A Rocky Seashore at Bamboo island - A soft pastel painting

I love painting seascapes. Having spent my childhood close to the sea, it brings back memories.
I have a big collection of photographs and sketches yet to be painted and I don't think I will ever get tired of painting this subject. In fact the more I paint the more I fall in love with it.

The seashore as below has been created using very soft pastels ( Mungyo and Koh-I-noor ). I rarely use the hard pastels. In fact I have just one set with me and I never felt the need to purchase more. The scene below is from Bamboo island, part of Phi Phi Leh ( Thailand ).

In this particular painting I got to create a few textured rocks, the froth on the sea waves and their shadows. While adding the waves in the shallow waters I had to pay attention to the perspective in the scene. In all painting this scene was a new learning experience. I am looking forward to creating a few more seascapes soon.

A Rocky Seashore

Soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper

Size 7.5" X 9.5"

I am blogging after a long "Diwali festival" break. As an artist I would love to paint and blog everyday but I have this priority list in which my art is sometimes not at the top. There are other very important personal things to be taken care of. However as and when I get free time to myself I devote it passionately to my art. 

The next painting that I may begin is of a forest pathway from Coorg in soft pastels. It has been a long pending assignment which has already painted visually in my mind and I just have to put it down on the paper. 

Last week while browsing through the net for nature and wildlife photographers in India and I came across some amazingly beautiful photographs taken by Rathika Ramasamy. I am truly inspired and have become a big fan of her works. If you are into photography or nature study you must visit her site.

Ending with a quote  - "Art does not reproduce what you see. It makes us see." Paul Klee

The shadow at the beach - A soft pastel painting

"An artist must have his measuring tools not in the hand, but in the eye." Michelangelo

Simple quote that speaks a volume. All the painting starts in the mind itself. The eyes
see it all. The observation gets sharper and better with time.

I recently created a beach scene from Bamboo island ( Thailand ), using the charcoal medium.
The place was so full of colours that I could not resist myself from creating a soft pastel
painting of the same.

Therefore using my cleaned up Soft pastel palette I went ahead to recreate this memorable
scene using vibrant shades of blues and greens. The water of the ocean, changed colours from
green to shades of blue, as it receded towards the horizon.

I titled this painting "The light and the shadow" as the source of light played a predominant
role in the painting. Another appealing factor to me in this particular scene was the rocks that
were so clearly visible under the crystal clear waters.

The light and the shadow

Soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper

Size 6.5" X 8"

I spent my childhood years close to the sea. Hence the affinity is pretty strong. It brings back

sweet memories. The love for the sea and seashore continues to exist but now I am into admiring 

the beauty of nature. Using my creativity and imagination, I am busy trying to capture it live on a blank piece of paper so that I can hear the sea waves splashing at the shore. The sound of the

waves in a continuous rhythm is so relaxing to the mind.

Having completed this painting my latest resolution is to add a few more "Seashore paintings" to 

my " To do" list. 

Limestone cliffs at Phi Phi Leh ( Thailand )

I painted the scene as below with reference to my photograph taken at Phi Phi Leh. Phi Phi Leh
is an uninhabited island that lies 1.5 km off the southmost tip of Phi Phi Don. The stunning
vertical cliffs capped with foliage give way to small sandy beaches and tropical coral seas.

We took a six hour Long tail boat tour which took us all around Phi Phi Leh. The view all
around was amazing. The water all around was so crystal clear that we could see the
submerged rocks and other thriving marine life underneath. As an artist when I look at the
marvel of nature I immediately begin to interpret the colours, the source of light, the shadows
and this acute observation combined with the reference photo helps me recreate the
magical atmosphere on paper.

Getting the colours in the rock right sometimes can be a struggle such as this one. But I have
been doing so many forest scenes of late that a change of subject is like a new beginning in
itself. after having done this one, I am doing another of "Phi Phi Leh" series. The next one will
probably require a little less effort.

 The Vertical Cliffs
Soft Pastel on Canson Mi Teintes paper
Size 6" X 8"

What I enjoyed doing the most was the rocks that can be seen under the blue green waters.
Thailand is blessed with beautiful beaches. This place also reminded me of
my visit to Langkawi in Malaysia where we had similar tall cliffs.

Phi Phi Leh ( Thailand ) 

Image courtesy: Google.com

The next soft pastel painting that I am doing is from a photograph which I clicked while

we were approaching Phi Phi Leh by the Long Tail boat.