Upcoming Series : Portraits of National Parks

Art has given wings to my imagination and opened up the windows of limitless possibilities! Without art and creative outlet, I had never known the beauty and intrigue a simple piece of nature can hold. I feel very fortunate to have a life surrounded by the natural beauty and a gift to be able to express it into my way of interpretation.

 Color Study for the Upcoming Series - Portraits of National Parks

As I move along my new series here is the tentative plan. I would choose some of the national parks and a few other landscapes that I admire. There is no particular order but some of the shortlisted landscapes will include:

1. Big Horn Mountain, Wy
2. Glacier National Park, Mt
3. Big Sur, Ca
4. Echo National Park, Ut
5. Joshua Tree National Park, Ca
6. Grand Teton National Park, Wy
7. Denali National Park, Ak
8. Yosemite National Park, Ca
9. Grand Canyon National Park, Az
10. Acadia National Park, Me

Frequently Asked Questions - Answered!

Bhavna working on her commissioned artwork

I am almost close to the wrapping up of the photoshoots for the portrait series II, and I thought its a good time to share some of my experiences about the process.


As many of you are aware, I use photo references for my portraits. Its the next best thing to painting people from life.

I put out the call for the sitters requesting them to offer their face to become my muse. I have been fortunate to have people respond and shape my artistic journey. In the past couple of years, I have painted a lot of faces and here are some of the things that visitors often ask me. So, I compiled some of it here.


I get asked this a lot - Why do you paint portraits? 

Portraiture is by far the most challenging and well-disciplined art form.  There is no contest that this genre can bring two people together with a sense of intimate and emotional connection in a way like no other leading to an appeal for all kinds of audiences.

Its my way of touching lives of more and more people and hopefully, making a difference in it. I hope to have portraits exhibited where more people can see it, but if it gets a relevant audience on sitter's wall, I am perfectly okay with that.

I am very thankful for this gift and I hope to paint as many faces as possible. I hope to learn by practicing more and more.



I so want to support this project but I am not model type.

You leave it to me - I will capture what makes you beautiful.


You said it will be exhibited? When can I buy it? 


I try to get the portraits ready well before the exhibition dates. Many times, the dates are not confirmed or not scheduled for weeks to come.  In that case, I would rather have the sitter/model have the portrait than having it sit in my studio.

You can buy it any time after its finished. I update about it as soon as possible.

Once the dates of exhibition are announced, I will borrow it from you and return it promptly after the display is over.


How much do the painted portraits cost?

Depends on what you can offer.

It is not a commissioned portrait work (see below), so, I respect sitter's choice in this department. You may think of this as an attempt to bring back the spotlight on affordability of painted portraits. Pay if you like to pay; but remember, you don't have to.
All I ask for is, sharing, if possible. Exhibit it on a wall for your own and other peoples' delight and you have just made me a very happy painter.

When the sitter offers to pay, it gives a tangible appreciation for the artwork. Like a  bonus. Not asked, but welcomed.  No amount is too small as long as sitter values the time and effort. 

I put it out there - whatever you can comfortably offer. I want you to have your portrait. To be able to enjoy, to hang on your wall and be delighted.
When the sitter sees themselves through my eyes, their reaction is raw and honest - absolutely priceless. That awe, surprise, appreciation, curiosity - a mixture of emotions that I receive in return is worth living for. Totally worth creating more art.

I feel, the hours spent in the planning, composing, creating, painting, communicating, and finally getting ready for viewing, were all well-spent! I am quite nervous before final showing but I have gotten better at hiding it!


I have never bought a painted portrait, so I have no clue about what's right.
Can you give me your price list to have an idea?

I recommend you google the going rate for similar work. Look for:

1. Experience and location of artist
2. Price they charge
3. Size/ Medium of work
4. Style of work

Then compare it with what I offer with my almost 2 -years' experience. See what's best for your budget. If it helps in any way, click on my price list for the commissioned artwork.
Or Click or cut/paste the link below in a new browser window:

http://creativitycornerofbhavna.blogspot.com/p/news.html


What is commissioned artwork?

