji and saw the lots of pictures as well, I got so attracted to this interesting character that I finally decided to paint her. Read how interesting is the story behind the origin of one of the greatest rivers, Yamuna. 

And here it is...my rendition.

Hope its a proper justice done. Feel free to write your reviews...

Stay blessed!

Boxed!

My paintbrushes got a new home!!!

This abandoned box made its way to my home and I thought why not give it some occupants. My paintbrushes were getting dirty on table and so, I was looking for a bigger home for them...until I found this!

Add caption

But, isn't it looking too boring??? My paintbrushes deserve a colorful home and...it underwent a renovation :) This is the second time I have tried paints on other medium, the earlier being the gift for a friend...

The box features the typical Indian auto which every Indian, I guess, must have traveled by in their  lifetime. This avatar of Indian autos in green and yellow have always fascinated me...here it is, adorning the side walls of the box! Hope, my paintbrushes are happy with their new 'hued' home!!

:)

Neighborhood Art Festival

I am a little late on posting about the Neighborhood Art Festival...it was from 7th to 10th March. And it was WOW!!! Being the first time for me to attend such wonderful art festivals, that too, not in any art galleries, but on the streets! Organised by Kitsch Mandi, these people had done a wonderful job...

Sharing with you all, some amazing photos from the art festival that took place in various neighborhoods of  Bangalore.

Live caricatures, display of beautiful artworks and some wonderful soul-touching music made the weekend, a fun-filled one! Hope you too had a great weekend too!Check out for more photos here. 

Wish you love and happiness!

Shubh Labh

Shubh Labh (Shubh means goodness and Labh means benefit), the most common symbol used at the entrance of houses in India, stands for good luck,wealth and fame.

My share of 'goodness' and 'benefit'.

The 'Swastik' also stands for auspiciousness and comes from the words 'Su' meaning good and 'Asati' meaning to exist.

Shubh Labh is written in the Devanagari script and are believed to be names of the sons of Lord Ganesha. The two lines on either side of the 'swastik' are said to be 'Riddhi' and 'Siddhi', two wives of the Lord.   

Acrylic on Brustro 200 gsm watercolor paper

Here's wishing you all happiness and goodness with my piece of 'Shubh Labh'. Stay blessed!  

A piece of love

It is actually a difficult time when you have to choose a wedding gift for your dear friend and you end up spending several days and plenty of frantic researches, just to find the right 'piece of love'. I did it too! One of my closest friend got married to the love of his life and I too spent hours and hours, thinking what to gift him. I wanted not just 'a gift'; I wanted 'A GIFT' that will be my piece of love for them...And then, probably 5 months (oops!!!) after they got married, I sent them 'a piece of love'.

This is my piece of love for my friend on the best moment of his life...

Really happy to see my little piece of love finding a place in their beautiful home in Pune. And more happy to know that they really liked it!

Thank you Nilan and Pooja. May you be blessed with all the happiness in the world!
Love u two...

...into the coffee county!

Needed a break badly, so went for a short trip to Chikmagalur, the land famous for coffee. Although, it became a little hectic for me, all the way traveling from Kolkata to Bangalore and then to Chikmagalur on road, but it was worth everything. Wow!

This was a wonderful treat at the end of a trek early morning...

...and coffee beans. Trip to Chikmagalur is useless if you don't see these beautiful little coffee berries!

Nature in abundance...serene and beautiful.

And when your trip ends with some breathtaking sunset views...you feel rejuvenated. Here I am, back to routine, but with a mind freshened up and ready to move on.

Working on a 'Subh Labh' painting...hopefully, will be able to post in a week. Till then, stay happy!

Jai Jagannath

The idea of painting this form of Vishnu had always been there in my mind and I wanted to include the entire trio of Jagannath, brother Balabhadra deva and sister devi Subhadra in one canvas...and here it is!



This face of Jagannath actually caught my eye when I saw it at the back glass of a car (I don't know what this back glass of a car called...) and I wanted to paint! This is also the first time I tried paints on a canvas...I loved it!

*Acrylic on canvas*



Need your reviews on this!!!

Posting...just a little late! :(

Yes, I'm pretty late...I should have and had actually planned for the second posting long time back...to celebrate Janmashtami (the birth anniversary of one of the most popular and favorite God in Hinduism). But then, fate had something else for me...I wasn't well (yes, I was down with jaundice) and was literally out of touch with the virtual world (no internet, no computing...only rest, rest and rest! BORING!!!).

I wanted to paint Lord Krishna and was looking for a subject than can inspire my Krishna...when I unearthed this beautiful Radha-Krishna statue at home!

           
        This is a Radha-Krishna statue made of wood that I had collected from a mela (fair) last year...
  Finally, I found my inspiration....

  
                                                                         'Krishna'
                                                     Poster colors on handmade paper

                     
                    

Welcome to 'hued'!

So, here I am, with my first blog post- I'm a little nervous (whether it will be appreciated or not), but a lot more excited (finally I'm doing it!). I have been contemplating on this for a long time; in double minds whether to share with you all, something I learnt to do since my A B C days and something I have been in love with, since God knows when- ART!

Finally, here is 'hued'- my colored world which will be the mirror of my thoughts in canvas and colors.

Thank you for stopping by and wish you happy reading!

Love, Sanjukta

:)

                                                       'The Tree'
                                                                Size: A4
                                                                   Medium: poster colors on handmade paper