A thousand years of Irish history .....

Watercolour (9" x 4")

In this sweltering Indian summer, its really difficult to get out and paint en plein air. So I have decided to stick to still lives for the time being. Besides, our teacher Mr. Mahurkar used to say that still lives can be a good way to regain your confidence that can be lost due to irregular painting and long breaks.

This is a small sketch of a miniature bottle of "Irish Mist". Its from the collection of a friend who is just crazy about these miniature wine bottles. It took me some effort to get him to lend me one of these bottles for an afternoon of painting. I hope I could do justcie to the beauty and romance of the subject here.
All comments and critiques are most welcome.

P.S. Irish Mist is said to be made according to a thousand year old wine recipe.

Kokan ..... Monochrome in Burnt Umber

Watercolour (11" x 14")

I have been to Kokan several times and the fascination for the hills and the thatched roofs grows with every visit. I did this monochrome from a photograph of a small village that  had taken during my last visit. I like to do monochromes once in a while. Its a great relief when one doesnt have to bother about getting the colours right and fresh every single time. All one needs to do is to bother about the values.

In my limited experience I have come to realise that Burnt Umber and Prussian Blue are the two colours that are least likely to granulate, whereas Cobalt Blue and Fresh Ultramarie are the most likely. I want to try this subject with french ultramarine too, so as to strike a comparison in terms of added value (or reduced value) that granulation lends to a watercolour.

All thoughs, comments, critiques and suggestions are most welcome.