When I am approached to create art, its called commissioned artwork.

In commissioned projects, specifically the portraits, there are requirements by the client. Once the price is negotiated, I basically do what I am told to do.  I work within deadline (which is usually not so bad, in fact, I like to work within set deadlines anyway) and get most of the aspects approved even before starting. In general, don't have much of control in terms of creativity.

As the portrait nears the end, the element of surprise is obviously and acceptably missing. The huge motivation towards artmaking boils down to the appreciation -  'Isn't that why we hired you?' and a confirmed paycheck.

So, you see, both have appeal, making for the series that I plan and exhibit versus commissioned project. Both have something I need to keep going. And I hope to keep doing both.




Do you get paid to show your artwork in exhibitions?

No, I don't.
On the contrary, most times, I pay to exhibit my work. I also pay for all aspects of presentation of my paintings, such as framing, labeling, and creating publicity. In group shows I get some support but I  take care of most aspects of the display.



No, I mean, it doesn't pay much, does it?

If you are entering into the art scene with hopes of making tons of money, I am sure there are ways but I am not the right person to address that aspect.

I don't paint with an intent to only sell. I do it as a duty, like a purpose. Money that follows, gets spent back on art. I am thrilled my work is self-sustaining and gives me motivation for a productive and a meaningful day.

I also paint and sell other kind of artwork. And it sells okay. So, we are good!



Where do you sell?

I sell via online gallery and ebay. The links are below:

Saatchi Online Gallery: http://www.saatchiart.com/account/artworks/803262
Ebay : http://www.ebay.com/usr/artistcreativitycorner



With time, I would gain experience and might have different plans, views and means to offer more and for now I am open to hear what you have to say.

Project Nature: Update

Nature Project


As you know, for the research of the Nature project I have been doing most of the following:

• Visiting the parks, farms, and zoos.
• Plein- air studies - rough sketches and drawings
• Taking photographs of the flowers, fauna, hills, animals - everything around us.
• Saving pictures from the 'net and securing permission from the photographers.

I am happy to post that my recent trips resulted in some creative ideas and fun sub-projects. I got to learn some amazing facts about the wildlife and get a curious insight into the lives of domestic animals.

About Myself

Growing up in a hilly and untouristy part of  Himalayas sowed the seeds of  affection for wildlife and especially animals. Hours long walks through the forest followed by the climbing up the hill just to reach the school, seemed like a daily picnic that could beat any of those modern day hikings.

I never realized those unsupervised hide-and-seek sessions in the forests would lead to a life of  independence, curiosity, and decision making.

Just going with the flow was the  only way of life. And that encouraged us to lead simple lives, enjoy even simpler things in life, and securing many years of great health and tension-free lifestyle that we have now come to recognize and appreciate.

Later in life, this spontaneity transformed into greater respect for the nature as I grew up. The fascination that once educated and entertained, later, turned into focus of reverence.


About Nature Series

As life coaches you to choose better as you get older, this decision to bring the nature into the center stage of the creative process, seemed justified.

But as I explore, I am further humbled by her magnificence. Its huge. Its beautiful, Its generous. Its everywhere. Its overwhelming generosity presents many questions including the most important one:

Where to begin from?

Let me start with the sense of gratitude. I am thankful for everything Mother Nature has gifted us with. This abundance should be our cue. Take only as much as you can return back with interest. And then go with it.

More on it as it comes...

Come Join Me: New Project Nature

I am working on the latest art series themed Nature.  In this series plan is to create a number of artworks that will give a glimpse of the offerings of nature.
Paintings will range from flowers to landscapes, abstract interpretation to realistic animal portraits and everything in between.
Once finished, it will be submitted for public viewing, publishing, and sale.


Timeline

The painting will begin asap and the series will end by June, 2015.

