1. Tell us about your background and journey.
I was born in a small town called Pallahara, surrounded by bountiful nature, now district Angul, Odisha, to a middle-class family; my father was a businessman and mother was a homemaker (both passed away) and 5 siblings.
I discovered a strong inclination towards drawing at a very young age of 4 or 5. I started scribbling with charcoal from my mother's earthy oven (challah) moved gradually to chalk, pencil, sketch pen lines, to poster color, then fine-tuned into watercolor by early 20s and then eventually to oil and acrylic.
The passion to draw and paint has been with me all along and it continued to run alongside my journey through schools and colleges. Suddenly I found myself in a railway job in the early 90s away from Odisha, somewhere in Nagpur, small initial hiccups aside this passion to create has been with me thick and thin.
And there came a time when I found myself in a space where I could have the luxury of quitting my job and live the life I am living now, that of a professional artist and therefore painting and creating 24x7.
Following my heart and inspiring people, I have given a new definition to the term called Self Taught artist, earning a name and fame in the national and international art world; that too in multiple genres of art-making.
2. When did you decide that you wanted to be a Painter?
It was never a conscious decision. I never looked at this painting or drawing as a career or profession. Of course, this terminology and thoughts came.
Later when I decided to quit my Government job later, Painting was never an alternative option but the only option. It was my religion sort of the only reason for me being biswaal. I was meant to be an artist. God sent me to this earth to paint, to create from a 12-year-old to a 50-year-old.
I always looked at myself as an artist. I thought I had a perception about myself which might or might not have been shared by the outside world but I was so sure and so confident about what I saw in myself. I looked at myself as an artist, so I had no other choice in my life.
3. Is it a financially stable career?
Great question, it's subjective. But it is not a stable career if you are a new and upcoming artist. But once you have your name and fame and your own recognizable body of works that are original, then there is no career like an Artist's career.
Imagine how it’s to be a successful singer or a dancer who has the world eating out of their hands for singing and dancing. So yes if you are where I am now, you could answer this question with a yes. There can never be a collective answer to this question
4. Who is your favorite Painter and why?
So many artists to mention here, but I must say besides all the Renaissance artists and a few Russian artists, I have had some strong inspiration coming from our very own late R K Laxman, the legendary cartoonist, and maestro Ravi Verma.
Former provided me the skeleton while the latter helped me add flesh to my visions and narratives.
5. Where do you get inspired to create art?
Nature has always been my biggest inspiration, common countryside landscapes from Odisha to the temple architecture, villages dance forms and some of our Religio Cultural motifs have always fascinated me for a long time. My strong association with railways also had an influence on my art to a great extent.
In fact, I got maximum recognition as an artist with a distinctly recognizable style from my successful series on Indian railways, all my rail centric paintings titled "Wet Platform" have become legendary now. None other than Prime Minister himself is a big fan of my train arts at one point in time.
6. What kind of books do you prefer to read?
I read whatever comes my way, Fiction and Non- fiction from both Indian and Foreign Authors. Right now I am reading a biography of Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson.
7. What piece of advice would you like to give to the future aspirants?
Follow your passion. A successful artist's life is like a great movie with a slow boring start, with a very common boring beginning but with a great ending. Stick it out but be ready for the struggle initially. If you are not enjoying what you are doing or sketching then probably you are in the wrong genre.
If you are having fun and satisfaction from your work, Quality is bound to improve. There is no short cut to success, slog it out. It’s a great career for hardcore optimists but not for cynics and impatient souls.
- Bijay Biswaal
- Interviewed By: Pallavi Surana
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