Prince of Birds

I was having a look through my artwork on flickr and I noticed that I have quite a few paintings of peacocks I've done over the years. Peacocks are such gorgeous birds. They're colourful, graceful, and exotic. But there's a special quality about them that separates them from other colourful exotic birds (like macaws and flamingos). I've been trying to pinpoint what it is and I think I found it: they're luxurious! Peacocks are associated with wealth, luxury, and beauty. That's why I like to call them the prince of birds.


Why the prince? Because princes have more fun! They don't have to worry about the responsibilities of ruling a kingdom (they leave that to their brother, the eagle), but they get all the perks of being royalty. Peacocks are often seen lounging around the palaces of India. With their beautiful iridescent feathers and vibrant colours, it's easy to become attracted to them.

Here's a small painting I did of a peacock in the shape of a paisley, mixing my favourite bird with my favourite design. The peacock combined with the paisley shape indicates all the beauty and richness of India. By the way, in case you didn't know, the peacock is the national bird of India.



Another reason for the peacock being so special is that he is associated with Krishna. Lord Krishna wears a peacock feather on His head, and is often depicted with peacocks nearby. In many paintings of Vrindavan you see peacocks dancing around. Sometimes Krishna Himself dresses like a peacock and dances around, imitating their movements. For someone who has grown up in India and worshiped Krishna all her life, I can't help but think of Krishna whenever I see a peacock.

Here's my most recent one. Acrylic on canvas.

Prince of Birds

Here's to Being Spontaneous!

So, after months of being away I've finally been able to paint again, so here's something I threw together. Basically, I tried my hand at something more abstract (I think I had some Pollock on my mind) and this came out.

Bathing Elephant Calf

Acrylic on canvas. The background is a mixture of pthalo blue, ultramarine, cobalt blue, and cerulean blue, with a hint of black. I wanted to get a dark velvety look for the base, and then i splattered it with gold paint. Over that is just a few simple brushstrokes to indicate the elephant. I chose this electric blue simply because, well, I love blue! The squirting water effect was achieved by putting a drip of very watery paint and then blowing so it spreads out (thank you Sanatan for your help with that). Very skilled technique, I know. A few more blue splatters, a bit of white for the eye, and voila! A fun painting completed :D

Enjoy.