The preparation of the work involves following:

• Visiting the parks, farms, and zoos.
• Plein- air studies - rough sketches and drawings
• Taking photographs of the flowers, fauna, hills, animals - everything around us.
• Saving pictures from the 'net and securing permission from the photographers.
 

You are Invited

Please come  join me in this project.  If you have any ideas or photos that you would like me to paint, please feel free to contact me. I will be very happy to discuss it with you in my studio, online or over the phone.

You can share your pictures.  You will receive the photo credit.
Also, I will post the cross reference to your blog or a social media shout-out, whichever you prefer.
Any details about the image will help adding more dimension to the work. So, please feel free to elaborate on what, where, and why about the image.

You can share pictures taken by others as well. If sharing pictures for which you are not the photographer, please make sure you photocredit the person and secure the permission for the use of the images.



What kind of images will work best?

• Exotic animals, flowers, fruits, especially those I don't have access to photograph myself
• Natural scenery - interesting compositions, colors, water, unusual angles 
• Your own pets 
• Anything that you think can relate to beauty of nature

Contact Information


You can leave a comment here, or on facebook or linkedin.
You can also email me at bhavna.misra@gmail.com with Nature in the subject line.

I would look forward to hear from you!

New Year New Projects (Project Friends Ends)

I am quite excited to announce that the portrait series that was started around a theme has been finished. With a year full of learning, I am happy that I could not only meet the deadline but also could paint to my heart's delight!

Here are some snippets of this journey:

• Over a twenty portraits completed.
• Process: Photoshoot, photoprint, finalize a picture, paint. Repeat.
• I tried almost all the media - pen , pencil, pastel (hard and soft)
• I fell in love with oil all over again.
• On the side, I could start another series.
• Created other unrelated pieces for the exhibition acceptance. 

 

Untitled

18 x 24.5

Soft pastels on paper

I feel, I could educate myself on many aspects of studio arts and the importance of preparedness towards the creative process. The sentiment with which this whole series was conceived and finished was met with lots of encouragement and I tried my best to offer nothing but the best.

I could not include many into the series purely due to lack of available time. I am sure, we would work on something together in the future.

Now we look forward to the public viewing of this artwork. I will post updates on that very soon. Till then!

Working for Self, Seriously?

I need to share about the freelance work.

Recently I had been asked what I do. And I tried to keep the answer tidy and direct.
"I am an artist."
"Oh wow. Okay." Followed by a pause. "So, what do you do?"
"I make art." I said excitedly, explaining process of painting portraits.
"No, I mean what do you do for a living?"
Okay, it was little awkward.
"I work as an artist, full-time. That's what I do."
Longer pause.
"Seriously?"

It would have been easier if I had said, hey I am an engineer. And conversation would probably have been on where I work or on what technology.


But, this is what I signed up for. So, enjoy the perks of being different. Enjoy the freelance life!



====================


After meeting the deadlines for the Fall shows, exhibitions and shows its a time for getting back to the work and letting that rush-to-create to overcome you. I can finally focus fully on the series' at hand.

While I wasn't blogging, in the past weeks, I

1. Finished two more oil portraits.
2. More than 2 pen portraits
3. 1 America artwork

Until the next post!

Portraits, Techniques, Likeness, and Life

Oct 1 - Oct 7: Day 49th of Friends Series

I have been drawing, painting, reading, and writing lately. As mentioned earlier, I met many new people during art show. And I cannot describe how helpful other artist have been. They gladly shared what they know and later sent more as promised. I cannot thank them enough for their help.


Portraiture

This is  a bonding process where a person tries to create his own version of how one sees. Its art and it also is science. Its 2 D in technicality and heavily 3 D for the artist. Or 4 D if you add the artist's perception to it. Artist tries to capture the essence of the model over the period of time.

Technique

There are as many techniques as there are portraitist. No single one is right or better. Some find realism to be the most disciplined form which may be true in a sense that if that's your goal in the first place. But over time, you learn to immerse in the process, and start to enjoy the process so much and so, that you hardly bother if that highly acclaimed belief of realism is only a way of seeing things.  The artistic license lets you enjoy the journey and the destination. Choose what suits you!  This is what I did for one of the works.

