Of Bonsais and Mandarins

After a six-month hiatus from drawing and painting (and ironically having been enrolled in a Fine Arts College all this time), I picked up the pencil and brush again today.

It was cold, grey and wet outside, hence by virtue of the weather, I was confined indoors, for the second day running. I had been eyeing that green bonsai I had "gleaned", together with 4 little cacti in pretty teacups, when they were found dumped unceremoniously by the side of the front door. They had sat there in a carton, forlorn for days, before I took a good look at them and realised how pretty and healthy they were. So I rescued them and propped them on my window sill. Everyone who had visited the apartment since, have commented on how nice they were and the lovely cups they were sitting in.

So I decided to paint the bonsai. The leaves were waxy green, firm and succulent. The little black pebbles covering the soil and the single large smooth pebble perched on one side of the pot, completed its zen-ness. The white pot with its light muddy splotches set the green off beautifully.

I spent perhaps an hour and a half and only managed to finish the background and the two mandarins, which need to be touched up. They look too muddy right now, thanks to my penchant of mixing colours. I have to make them a more radiant orange to give them justice. I will have to finish the painting this Saturday afternoon. It felt good to paint again and to see the colours bleed into each other on the wet paper.

Oh and I hope the bonsai and cacti survive my anti-green fingers.