Some more Ink drawings.....by Indian artist Manisha Vedpathak

 

"Lock down photography" by Indian artist Manisha Vedpathak

The beauty is in everything and is always there day in day out right there in front of you , even in your kitchen. I have always been fascinated by the flow of water and the reflections in it.Have tried to capture the fleeting moments of my time at my kitchen platform.

Floral Abstract...by Indian artist Manisha Vedpathak

Have started a new work in Reflection series. Meanwhile completed a floral abstract with my dancing fingers.

"Dancing fingers"

Acrylic on canvas, 24"x34"

Painting taking shape....an abstract by Manisha Vedpathak

Take time to stop today
Take time to stop a while
Reflect on how life changes
Then take the time to smile......

The next one in the reflection series is taking shape slowly.

"Lyrical", an abstract by Manisha Vedpathak

 Came across this painting while I was going through my old 

sold paintings. Felt inspired to do something in that style again

 and came up with this painting. May do some more in this 

style with different color combination.

Here is the old one ,followed by  the new one...

"Lyrical", acrylic on canvas, 35"x35"

"Within", an abstract by Manisha Vedpathak

"Within", acrylic on canvas, 34"x32"

A reworked piece. I have a habit of going over my old paintings.

And then sometimes I get an urge to do some changes in the painting.

I don't know if it is a good or a bad habit but have always liked the outcome. 

Do let me know how is the outcome of this painting. Since the meaning 

of the painting changes I changed the title from Blaze to Within.

Here is the original.

An abstract by Manisha Vedpathak

16"x35"

Acrylic on canvas,

Availablea

"Kathputli"......an abstract by Manisha Vedpathak

I have always heard people saying  that we are puppets in the hands of destiny.

Destiny or fate? Both walk hand in hand. I believe that destiny can be shaped. It is a matter of choice. It gives us freedom of choice to pick what is right and what is wrong.You need to have a closer look in your inner self.  In my case , relocating to India was in my destiny as we had choices but we chose to move back. But fate is something that is out of our control. Just for an example , our birth....where we are born ,which country we are born etc, is out of our control. Here we are merely puppets in the hands of a puppeteer. 

Since I heard this phrase from many people around me , I decided to put this on my canvas.( When it comes to writing I am not a creative person at all) . 

So here is the finished painting. The hand with the strings dangling, the mask being the symbol of all humankind who are puppets. I have tried to paint this in sync with the previous painting and so the same color combination. "Kathputli" is Hindi name for puppet. My next painting will also have the same colors and the theme will be time....getting hold of time.

"Kathputli"

Acrylic on canvas, 80x80 cms

Available: contact

manishavedpathak@gmail.com

"Anonymity".....an abstract by Manisha Vedpathak

My painting is finally complete with the masks added, giving life to the painting.

"Anonymity"
Acrylic on canvas, 80x80 cms
Available
contact : manishavedpathak@gmail.com

We all wear mask. Perfection masks, superiority masks, intellectual masks, 

social masks of coolness, aloofness,strength etc . We try to hide ourselves behind these masks. We get so much habituated  of wearing masks in front of others that we finally loose our identity. Bearing these may or may not be a conscious decision . The reason might be social conventions ,fear etc.It is very important for a person to know the real  human being he/she is. Whilst masks harm us by stopping us to lead a natural way in life's stream , they also protect us from being emotionally wounded by others. I believe they should be  worn temporarily. We need to acquire the skill of timely dropping and putting  these masks. Absence of masks lead to difficulty in handling reality. So we need to look into our inner self to know how to cope up with this . 

My painting connects with the viewer by asking several questions like, "What is real and what is unreal?", " Which mask do you wear?", "Given a chance which mask will you drop?" ....Sometimes the mind is doubtful and sometimes it is clear. The color combination used here depict these emotions.  

"Abundance".....an abstract by Manisha Vedpathak

All my life I have believed the Law of Physics that opposites attract opposites,

but according to the Law of Attraction, "Likes attract Likes". I have been posting
my painting in progress on this theme. I am finally done with it. 

The entire concept of Law of Attraction is based on like attracts like. There is a lot 

of information on LOA(Law of attraction). There are people coaching LOA, 

courses teaching you how to practice this Law and various articles explaining it. 

So I won't go into details explaining the Law as one post is not enough to write about LOA.

The Law of Attraction states that whatever you think of consistently, gets created. Your

 thoughts are powerful magnets and you willget what you consistently think about 

whether you want it or not.  So start intentionally thinking about what you would 

like in your life- such as money, love, relationships, health, spirituality-for the LOA

 to work for you. 

 There are various ways of practicing this Law. There are leaders who can coach you 

through it. While browsing through all this information on the internet, I came across

              something called a Vision Board. Vision boards have become a really popular exercise

for figuring out exactly what you want in your life. These boards contain images

 and words that resonate with what you want to attract your way. Secondly, the i

mages serve as a great reminder of your desires. Each day, you can look at the

 board and remind yourself of what you’re trying to attract. 