Likeness in Portraits

People find portraiture as hard because they think getting the likeness is not easy. Its true. Its not easy to get the likeness if you don't practice enough. There is a lot of relativity among different angles and shapes and the process requires a lot of swinging back-and-forth while creating a face.

When I do it with pause, there seems to be a harmony in the process. The focus is not on one part but the face as a whole. With this in mind, things just seem to be right. And when its right, you stop and gauge the balance. After a while, the process starts to balance itself.

Bonding Experience

I usually know when to stop. The work starts to speak for itself. It becomes a whole with its own identity and charm. At that point, artist need to take a step back and let the work enjoy its own identity. The bond between the subject and the artist moves on to next level. And that is a marvelous experience. Its too complex to explain in words.

First Juried Show

Sep 30: Day 44


With this day the month of September comes to a close. In October, we hope to see diversity experiment and the results thereafter. Here are some pics from the weekend :

The show was well attended

The work of artists were unique

 

 

The acknowledgement

 

The food

Call for Models for Series Friends is now closed

Hello,

I would like to thank you all for showing support and participating in the series Friends. The call is now closed.

 Niles Park

If you wanted to participate but could not, please feel free to contact me. I will surely be able to use the help for the future projects.

In the meantime, its all on me. Thank you again and I look forward to the progress!

-Bhavna

Sep 29 (Plus week of 22 - 26): Day 43rd today

Status Update

I have some progress during this week. Its about time I had some pics of the work available here. But I think, it is better to hold off for now.

If you are one of the models, please feel free to mail me for the pictures. I will be happy to send you yours WIP picture log.

To do

As I look at the numbers, I feel this project has slowed down quite a bit. The reasons are many but I have to focus on what's been accomplished. So, here are some guidelines for self:

• By the end of the week, have one piece ready from start to finish.
• Organize the to-do list datewise.
• Mail out the drafts.
• Update FB group on closing of call

Other Stuff

Last week, I had the opportunity to met with many artists during an exhibition reception. Some were new but most were quite experienced. They work in different media.

Its amazing to encounter so many creative people who use interesting ways to express themrselves. We shared lots of ideas and I was offered some great pieces of advice.

As I get back to the regular workday, I think about the event and the inspiring crowd.

Sep 18 - 19 : Day 37 Today

There are some changes underway. I have to get back to the drawing board (literally!) to make the changes in the series.

This means a slight delay as far as the weekly progress is concerned but Its within the scheduled deadline.

I have sent the new set of pics for printing and I await the pickup.

Sep 15 -17 : Day 35 Today

I am happy to report that I have only a few of the under sketches to do this week. If everything goes by the book. I should have 2 more finished pieces ready to show.

I have to admit, I am not quite regular on posting pictures. Its seems like a commitment to transfer the pics from cam to com! Its comforting to know that its all there and will be posted and thus gets ignored in the light of work-at-hand and creating art.

Last week was special for I participated in a well attended artists' reception to the HTLT exhibition that opened last week. Loved to meet so many established artists at one place. Attending it with family was a dream come true. I would like to thank all my friends who support me and came down to the gallery.

If you are planning to go, please make sure to check the main hall of the gallery where my work is on display until Oct 11.

Sep 8 - 12 : Day 30 Reached

This week was super special in terms of personal and familial milestones. So, it was no wonder that the blog was somewhat sidelined. But there was a lot of activity in the studio-space.

This is what was done:

• Underpaintings for the selected pictures. 
• Some passed others didn't.

I am happy that the work is paying off. It takes time to weigh in all the options by making a sketch out of the selected headshots and then selecting the one that looks better, but its rewarding to give each option a try and then making a final cut. What I mean is the order of steps as follows:

1. I select  5 - 7 headshots out of 25 - 40 model shots.
2. Try to thin it down to final 3 - 4
3. Draw a charcoal study sketch for all 3 or 4
4. Pick 1 out of the last bunch
5. Paint the selected study
6. If its not what I planned, back to step 1

Its tedious but worthy of efforts.

