"Beauty of Reflections" by Indian artist Manisha Vedpathak

The beauty of Reflections. 

"The beauty you see in me is the reflection of you"

-RUMI

Beauty of Reflctions I

12"x12"

acrylic on canvas

Beauty of Reflctions II

12"x12"

acrylic on canvas

Abstracts by Indian artist Manisha Vedpathak

6 more new stretched canvases have arrived for my Reflection series. Have taken a break before I start with them. One more in this series is ready but I am not posting it as I have to do a little finishing touches. Have taken a break from it and did these two pieces. Didn't have any preconceived idea . Went on poring color and adding shapes, colors , forms and texture. And the outcome is here. Haven't given any title yet.

Floral Abstract....by Indian artist Manisha Vedpathak

Sometimes I feel an urge to paint with my fingers. Especially when I come across some of my old finger paintings. Today I was going through some of my small old paintings as I wish to participate in the Art week festival that will be held in my city, Pune. So I came across this flower vase...

I then planned to do new floral abstracts. Flowers have so magnificent colors. They are the colorful beauty of nature. I loved how my fingers danced on the canvas and how the colors have mingled with each other. I finished two and thoroughly enjoyed doing it. It was so stress free. I had been doing the reflection series which has these small dots or points which is very intricate and I needed time to restore , heal and start again. So these two pieces were like rejuvenation for me. I feel so fresh looking at them and I am sure my viewers will also feel the same.

"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"

Reworked painting....by Manisha Vedpathak

An old painting, " Window to the soul" reworked. Sometimes when you go through your old paintings you feel like adding or substracting some elements  in it.

Acrylic on canvas, Acrylic on canvas, 12.6"x32.28"

A close up . Love the texture that is seen.

"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

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

Experimenting with portraits part4....by Manisha Vedpathak

Since previous portraits were done in Black and white , 

this time had decided to add more colors . 

My all time favourite circles....an abstract by Manisha Vedpathak

I have noticed that with my subconcious mind ,whenever I start 

an abstract after a long gap I start with circles. These are my all time 

favourite. And usually I am happy with the painting having circles in it.

So here is a reworked piece.  It is diptych,textured painting.30x60cms

"Circle story II"

Acrylic on canvas, a diptych 30x60 cms each

Available. If interested contact me here:

manishavedpathak@gmail.com

"Motherhood....The strength of women" ..... by Manisha Vedpathak

One more painting along with "Fly high" that will be going for my upcoming group
 show in Mumbai at DDNeroy Gallery which will be held on 8th March on the
occasion of  Women's day. The purest love in the world is  mother's love.
I believe that the greatest strength of women is Motherhood. I am blessed with
two beautiful daughters.

"Motherhood...The strength of women"

Acrylic on canvas, 20"x20"

Available

To purchase contact: manishavedpathak@gmail.com

Goa Exhibition....by Manisha Vedpathak

A group exhibition of paintings sculptors curated by Prabuddha Ghosh and 

organized by Ajay Jadhav and Harish Kulkarni (Art Insight Medium), took place 

at Kala Academy ,Goa from 20th Dec'2016 to 1st Jan'2017

My paintings on African theme were at display in this exhibition.

Unfortunately I could not attend the exhibition.

Here are some pics of my paintings on display:

"Bappa Moraya....2016- Ganapati Paintings"........e group exhibition by Manisha Vedpathak

Recently participated in the Lord Ganesh paintings group exhibition.

Here are some photos from the exhibition:

With the chief guest , Mr Gajaraj Chavan

With Mr Gajaraj Chavan and the curator ,Mr Ramesh Thorat

With fellow artists...

"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

"Chase me"....An acrylic painting by Manisha Vedpathak

"Chase me"

Acrylic on canvas,24"x34"

Available, fresh off the easel

Contact:

manishavedpathak@gmail.com

I have started loving to paint portraits which is a challenge I have accepted. Just like the  playful smile on the kid's face  I am liking  to use my fingers instead of brush. I do use brush  when it comes to minute details like eyes. The loose, undisciplined strokes on canvas with a splash of contrast color here and there, appeals to me .

"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.

"Akua'ba".....an acrylic painting by Manisha Vedpathak

African symbols are very intriguing, their Ancestors made
symbols out of everything. Fertility Doll is one of the oldest
symbol which is also known as "Akua'ba"(pl. Akua'maa).

. The round, flat disc heads, columnar body with outstretched arms

 and smooth, black surface convey the Asante (or Ashanti) ideal of beauty.
In Ghana ,fertility dolls represent youth and fertility. These dolls are
carved in wood and are believed to induce pregnancy. Fertility dolls are
famous and special for the reason behind its creation.

It is one of the most familiar stories in African culture. At some time in the 
past, there was a young Asante woman called "Akua"( wednesday born)
who was having trouble in conceiving a child("ba"). So she was adviced
by a priest to commission a wood carving of a child. She was instructed 
to treat carving just like a living being. She was to carry the carving 
on her back as all the children are carried , tucked into the wrapper 
,with only the head appearing above the cloth and look after the carving
just like any child is been looked after. So Akua did just as she was told
but people teased her pointing at her carving. But eventually Akua got pregnant
and gave birth to a beautiful healthy girl and her success encouraged others
suffering from infertility to follow her path and thus the carvings came to be
 known after her name Akua'ba(Akua's child).

 And so the title of my painting is "Akua'ba". There are a few fertility dolls
in my painting and the images of mother carrying the child on her back
(these images which I am very fascinated about) , and thus came the abstract and 
very interesting juxtaposition of these images and various geo shapes .

Hope you all enjoy the painting!
 

 

"Akua'ba"

Acrylic on canvas,27"X50"

Available

"Supremacy"....Contemporary figurative painting by Manisha Vedpathak

I totally enjoyed this painting. Right from the composition 

to the color combination to the finishing touches.

Two male and female figures from Royal family are portrayed 

in an abstract style.Male figure with large gold bead necklace and
golden band on the forehead, is the tribal chief. I always 

love the way the African ladies wear their headgear. You will find 

them in several of my paintings. There are the Adinkra symbols
that are related to Royalty.
The circle in the center is called "Adinkrahene", which is
chief of all Adinkra symbols and symbolizes greatness, leadership.
The symbol "Gye Nyame" which is showed halfway in a rectangular
 shape shows the supremacy of God, that no one is above God.

In the upper right corner below the circle in green color is the design
 of "Kente" cloth. Kente cloth is woven in bright, narrow strips with
 complex patterns; it's usually made from cotton and is always 
woven outdoors, exclusively by men.Kente cloth is a festive cloth
and is traditionally worn during the festivals and the religious occasions.

Upper right and left corners are the umbrellas. During the festivals ,
tribal chiefs and Queen mothers are shaded with these traditional umbrellas.
These all are combined with some geometrical shapes used in textile designs.

There is a lot to see in this painting .Hope you  enjoy this painting as much as I enjoyed.

"Supremacy"
Acrylic on canvas, 27.5"X50"