floral painting Red hot poppies original oil painting by Navdeep Kular

Poppies in my Garden

November 15, 2018November 16, 2018Leave a comment

Red hot poppies oil painting by Navdeep Kular

Poppies in my Garden 1

The papery petals of poppies change colour as they reflect light. Pictures from the garden served as useful guide for this painting. Poppies with few their petals present an opportunity to any artist learning to paint flowers. As skill level enhances, more and more layers of petals can be added.

Poppies in my Garden 1 is an original oil painting. It is a bright painting of five poppy flowers. I particularly like this painting because of the orange shine on the petals caused by sunlight. It also has well defined stamens in the lighted area. Another highlight of this oil painting is the background white and red flowers that give depth to the painting. The shades of blue on the lower right hand side depict shadows caused by the flowers.

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Pink Roses in a Vase

November 1, 2018February 27, 2019Leave a comment

Pink Roses in a Vase is an original oil painting. Pink roses are arranged in a circular formation in a round vase.

It was fun painting a light wooden table top. The sharp front edge and the softened rear edge flatten the table. The shape and colour of the vase is different from my previous paintings. The impact of light shining on the vase is depicted through bold brushstrokes. Pink roses illuminate against a textured dark backdrop. I am amazed at the number of colours one can generate with the use of primary colours.

Hope you enjoy viewing this painting!

Tulips in a Crystal Vase

October 25, 2018February 27, 2019Leave a comment

Tulips in a Crystal Vase is an original oil painting. A triangular crystal vase has been painted in this composition, although only one face is visible. As the crystal objects have numerous edges, these shine with different intensity as the light falls on them. An attempt has been made to capture this property of the material. The window shows view outside and creates depth in the painting. Tulips merrily swing to the sides. The green foliage provides a contrast to the flowers. The same is the effect of crystal vase on a dark table top.

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Sunflowers in a Blue Vase

October 19, 2018November 18, 2018Leave a comment

Sunflowers in a Blue Vase

Sunflowers in a Blue Vase is an original oil painting. The bright, cheerful disposition of sunflowers brings sunshine in our lives.

I have experimented with mixes of cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, viridian hue, crimson lake and titanium white in this painting. All the yellows; lemon, ochre, chrome and cadmium along with tinges of reds and whites have been used for the flowers.

I hope viewing this painting brings sunshine in your life!

Red Flowers in a Vase

October 17, 2018November 16, 2018Leave a comment

Red Flowers in a Vase

Red flowers in a vase is an original oil painting. The mirror on the wall shows the reflection of the flowers.

Red flowers are multi layered with some facing the front, others sideways, some hanging down and a few upright. The view outside has been painted in cool colours. Trees are visible at a distance. The folds in yellow curtain have been accentuated with the use of dark colours.

The oval edge of the table is visible through the lace table cloth. The light from the window shines on the intricate lace tablecloth. The dark flooring is complementary to the white drape of the table. White flowers bloom in the potted plants.

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floral painting Daffodils in a Blue Vase oil painting by Navdeep Kular

Daffodils in a Vase

October 12, 2018November 16, 2018Leave a comment

This is the story of transformation of Daffodils painting. As I painted more and more, I began to notice many things in this particular painting that needed fixing. This is how the transformation of daffodils started.

Daffodils

Daffodils in a Blue Vase (Sold)

The difference in the two paintings is obvious. More depth was added to all the flowers in the painting. The transformed painting has very little pure white in the white daffodils. Yellows and reds were added on the light side and blues and violets were added to the whites on the darker side. Titanium white, flake white and zinc white with their different properties were used for various flowers. Zinc white was used on translucent petals. Flake white was used on the thick petals. For the yellow daffodils, mixes of cadmium yellow, chrome yellow and lemon yellow with other colours were used.

The edges of the petals have lighter colour which gradually get darker towards the centre. The hollows of the centres are of deeper colour with the rims having different hues on the light and shadow side. As a result, the centres of the daffodils became more prominent.

Next, more layers of petals were added to the blue flowers. The leaves and the background was touched upon. The shape of the vase was rounded. The light side was made blue and violet was added to the shadow side. Light shining on the vase was depicted with a white brushstroke on the vase. This added more roundness to the vase.

Learning from this exercise was that review and reflection always leads to results.

