Tooting my own horn

Update: Pics up now

I wish I could toot a horn literally, and maybe someday I will. After all, the Arts bug has bitten me in the arse. The bug's been residing on my butt for a long time now, but has somehow recently decided to bite me good. (As always I digress, but I have a question. How many of you today use the word bum to mean the bottom? Because just recently, and after a really long time, I heard a grown up use the word, and it cracked me up like a five-year old!!! Okay, enough of gluteus maximus talk.) So, as I was saying - Arts.

I have always loved the Arts. I've been singing since I can remember (trained in Carnatic). I play the keyboard\organ decently. As hard as it may be for some to believe, I trained in Bharatnatyam for 5 years. And now, I'm learning to oil paint, and am also moving on to other mediums like oil pastels and charcoal. I alo started taking guitar lessons. In fact, I consider writing to be Art too, especially poetry.

When most people my age use their vacations to make contacts, take up training jobs or internships etc, I prefer to hone my creative side. After all, these are the last few years you can tap into it. Plus, as you get older, you also become less confident about your ability to pick up new stuff. Of course, there are exceptions, but the fact that I already whine about my fingers being too small for the guitar tells me that I'll have a billion and one reasons at age 45 about why holding a flute up at that position with both elbows up could be a bad posture at that age. I'm not an ambitious person. So, it doesn't make a difference to me if I'm working with Microsoft or with We-will-shortly-be-out-of-business-because-of-Microsoft. But the feeling of having completed a painting or mastering a song is undescribable. I'm probably not good at them all, but that hardly matters. I enjoy it and there's a definite feel-good factor about it, and that's what counts.

I can't share with you my vocal, instrumental or dance talents, and you've probably had enough of my writing, but I sure can show off my paintings, and with great pleasure at that!!!

Still Life (Oil Painting)

Usually, most beginners start off with a still life painting i.e. a couple of still objects on a table etc. My painting consists of some apples, a vase and a UBO (unidentified blue object).

At the Pier (Oil Painting)

This was my second painting, and I found it quite challenging because of all the detail. But I love it now because it's so colourful and alive.

Marketplace (Oil Painting)

This was my next painting after the first two, and I'd done the previous two a year before this. So, I was quite scared, as I thought I might have forgotten how to paint! Plus faces are always scary!!! But, not bad, eh???

Sunrise or Sunset??? (Oil Painting)



I've titled it thus because I don't know myself. But I know it's looking gorgeous.

At the Countryside (Oil Pastel)



This is the first of 4 oil pastel drawings. There's a sort of freshness about it that I like. And do check out the reflections in the puddles of water!!!

Snowfall (Oil Pastel)



If you look at it from a distance, it looks better.
Winter Beauty (Oil Pastel)



It's pretty. Me like!

Arab Lady (Oil Pastel)


I feel like I didn't capture the beauty on her face, but it looks like a face, at least!

Note: None of the oil pastels have been done on white paper. Can you guess the colour of the sheets???

Coronation of a Princess (Oil Painting)



This is my most recent painting, and I'm quite proud of it. You can tell the difference between velvet and satin, can't you???

Anyway, that's it folks. End of show. I'm currently working on one more oil painting. When it's done, it will be up! It's my best one yet (I hope).