La mer à Manori

Oil on canvas with palette knives

6 x 10 "

It was a lovely Sunday when we set out to paint in Manori, which is a small beach about an hour's drive away from Mumbai.

I'd gone painting en plein air after ages and it was the first time I painted in the afternoon. After checking into a lovely resort for lunch, I decided to set up my easel in the backyard, overlooking the sea. I chose this spot with the three boats, which were bobbing up and down. It was a lovely experience as there was a cool breeze amidst the many coconut trees there, which gave me the right blend of sun and shade for the painting. As I was about to spread out my paints, I realised that I'd forgotten to carry my palette and went running into the kitchen to ask for something to paint with. After much begging and pleading the manager was kind enough to lend me a broken plate, which I grabbed with lot of gratitude! 

This scene took me about two odd hours to paint, with some curious onlookers, who thought I was crazy to spend time painting instead of lazing on a hammock! The only challenge was the bobbing boats which moved everytime I looked up from my canvas. I came back home and touched up the canvas a bit and this is what I have!

Manori is a beautiful getaway from Mumbai , which takes you into a Goa like setting of a small village with beautiful cottages. It is the first time I painted the sea and it was a good move from the lake scenes that I usually did!