Dream Dive

Coral Sea, Australia

Diving the Great Barrier Reef was really a dream come true. I panicked for the most part, but looking back at it has me in a total state of awe. It took me three attempts to calm my nerves and get a hang of things. But once I did, I was so inspired! I remember thinking - 'I've got to paint this'. And I did, propped on the rocking boat, soon after I got out of the waters. I even forgot about my sea sickness for a little bit there. To me, this was the best way to relive what I had seen. The reef is one of those majestic, beautiful things that puts everything into perspective and makes you feel at peace. Getting certified has become a part of my to-do list for the year. And I have Jen, my dive instructor, to thank for guiding me through this world unseen! This was my thank you note to Jen, and she loved it ! 

Managed to kick off day one of the year with a dive and a painting. Pretty special I'd think! And with travel sketching having reached a whole new level, I plan to invest more time and effort into creating art from life experiences. And here's wishing that this will be a revolutionary year for all! 

A peek at Queenstown

The other NZ sketch in acrylic, done from inside a cafe which had glass walls looking out to the Wakatipu Lake. It was a windy day and we were glad to be inside shielded from the elements while I painted and my friend settled in with a book and ordered multiple rounds of coffee and cacao to show our gratitude to the staff that let us laze inside. 

The sketch is now proudly owned (i'd like to think!) by a hitchhiker we had offered our help to earlier. He mentioned that he collected art as souvenirs and that he'd like to add this painting to his travel diary. I was more than happy to oblige! :) 

Nuggets by the Sea

Nugget Point at The Catlins, New Zealand

The blog has been very quiet and how time flies! Every time that happens, I wonder why I let time slip given how much I love to paint. This time on my vacation to NZ, I decided to paint and paint I did! This is one of the first nicer sketches en plein air using the acrylics kit that I had picked up in Auckland for the sake of convenience. I did struggle with the medium a few times and the surface used here is meant for water colors and hence the texture. I am back after two incredible weeks of flitting around in the mesmerizing world away from home, unwillingly so of course, and I plan to do some rigorous painting to beat the blues! Here's to the new year and a new beginning! 

   

At the Menlo Garden

One out of the two paintings that I managed to complete on a day out at the Allied Arts Garden at Menlo Park (while attending the workshop by Artist Kristen Olson).  Since the sun had gone down by the time I started the second painting, I taped my phone to the easel and painted from the photo that I had shot of the arch earlier. Now I wonder, if that is painting en plein air!