Financial abundance is the number onereason people become interested in the 

Law of Attraction. So my paintingis a sort of a vision board for people who 

want to attract prosperity. It comprises of money and the material things that 

money can buy (like property, car etc), freedom, luck and relationships. 

Hang this painting in such a place that you can see this everyday. Take out

time everyday to review the visualization exercises and prep your mind 

and body to receive this incredible gift.

They say that "Gratitude will shift you to a higher frequency and you will

 attract much better things".Creating this piece of work was a gratifying experience

 for me and I am very satisfied with the outcome. If you are interested in this piece

 of artwork or want to commission one, contact me here:

 manishavedpathak@gmail.com.

An abstract by Manisha Vedpathak

A new abstract painting , a big one after a long time.

Painting of circles , sacred circles, circles of life.

My circle story.... entangled circles depict life circles. There are layers upon
layers ,texture...Though texture is not seen in the photo very clearly.

The rectangles in red and green depict the paths in our life.

 Sometimes  we have one or more paths going in the same direction and

 its our skill to choose the right one. Arrows show that 

sometimes we are fortunate to have direct direction in life , where we have to lead.

My elder daughter, Janhavi, likes creative  writing. I asked her if she

 could write a few lines for this painting. And this is what she handed me....

" They say life is a cycle, you are going to end up where you came from. 

These cycles are often entangled. There are directions, the first 

which is inevitable, the second which we choose. The first is

 human development which starts from infancy to old age. 

The second is the direction which build us as people. This direction

 is full of paths we choose that moulds us. Surely, a person

 choosing to be an actress will mould herself differently than 

someone who plans to be a writer.We will see an ocean of paths,

 but the skill lies in choosing which suits and shapes your life the best".

Do write me if you liked this writeup or if you have some other 

perspective of my painting. Couldn't find a good title so decided
to post it any way till I find one. Would appreciate if my readers
could suggest one.

Untitled, acrylic on canvas
32"x32"
Available. Contact: manishavedpathak@gmail.com

"Less is more"....an abstract painting by Indian artist Manisha Vedpathak

With the current condition in India, people are managing with very 

less cash in hand, by surviving with fewer needs. There is a cash

 crunch everywhere. I started this painting on the day the government

 declared that 500 and 1000 currency notes will be banned in an 

effort to curb black money, causing a stir in the country. 

People have left with only 100 Rs and below and cannot withdraw

 a bigger amount from ATM as well as from the banks. 

 Now I won't  go into details of the political scenario but my painting reflects what 

people are learning from this situation. LESS IS MORE. This is represented

 by the simplicity of the painting. I have just filled up the shapes with

 different shades of red and yellow and I loved it. 

"Less is more"

Acrylic on canvas, 12"x 35"

Thank you for reading my blog.

"Circle Story"....acrylic on canvas by Manisha Vedpathak

"Circle Story"

Acrylic on canvas, 24"x32"

I  enjoyed working this painting with palette kinfe.

I first painted the circles and I stopped, thinking that I have finished

the painting. The same day while going through my photographs 

I came across a picture of this crow who happened to land in our

balcony . There was some food stuck in his beak and was trying 

to find a way to remove it. That was the time I clicked him.

Now when I saw this pic , I could not resist myself  painting this crow

on my circles and I really loved it. it has brought life to my painting.

What do you think?

"Windows to the soul".......an abstract by Manisha Vedpathak

A new painting. Totally enjoyed creating this piece especially

the eyes. I do believe that ours eyes are windows to our soul.

Hope you enjoy this painting. 

"Windows to the soul"

Acrylic on canvas, 12.6"x32.28"

Available

For more information contact

manishavedpathak@gmail.com

"Spread your wings".....An abstract by Manisha Vedpathak

Fresh from the easel.

"Spread your wings"

Acrylic on canvas,50x50 cms

Available

For information contact:

manishavedpathak@gmail.com

"Flow", abstract painting by Manisha Vedpathak

Every painting has a life, has a story to tell. I came across something called " notion of flow".
This is a state of heightened focus and immersion in activities like art, play and work. Well...in my case it is art.
Exact feelings I had when I started this painting. I got so immersed in painting. I was positively energized. There are times when I paint crazily for 2 hours and then sit back and do the finishing touches the next day. And then there are times when I want to be calm and quite and take 4/5 days to complete a painting , sometimes a week. I was in a state of flow when I began this painting. Yesterday evening I started and finished in two hours with some touch ups done here and there this morning. I have used color flow as well as my fingers to paint. Thoroughly enjoyed. Had ultimate experience of satisfaction.

"Flow", acrylic on canvas,29.9x29.9in

"Simplicity"...an abstract by Manisha Vedpathak

The last painting I did was somewhere in the end of September.

