This page chronicles my recent art journey. I like to experiment with different media like oil pastels, watercolors, gouache, acrylic, charcoal, color pencils, and brush pens. I have no formal training but a recent rediscovery of my love for art has inspired me to be creative.
Each image is accompanied by a synopsis of the idea behind the piece. I can already tell that having the execution match the intent is a lifelong learning process for any artist.
Note: Please do not re-use or reproduce without permission. Some of the images on this page could be considered suitable for viewing only by adults. By continuing to stay on this page, you confirm that you are an adult and that you acknowledge the possibility of viewing such content.
Harmony
5 March 2026
Oil pastels and pastel pencils on paper (7″x10″)
Water, silence, clean air … and an oven to bake bread. What more does a man need?
Oh dear, do I have thoughts about this one. The moment I saw this scene, I wanted to put it to paper. Doing it with oil pastels was certainly a choice but I think this medium brings out the lush, languid beauty of this scene well.
I did portions of the land features and then immediately followed up with their reflections. Partly so I could remember what colors to use!
Nature is wild, but there is a certain harmony to it. I could think of nothing else as I finished this piece and drew back to behold it.
Hold
14 February 2026
Gouache on canvas (8″x8″)
Is there anything more disarming than the fear of heartbreak in a woman’s eyes? It must require being a real piece of work to remain unaffected.
To me, for the longest time, the single most intimidating thing about paints was doing skin tones. First of all, mixing paints to create skin color is an exercise in experimentation and repetition. Being able to lighten and darken that mixture to showcase the dance of light and shadow on skin feels like nothing short of alchemical wizardry. These recent projects have given me some confidence in doing so.
The next aspect I would like to work on is expressions. People, women in particular, can say so much without moving their eyebrows or lips at all but nevertheless, I would now like to depict more expressive subjects.
Fleur-de-lis
3 February 2026
Charcoal on paper (5.8″x8.3″)
I do love a character with a bit of cheek.
Lightbringers
16 January 2026
Oil pastels on A4 sized paper (8.3″x11.7″)
Why draw 1 horse when I can draw 7?!
This piece was enjoyably challenging. It had repetition and variation while doing the horses, the dust cloud around their hooves was instructive in color blending, and the Sun itself was tricky. Tricky because while a white and yellow ball in the sky against a backdrop of lighter yellow and blue might suffice for a dawn scene, the early morning Sun in this one required its rays to be more visible. I realized I needed to stroke outwards with the Sun as the center point rather than blend the sky horizontally. Especially so since I was using oil pastels.
Control
6 January 2026
Oil pastels on paper (7″x10″)
One silver lining to modern warfare is that horses are now spared from being bred for and drafted into wars not their own.
For All To See
31 December 2025
Acrylics on canvas (8″x8″)
It disappointed me to observe that people, even after growing into adulthood (and beyond), still gossip about couples in love. The difference being that the innuendos become a bit more sophisticated.
There’s something almost primal about it. Younger me used to chalk this up to jealousy. Perhaps there is an element of that. I now like to think, however, that deep down everyone knows that the next best thing to experiencing true love is witnessing it.
Splash
26 December 2025
Color pencils on A5 size paper (5.8″x8.3″)
While what the Americans call football is the second most boring sport known to man, I suppose there are a few good things about the spectacle.
There’s always that one spot in a piece that causes trouble. No matter how many times it is redone, it either turns out the same as before or worse! Color pencils are quite forgiving though and I think were a perfect match for the idea behind this one.
Searching
12 December 2025
Oil pastels on paper (7″x10″)
It is said that Brahma, the Creator, manifested Saraswati – the Goddess of Knowledge, Art, and Music – through thought and was then so smitten by her beauty that he immediately married her. The story works well as a metaphor for how we can become attached to some (or all) of our creations. I often wonder how artists find the strength to part with their work.
Well, philosophy aside, doing eyes with oil pastels is no joke! But it is an immensely rewarding medium and is great, somewhat unexpectedly, for portraiture.
Umbra
8 December 2025
Charcoal on paper (5.8″x8.3″)
There’s something about charcoal, and really all black and white photography, that strips a subject of all extraneous detail and just lets the viewer focus on the core of the piece.
It’s like the acoustic guitar of the art world.
Spica
6 November 2025
Brush pen on paper (4″x6″)
It is said that Spica is the horn of the Azure Dragon, Qinglong. This star is also associated with Tvashtar, the celestial architect and the deity of Chitra Nakshatra.
I’ve been using brush pens all this time to fill in color on these small pieces but this one made me realize that they’re probably best used for outlines or line art. Because I filled in the dark blue sky first, I was then forced to fill in grey for the clouds to balance the piece.