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White Orchids in a Vase

October 10, 2018November 16, 2018Leave a comment

The orchids have been arranged in an appealing composition in this oil painting. The tinges of red, yellow and blue in the white orchids give them the depth and make them pop forward from the light background. The dark centres of the orchids have touches of crimson lake and cadmium yellow. The pink flowers go well with the white orchids.

Orchids in a Vase

The dark vase on the wooden table with leaves hanging around provide a contrast to the white flowers. The shades of the wood were formed by mixing reds, blues and yellows. The light and the dark areas are depicted by mixes of these three primary colours. The wooden table formed the basis of many subsequent paintings. The rim of the vase is highlighted to show the light shining on it. The shadow of the vase is falling forward on the table.

Hope you have as much joy viewing the painting as I had while creating it!

Chrysanthemums in a Ceramic Vase

October 2, 2018October 22, 2018Leave a comment

After painting roses for days together, I was looking for a different flower to paint. I came across a painting by Henri Fantin-Latour of chrysanthemums in yellow colour. I instantly liked the bright yellow flowers and the composition of the painting. I felt like painting bright yellow chrysanthemums after pale roses for weeks. That is how the decision to paint chrysanthemums was made.

Chrysanthemums in a Ceramic Vase

This is how the painting has turned out. The layers of petals of the flowers took time to paint. Various mixes of cadmium, lemon and ochre yellow with tinges of reds, blues and whites were used to get the various values, hues, tints, tones and shades of flowers. The more I painted, the more I appreciated the great artist’s brushstrokes and nuances in the rendition. I changed the background from the original and added more texture to it. Also the blue painting on the ceramic vase is different.

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Red Roses in a Crystal Vase

September 29, 2018November 16, 2018Leave a comment

Red Roses in a Crystal Vase

The only way to master something is to do it over and over again. This painting is an attempt to paint the roses better and to show the reflection in a crystal vase.

Roses have been painted using mixes of vermilion hue, crimson lake, ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow, lemon yellow and titanium white. The crystal vase shows patches of light reflecting on its surface. Also visible are the shadows cast by the flowers and foliage on the vase. The refracted stems of roses and water are visible in the vase. It’s rim shines with light falling on it.

The edges of the wooden cabinet on which the flower arrangement is placed provide depth to the painting. The background colours are complementary to those of the roses. Ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, crimson lake, cadmium yellow and flake white have been used for the background.

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Roses de Nice on a Table

September 21, 2018February 27, 2019Leave a comment

Roses de Nice on a Table is Henri Fantin-Latour’s painting that adorns the wall of National Gallery of Art in Washington DC. I was fortunate to visit it within few weeks of viewing the paintings in National Gallery in London. That gave a whole new perspective to appreciate paintings of famous artists in two of the major art galleries of the world across continents.

The Dutch and Flemish galleries were very impressive. In the French galleries it was a surreal experience to be amongst some of the most celebrated works of Renoir, Monet, Manet, Cezanne, Van Gogh and Fantin-Latour in the West building and that of Matisse and Picasso in the East building. The gallery also presented an opportunity to appreciate the works of great American, Italian and Spanish artists.

Roses de Nice on a Table

Once again, I have chosen to paint roses. What better choice could be there than to paint Fantin’s roses. Roses de Nice on a Table is a painting from the French Gallery. The title of the painting is attributed to French city of Nice situated in Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur. So here I present my attempt at Roses de Nice on a Table. There is one red rose among the white, pink and yellow roses. As with ‘A Basket of Roses’, this painting too has a number of leaves. While painting, I always wonder how the white roses have tinges of red, yellow and blue in them.

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The Rosy Wealth of June

September 14, 2018October 22, 2018Leave a comment

The Rosy Wealth of June is Henri Fantin-Latour’s painting that adorns the wall of National Gallery in London. In this painting the artist has painted late summer blooms. The painting’s title was probably chosen to appeal to English patrons who outnumbered the ones in his own country during his lifetime. The sharpness in floral and still life paintings of Fantin matches that of Dutch and Flemish old masters.

The Rosy Wealth of June

Here is my ode to the great master. The crystal vase, the bunch of flowers and leaves, all presented a challenge to amateur artist like me. One by one, I started tackling the issues. The flowers required highlights day after day as the layers of oil paint dried. The vase had to depict the shadows and light at various places along with stems of the flowers it holds.

The dark green foliage gives depth to the painting. Many mixes of blues and yellows were used to create various shade of green. Both cadmium and lemon yellow were used along with a tinge of blue and lots of white in yellow roses. The red ones have crimson lake with blue for the darkest tone, then a mix of cadmium red and crimson lake followed by little yellow and white with red for the highlights.

