British Waterways

Addition of a new colour 'Lemon yellow' to my palatte has done wonders to my greens which are now brighter and more vibrant, very suitable for depicting summer foliage. It can be seen in my 'twin' paintings here where two thirds of the composition are foliage!

I came across these two identical scenes in our recent visits to Wales and Watford(just outside London). The first one is Llangollen canal (North Wales) on which boats take people onto the famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. We were taken to this lovely scene by our friends Latha and Sanjeev when we visited them in Chester in August.

Llangollen Canal in Wales

In my painting, I let the sky in a lot more than in the photo.

 The second one is the waterway at the Cassiopark near Watford where we spent a relaxed evening with our lovely hosts Kelvin (Sky News) and Sarah last month. The sprawling park was just a stone's throw from Kelvin's house. Both of the amazing canal scenes shrouded in foliage inspired me to experiment with my greens and I was thrilled to see the range of shades of green I could come out with the use of the new colour Lemon Yellow!

Grand Union Canal in Cassiopark near Watford

My painting closely adheres to the photo mostly!



Some photos of our visits are here to recall the mood and atmosphere of these two beautiful scenes! Thanks for viewing!

With Latha and Sanjeev at Llangellan Canal

Another view of the Llangellan Canal

With the family of Kelvin in Cassiobury Park

Boats in Grand Union canal in Cassiobury Park

Have a nice day!







Good (bye) times!

                        In a way 'our revels are now ended'! At least in London. Time to say bye to all dear ones. And I am now packing my paints and brushes, not before my last foray into portraits, my newest passion !

                        This one I presented to our dear friends Dr John and Wendy Marr, a very adorable couple with whom we spent a day in their  lovely idyllic home outside London.

Dr John and Wendy Marr happy with my little portrait of them

Both are ardent indophiles, Dr Marr received the prestigious 'Padma Shree' award last year! Their varied interests outside their academics include botany, flora and fauna, model trains and aeroplanes, music, photography - just to name a few! We spent a very educative afternoon in their garden learning about various plants from all corners of the world, ably maintained by the very green hands of Wendy! My heart almost stopped when suddenly Dr John climbed a rickety ladder to pluck juicy fig fruits for us!

Afternoon tea in the garden

Burmese Pagoda which came to London in 1917 for an Imperial Exhibition!(Very interesting story how it found its way here!)

Tasmanian Fern

Leaves of a Japanese tree mostly found in Buddhist monastries with herbal uses

We were both amazed to know about their adventurous journey  from London to India in 1969, in their newly bought Austin Minor (the backdoor of which is still preserved) very nicely captured in a poster of photographs from that visit! With razor sharp memory Dr Marr can recall myriad anecdotes with accurate names and places! A veritable treasure-house of knowledge we were lucky to partake of! Even after their retirement, they keep a very busy schedule teaching at the SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. When I presented my portrait with my apologies for being a learner of portrait painting, he said, ' Murugesan, would not the world be a dull place if there is nothing new to learn or do everyday?'- which  in a nutshell is the message of the man and also is the secret behind his and Wendy's youthful energy! Truly cherishable moments!

Aberdeen Street Scene

 

This is a quieter corner of otherwise bustling high street of  Aberdeen city in Scotland(Castle street). Henry's Bar & Cafe leads you into the painting aided by the lined pathway - a common design device! A portion of the Castle is visible at the end of the street where the eyes stop! The figures in the foreground were added 2 days after I thought I finished the painting. Ofter I leave a painting for a few days and sometimes come up with some missing piece (not very obvious at the time of painting) which completes the puzzle! Thanks for viewing! Have a nice day! Comments welcome!