Kenistudio

There is a quiet, almost sacred stillness in a forest blanketed by heavy fog. In this study (10" x 14", oil on primed paper), my main intent was to capture that serene, cool atmosphere where light barely breaks through the dense canopy above. ​Building Atmospheric Depth To convey the feeling of stepping deeper into the woods, I focused heavily on value transitions and temperature shifts. The distant trees are rendered in pale, desaturated blue-greys, almost dissolving into the cool haze. As the eye moves into the middle ground and foreground, the values deepen into dark, sculptural silhouettes, creating a dramatic sense of spatial illusion and recession. ​The Forest Floor Below the ghostly veil of mist, the damp earth comes alive. I wanted the forest floor to feel rich and tactile, like damp earth, scattered fallen leaves, and vibrant patches of moss crawling up the mossy bark of the foreground trunks. The contrast between the warm ochres and earthy tones on the ground agains...

 Before and After Glazing – An Old Master's Secret One of the most fascinating stages of an oil painting is glazing. These two images show the painting before and after several transparent glaze layers. At first glance, the difference may seem subtle, but glazing transforms a painting in ways that are difficult to achieve by simply mixing colours opaquely. The technique has a long and distinguished history. During the Renaissance, many of the great masters built their paintings in stages, allowing each layer to dry before applying thin, transparent films of colour over the surface. Artists such as Jan van Eyck, Titian, and later Rembrandt used glazing to create extraordinary depth, luminosity, and richness that became hallmarks of classical oil painting. The science behind it is just as fascinating as the history. Opaque paint reflects most of the light directly from its surface. Transparent pigments behave differently. Light passes through the transparent glaze, reflects from the ...

Kurma Avatara - The Grand Reveal: Kurma Avatar and the Foundation of the Dashavatara Series Over the past few posts, I've shared the story of Kurma avatara and the ideas that gradually shaped this painting. Today, I'm delighted to finally share the completed work. With this series, my aim is not simply to illustrate stories from the Puranas. My challenge as an artist is to transform scripture into composition. Today, I am absolutely thrilled to present the foundational piece of my Dashavatara series and my very first painting. Bringing the Cosmic Churning to Life ​This painting represents a massive milestone for me. Measuring 21" X 28", it serves as the visual anchor for everything to come in this series. ​In the artwork, you can see Kurma Avatar submerged in the churning, deep-blue waters, his expression resolute as he carries the immense weight of Mount Mandara. The texture of his shell and the sharp details of his gaze are contrasted by the churning white sea foam...

Bringing the Ocean Indoors (A Large-Scale Seascape) There is something incredibly thrilling about working on a massive canvas. A few years ago, a relative approached me with an exciting challenge: she needed a large, statement-piece seascape to fill a huge, empty wall in her living room. She had a specific reference photo in mind that she absolutely loved, and she wanted me to recreate that scene on a grand scale to completely transform the energy of her home. The Challenge of Reference vs. Artistic Voice When a client or family member hands you an exact reference photo, the job of the artist becomes a delicate balancing act. You want to honor exactly what they envision, but you also want to avoid making a cold, mechanical copy. You have to breathe life into it. For this massive painting, I focused heavily on the energy of the water. The Drama of the Waves Look at the massive, crashing swell in the center. I used sweeping, energetic brushwork to capture the churn of white s...