After that  I got  busy with the exhibition and then the Diwali

festival. The canvases I ordered arrived two weeks back, since

then I had a strong urge of painting but could not find lone time 

to paint. I prefer to be alone with only my music, when I paint.

Finally yesterday, determined to finish the painting in one day,

started with a brush, a  sponge and my color palette, without any

preconceived idea and here is the outcome. Though this is very 

much out of my style ,loved the simplicity the painting shows.
The painting is signed on the back so as to enable the painting to
be oriented in any way depending on what best fits the wall.

"Simplicity"

Acrylic on canvas,24"x34"

Available

Yet another "Gye Nyame"....by Manisha Vedpathak

Yet another painting of Gye Nyame, the Adinkra symbol.

I have never mentioned in my earlier posts about the hostory of 

these symbols apart from their  origin. Here is the history of these symbols:

 The Adinkra symbols  were originated  in Gyaman of Cote d'Ivoire
and Akan tribe of Ghana. According to an Asante (a tribe in Ghana)
legend, Adinkra was the name of a king of the Gyaman.
Adinkra was defeated and captured in a battle by the Asantes
 for having copied the “Golden Stool” (the symbol of the Asante nation). 

He was finally killed and his territory annexed to the kingdom of 

Asante.  His adinkra robe was taken as a trophy( a patterned

 cloth, which was interpreted as a way of expressing his sorrow 

on being taken  to the capital of Asante).The Asante people

 around the 19th century then took to painting of traditional 

symbols of the Gyamans onto cloth.

 Adinkra means goodbye. Originally, the cloth was worn only by the

 royalty and spiritual leaders for mourning during funeral services.

 It can now be worn by anyone for any occasion. The symbols and their 

meanings are still used to convey a message. Approximately four hundred 

such symbols are known in Ghana. 

"Gye Nyame"

Acrylic on canvas,15.7"x15.7"

Available
To purchase or for more information regarding any of my paintings,contact me : manishavedpathak@gmail.com

"Mediators"...Acrylic painting by Manisha Vedpathak

African masks are considered amongst the finest creations in the

 art  world and are highly sought after by art collectors. There is a 

 huge variety of mask types found in Africa which makes classifying

them a difficult task. Face masks are the most common mask type.

 They are used throughout Africa. The artists who create mask

are given a special status. They use various materials, included are

leather, metal, fabric and various types of wood.

One of the main characteristics of culture of African peoples

 is use of masks in rituals and ceremonies. These masks often

represent a spirit and it is strongly believed  that the spirit of the

 ancestors possesses the wearer. Some masks are used as Icons

 of power to ward off evil spirits and some are used to celebrate

 and thank the ancestors during crop harvesting. Though

over the last few decades there has been a sharp decline in masking rituals.

"Mediators"

Acrylic on canvas, 29.9"x29.9"

Available, If interested contact

 manishavedpathak@gmail.com

In my painting ,I have juxtaposed these mask drawings in a complex

 composition and warm color tones which depicts the warmness

of the African continent. Since many African societies see masks

 as mediators between the living world and the supernatural world

 of the dead, or their ancestors, I have titled the painting "Mediators".

You will notice the lines on the faces in the painting. These are 

 the tribal marks and are passed down from family to family. These

 are used mainly to differentiate the ethnic groups. Along with the

ethnic identification these are also associated with the spiritual

or religious practices.

"Breaking through the silence".....an acrylic painting by Manisha Vedpathak

"Breaking through the silence"

Acrylic on canvas, 24"x36"

Finally completed the painting. Painting is of musicians from Ghana ,

 in their traditional attire  .

Music has always played a huge part of Ghanaian society.In fact music 

and dance is an integral part of everyday tribal  life and is seen as a way 

of preserving tribal identity.

Ghana has varied style of traditional music due to large variety  of ethnic groups

 across the country. Typically this music is played at  traditional ceremonies 

such as installation of Chiefs, annual traditional  festivals, funerals, and in 

performances at various ceremonies.

The popular musical instruments include a variety of leather,wood, gourd, 

beads and string instruments. In my painting have included Djembe(drum),

 xylophone, talking drum and flute.

Djembe ( as you can see in left bottom) is a goblet drum and is played with 

drummer's bare hands. The drum's purpose and the meaning of it's name are

 to 'gather everyone in peace' .

"Talking drum"  is a white circle with a stick on it,  in the top portion of the 

painting. This is an hourglass shaped oldest instrument used by West Africans. 

The pitch of this instrument is regulated to mimic the tone of human speech,

 hence called "Talking drum".

Xylophone is a modern instrument which is just like a regular xylophone.

 These are  wooden bars on instrument and mallets are used to produce music.

The one unifying aspect of all different types of music is a strong dancing beat.

 Any African music is guaranteed to fulfill the purpose of dance beats. Hence my

 one more painting in this series will be of African dancers.