A cloudy day at Colva beach ( Goa ) - A soft pastel painting

Getting dusty with soft pastels.

Last year in August/September we were at Goa enjoying the beautiful pristine beaches. One evening at Colva beach, I got to capture the elegantly floating delicate clouds in the sky. I had it in mind to paint it some day and my recent soft pastel workshop provided me the opportunity to recreate this scene. It was part of demo work which I completed later on by adding a few more finishing touches.

Painting "Clouds in the sky" has been in my "To do" list for long. However in most of the landscapes that I have created earlier, I have been focusing on forests, mountains and other elements of nature. Hence I enjoyed doing this seascape from Goa where my main focus has been on clouds. The whole painting is more or less done using a very limited palette ie shades of blues and a few violets. It was a rainy day and all I wanted was to get the feel of the atmosphere. 

A cloudy day 

Soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper

Size 6"X 8"

While at Goa, we got to visit many different beaches and I have a big collection of my personal photographs and sketches. It is not always possible to do a plein air sketch as there are so many factors being involved, weather being one. Therefore the next best option is to photograph the scene that you fall in love with. 

Last year in the month of December I attempted a simple scene at Vaddi beach ( Goa ) using the water colour medium. I enjoy all different mediums and if I have to decide regarding which one I enjoy the most, it will get difficult for me to specify ANY ONE. When I am working with charcoals I get deeply engrossed in my black and white works and then when I shift to pastels I feel the same enthusiasm. I guess many artists go through the same emotions. On the whole it if fun shifting from one medium to another as it breaks the routine of getting saturated and gets freshness in the work.

Presently I am also working on an incomplete "Portrait work" which I shall be hopefully uploading soon as it is nearing completion.

Ending the post with a beautiful quote.

"An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision." James Whistler

Sunset at Colva beach - A soft pastel painting

The soft pastel painting below is a scene from Colva beach, Goa. I have created this painting with
reference to a photograph taken by me about four years back. It was monsoon season and one evening during sunset we witnessed this dramatic sky with beautiful cloud arrangement in the sky.
The sun rays scattered in the sky and lit up the edges of the dark clouds. It was an amazing sight.

This painting has always been in my "To Do" list as it had this element of "Clouds" in it. I have
been painting landscapes since long but have not painted the sky as my main subject. This painting
has been a new and interesting experience for me.

I have used a black coloured Canson Mi Teintes paper and Koh-I-Noor soft pastels ( Few are 
from Camlin and Mungyo brand ) for this art work. Whenever I start with a new unknown "Subject", I prefer creating a small painting. It gets done fast and all the suspense regarding the outcome is revealed soon. 

Sunset at Colva beach.

Soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper.

Size 5" X 7"

I am posting an image of the pastels that I used for my above painting. Instead of using my full pastel palette I decided to pick only those few which I felt would be required for the above art work. Limited Palette is always a convenient option and it helps avoid a lot of confusion.

Limited Pastel palette.

An interesting quote

" Art is the only way to run away without leaving home." Twyla Tharp

Water colour painting of Colva beach in Goa by Manju Panchal

Water Colour Painting - wet on wet technique

Using Camel Artist's quality water colour paints I have created this watercolour painting of a stormy sky using wet on wet technique. To create this painting I have referred to my Goa holiday photographs. ( COLVA BEACH ) 

Had come to watch the ocean , got caught up in the sky. The beautiful evening sunrays gently falling
on the surface of the seawaves, it was a an enriching moment.

Colva beach, Goa

Water colour painting on Indian handmade paper

Size 9" X 11" ( Including mountboard )

Creating a painting from my own photograph is like bringing to life the beautiful moments of past and then reliving them.

I recently browsed through the water colour paintings of Indian artist Milind Mulick and found them
absolutely amazing. He resides in Pune and has years of experience with water colour medium
and it shows through his works.