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A Basket of Roses

September 12, 2018October 22, 2018Leave a comment

Ever since I saw this painting in the National Gallery, London, I have been wanting to paint it. It is my tribute to the great artist Henri Fantin-Latour whose flower paintings are a treat to watch.

A Basket of Roses

There have been Dutch and Flemish old masters whose floral paintings too, adorn museums around the world. Van Huysum, Heade and Jan Bruguel are some of the famous old masters who created realistic paintings of flowers and were patronised by the high and mighty of their times. The vases with flowers of various seasons combined together on mostly marble table tops are the highlight of their paintings.

My personal liking is for Fantin’s paintings. The compositions, lighting and realism are all eye catching.

A Basket of Roses has pink, red, yellow, white and peach roses, all put together in a basket in an attractive manner. The roses toppled over on the table create a flow in the painting. While painting, I realised how many leaves were there along with the roses.

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floral painting Pink Roses in a Rose Bush original oil painting by Navdeep Kular

The English Rose Vines

September 6, 2018February 27, 20191 Comment

The rose vine with roses laden all over depicts the abundance of nature. The English roses have soft petals and glow like diamonds on a sunny day. Rose Vine 1 oil painting has an appealing one-three-four-four-one rose composition, slightly tilted towards the right.

Pink Roses in a Rose Bush oil painting by Navdeep Kular

Rose Vine 1

The multi layered roses blossom with all their beauty. Many petals shine in the sun and become almost translucent. The roses are surrounded with leaves, big and small, all around in different directions. Varying colours of green in different layers provide the thick foliage and give three dimensional look. The roses become more prominent with the highlighting of few leaves. The textured cream panels of the background contrast the dark green foliage. The worn out panels give the artist opportunity to play around with colours. The settings provides rustic charm and blends with nature.

Rose Vine 2

The joy of painting a rose vine was too much to be given up after one painting. So, Rose Vine 2 was created as a sequel with a different setting. This painting is unique with bunches of rose buds and roses that signify continuity of life. Abundance is the common theme in both the paintings.

I hope you have as much joy looking at these paintings as I had while painting.

floral painting Pink Roses and Rose buds in a Turquoise Vase original oil painting by Navdeep Kular

Pink Roses in a Turquoise Vase

July 19, 2018February 27, 2019Leave a comment

Pink Roses and Rose buds in a Turquoise Vase oil painting by Navdeep Kular

Pink Roses in a Turquoise Vase

For a while I had been thinking about painting flowers in a turquoise vase. I had painted red, blue, green and glass vases in the past but never a turquoise vase. The colour evokes mystery and is appreciated only by discerning viewers. Others just categorise it as a general blue colour. In a painting, light changes the basic colour and makes the vase more interesting.

Which flowers to paint? Roses were uppermost in my mind. Next, the decision was to be made about the colour of the flowers. The white flowers would go best with the turquoise vase. For a moment, I visualised white lilies in a vase. Then thought about white roses with various hues of yellows and pinks in the petals. But white flowers would shine only on a dark background and I was not in a mood to paint dark background. Most of the roses I had recently painted were in tones of vermillion hue. So thought of using crimson lake with its varying hues, values and tints. The buds which I painted in the end fascinated me the most. Each one is placed at a different angle and is of different size. They serve as eye magnets to bring the attention to the central rose flower. Enjoyed the challenge of painting a sheer table cloth with few petals scattered around.

floral painting Love is in the air red rose oil painting by Navdeep Kular

The Magic of RYB

June 12, 2018February 27, 20191 Comment

RYB denotes the three phases of electric current that was learnt in college. Nature combines primary colours into millions of hues to enchant us. From engineering drawing to free brush strokes with oil paints on canvas, it has been a long and eventful journey. Enjoying every moment of it.

Love is in the Air

Red roses symbolise love. ‘Love is in the Air’ is an oil painting on canvas that depicts the intricacies of a loving relationship. The petals overlap and create a mystery. The nature’s beauty is captured by the formation of a heart at the centre of the flower.

Sunflowers 1

Sunflowers

Sun powers the universe. Sunflowers absorb this energy and exhibit the vibrancy of nature. ‘Sunflowers 1’ and ‘Sunflowers 2’ paintings are a salute to this mighty power of nature.


: Blue Iris