Sep 3 - 5 : Day 25 to 27

I could finish what I planned and more.

I finished the underpainting and later retouched it.
Its not what I had in mind, so I ma going to change it one more time.

Or, pick a different ref photo. I took some pics of the work but when I am too occupied, taking pictures is simply forgotten.

Also, there is good news to share. Remember, I mentioned a deadline earlier. That resulted in an acceptance. I would look forward to see the exhibited piece in the gallery.

In this past week, I met some amazing people. Talented, smart, kind and helpful. Its nice to learn something new from others.

Day 14 - 18 (Aug 18 - 22): Weblog Update

This past week, there was a deadline to meet. This just made me slow down on my series Friends. Which, in fact, is a good thing, given it gave me a chance to do the squint eye test on the project as a whole. After a full week of planning, preparing, working and executing Friends , this welcome distraction came as a pressure valve. 

Looking back, I can say, it has helped me get back to work rather fondly.

Before calling it a week, I had, finally, finished  model 1 for the series.  Airbrushed and ready to frame!  Details of the portrait process can be found here. I would look forward to some good references for the framers at this point. I keep looking...

As a side note, I have been reading Picasso lately.

It made me quite amazed by the depth and breadth of the work by this genius. I also feel there has been many places where he's routinely quoted out of context. He had deservedly earned the respect and legendary fame.

Another book on the reading list is, Ajanta Caves. It is a a beautiful reference book for anyone interested in enjoying the historical arts. 

Pastel Portrait Process

Here is the finished portrait that got completed last week.

18 x 24.5

Soft pastels on paper

I have compiled the process in a video. Not sure if that works here but let me try. Please see if this link works for you:

Here is direct youtube link, just in case.

Day 11 - 13 (Aug 13 - 15): Portraits Taking Shape

Let me begin with a huge thanks to the models without whom this series would be impossible. Thank you for taking time to be a part of it.

Because of you, in the past couple of days:

• I had gotten four portraits started
• Prepped and primed a board
• Completed a charcoal/ pencil prep study
• One study of a model who offered to hold the pose for almost 30 mins

You all are super special to me!

For those who haven't had the photoshoot yet, please bear with me. You are in the list and we will schedule as discussed. If you signed up but didn't hear from me, please send me a pm.

There will be no photoshoots in the coming week but I will keep updating here and on FB page.

Will get back on Monday. Till then!

Day 10 (Aug 12): Backstage Bustle

To celebrate the 10-day anniversary of the series related work, I had a review cum re-plan session. Bought some supplies, restocked paints, and organized the paperwork. This backstage work is usually not the fun part but essential and calming.

Created the framework for Tree of life and worked on some to-dos.

Day 9 (Aug 11): Pastel Portrait

Usually I don't draw before I paint. I start of with the paints and refine later. But this time I tried to do differently.

Sketch with charcoal. Some basic shapes and comparative placements.

After painting, this is what the face looks like.

Added hair. No background is developed nor the clothing. Again, this is something I usually don't do. I develop the entire area as a whole. Just not this time.

An exercise to get the right colortone with pastels.

The messy workarea,  appeals a lot. A reminiscent of the productive day!

Day 4 to 8 (Aug 4 - 8): Summary of the last week

As the weekend approaches, it seems somewhat 

The week has passed and there are signs of progress. Its admittedly slow but acceptable.

Reading, photoshoots, painting, no-shows, research, and some unplanned stuff - the week was thoroughly packed and productive.

For the next week:

1. There will be one full and final portrait ready
2. Frame it
3. Finish the last chapter of the book that I am reading
4. Fill those pending forms
5. Order that golden paint, I had been meaning since forever

More next week.

Happy weekend!