Varaha - Dashavatara series

The Cosmic Boar: Unveiling Varaha from the Dashavatara Series


An oil on canvas painting of Varaha avatar with a prominent tusk and a realistic, piercing blue eye, set against a vibrant, swirling blue and magenta cosmic galaxy background.



The Dashavatara series continues, and this time, we are diving deep into the cosmic ocean with Varaha, the mighty third avatar of Lord Vishnu. When conceptualizing this piece, I wanted to capture more than just the traditional imagery of the boar rescuing the earth. I wanted to convey the immense, universe-spanning scale of the Lord Himself.


​In the final piece, Varaha’s profile anchors the canvas. I focused heavily on the rugged, earth-toned texture of the skin and the sharp, imposing sweep of the tusk. The true focal point, however, is the eye which is strikingly human, serene yet deeply intense. It gazes out against the chaotic beauty of a swirling, blue and purple vortex. 

​Behind the Brush: From Sketch to Cosmos


​Building this piece required careful layering to achieve the necessary depth. I’ve included some process photos below so you can see how the background galaxy evolved from flat, structural color blocks into the glowing, starry nebula it is now. Capturing the rough, grounded texture of Varaha against that smooth, ethereal backdrop was a fantastic exercise in artistic contrast.

In-progress studio shots of the Varaha painting of oil on canvas, showing the evolution from early underpainting to the detailed rendering and glazing.


​The Magic of the Final Glaze

​To truly make those deep cosmic blues and earthy shadows pop, I relied on glazing. If you’ve ever wondered how colors in a painting achieve a luminous, glass-like quality, it’s all in these translucent final layers. Check out the timelapse video below to watch the final glazing process in action. You can see exactly how the thin layers of pigment deepen the shadows around the eye and tusk, instantly pulling the composition together and bringing the avatar to life.



Timelapse video


​In this video, I take you through the final stages of bringing this piece to life. We start with a quick look at the structural underpainting pass, establishing the core shapes of Varaha's profile and the cosmic vortex background. From there, the vast majority of the video focuses on glazing and refining and also layering translucent oil glazes to deepen the shadows, build rich skin textures, and give the blue and purple galaxy background a luminous glow. Finally, stick around until the end to see the finishing touch: applying the final signature!

Key Highlights in This Video:


​Brief overview of the initial structural pass and composition setup

​Step-by-step translucent glazing techniques for depth and vibrancy

​Refining fine details on the tusk, eye, and cosmic background

​Adding the final artist signature. 

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