White Sands: Mombasa

     It was a fantastic trip friends. One week extended to nearly two! But I managed to achieve what I had intended to. Saw the great migration of the Wildebeest in the Masai Mara game reserve of Kenya. It was an amazing spectacle: the battle between the Wildebeest and the Crocodiles. I would love to share a video that I managed to capture with you all. Click on this link: An amazing Fight. The trip was really inspiring but could not get much time to paint while at the reserve. But I did manage to do something at Mombasa, a port town of Kenya.

     The sand on the beaches of Mombasa is pure white and the water - a glorious blue. The color of the water changes with the sunlight and time of the day. The waves do not reach the beach but break in the distance at a coral reef. So the color of the water gradually changes from blue to green to white. Amazing is the word. Managed to find time to finish these two quick works. The top one has been done in soft pastels and the bottom one in water colors. Hope you like them and get inspired to visit this part of the world. Believe me the phrase 'The dark continent' is a misnomer and totally untrue!!!

The Great Migration

     The Great Migration of the Wildebeest from the Serengetti National Park of Tanzania to the Masai Mara of Kenya began earlier than expected this year.  Thousands of these animals will be migrating in search of greener pastures. With them come the predators...Lions, Cheetahs, Crocodiles of the Mara river. Party time for all of them! Thousands of wild life enthusiasts land up in the region to see this wonder of mother nature. Amongst them is going to be...your's truly!!! Am leaving for the Masai Mara tomorrow to spend some time in the wilderness. Might as well do it now because the way things are moving, this amazing feat of nature might not last long. Mankind has been trying to destroy nature in every form... the construction of The Serengetti Highway is one of them. Please log on to http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/STOP-THE-SERENGETI-HIGHWAY/125601617471610 and contribute to the voices of reason. Thanks and take care. Will be back with more after about a week.

Good Morning Nile - 2

     The Nile, as I have mentioned earlier, has many interesting facets. At places it has ferocious rapids and at places it can be very calm. In Jinja (Uganda) it's banks are mostly covered with thick vegetation. Both sunrise and sunset are beautiful, if you have the time to wait and watch. I have already explored a sunrise scene earlier on this blog. This is a follow up of the same sunrise some time later though at a different spot. The mist clearing up, calm waters disappearing into infinity, the sun rising, its light playing tricks with the leaves of the thick vegetation...it was a breathtaking scene. I was more or less satisfied with the results. What do you think?

The Lions of Rwindi

     Got a chance to visit the Virunga National Park on the Congo Uganda border. Was hosted by some friends at a small place called Rwindi earlier famous for a lovely forest resort (now in ruins). Could not go empty handed. What better gift than a small watercolor of a Lion......Rwindi is famous for its ferocious lions. These lions are not used to humans like in many parks of the world. I think it was a good omen. We were rewarded by a nocturnal visit by four lionesses. We were surrounded by more than 300 shivering antelopes and the predators at some distance. It was so surprising, the normally shy antelopes, knew very well that as long as they stayed close to humans the lions will not dare attack...and they were correct. After a 45 minutes stand off the lionesses left. Survival of the smartest!!!

Tranquility

     The ocean can be a very exciting subject when in an agitated state. Crashing waves and surf have been painted very often. However I came across a picture of calm waters that caught my eye. The water was forming such interesting patterns that I could not resist the temptation to paint it. However there is a gap between the cup and the lip......I faltered many times during the painting. Gave up entirely a few times..... but then something forced me to continue every time. Had started with acrylics. Somewhere down the line switched over to oils. Had no intentions, but ultimately finished it in a semi abstract style. However the most important thing is that it is finally over.......!!!!

Good Morning Nile

     Around Jinja, the course of the Nile is really interesting. At places it is calm and quiet and at places it narrows down, gains current and makes some really ferocious rapids. The character of the river changes with the time of the day also. Had a chance to walk on its bank early in the morning. This spot caught my eye. The calm waters were suddenly gathering speed. The rocks were forcing the water to make some interesting patterns. The morning mist over the calm waters in the background was making everything fade away. Overall it was an interesting picture. Do let me know if you feel I have been successful in capturing the scene in this watercolor.

Heart in Mouth

     Ever tried white water rafting ? That too in the Nile! Let me assure you it is a fantastic experience. The most exciting part is when you hit the rapids. Exciting - of the 'Heart in Mouth' kind!!! At this point the raft is mostly out of control. You are hoping like hell that it does not overturn. To tell you frankly it is a relief when the rapid ends.  This pic was clicked by the life guard who was ahead of us and attracted my attention. To tell you frankly again, through-out the painting process this one was mostly out of control with my heart in my mouth. I tried every trick in the trade- sponging, masking, plastic wrap, splashing, spattering...to capture the white waters in action. When I finished, it was actually a big relief. But believe me both the rafting and the painting were fun!