I treat my art as purely an outlet for my emotions, time and creativity. I, fortunately, do not see it on the lines of financial gain or business. However, it is definitely a lucrative career for many a talented artist and is recognized as such is the first step towards building it as a full-time thing.
I simply want to reach out to as many people as I can, resonate with their lives and know that many have loved my work enough to express the desire to own them and put them up in their homes.
Tell us more about your background and journey.
I was born in Singapore, spent 2 years in Aden before settling down and growing up in Kenya. My childhood and formative years were a riot of global exposures, sports and academic based rainbows and an amalgamation of cultures, languages and religions that influenced me. I carry those experiences proudly with me even today.
The move to India for my degree in Architectural Apprenticeship and Interior Design along with a second degree in IT and Management ended up with me being married in India and that too in a very small town called Ambala. 35 yrs ago it was practically non-existent in every way and a typical hinterland township with stereotypical thought processes and was a land forgotten by the world except for its military history.
It was a major culture shock for me back then. These years, from coming from Kenya with a particularly open mindset and upbringing, to gingerly treading and overcoming all types of obstacles and regressive traditional ideologies during the following years is basically the inspiration behind a lot of my artwork…you can see the story of most girls back then and even now in my paintings.
When did you decide you wanted to be a painter?
First of all, let me clarify that I am not an artist born. I am fairly blessed to have a good hand and eye, which was something I discovered during my school days when my Geography or Biology diagrams used to be precise and attractive. Or beyond helping my children later on in life with their projects, I have never
really painted at all.
My tryst with art began 5 yrs ago when my daughter decided enough was enough…I had to do something for myself, something constructive and personal now that I was free from most domestic obligations that held me back from pursuing a career or hobby. The parents were gone, the children were grown up and independent and a system was put in place at home.
She concurred with my boys and they decided to buy every conceivable art supply they could think of and gift it to me for my birthday. It was a very pleasant shock for me to be told “Don’t make any more excuses now and get down to business”!
I think it was the overwhelming amount of expensive material decorating my room and the sheer guilt of knowing the lengths at which they must have gone to procure all these materials that pushed me to give in and pick up a brush.
I am told, however, 3 yrs down the line that it was a very worrying discussion they had with each other…something on the lines of “ Didi, I think we have wasted our money” after seeing the first ‘masterpiece’ I churned out!
Is it a financially stable career?
I treat my art as purely an outlet for my emotions, time and creativity. I, fortunately, do not see it on the lines of financial gain or business. However, it is definitely a lucrative career for many a talented artist and is recognized as such is the first step towards building it as a full-time thing.
I simply want to reach out to as many people as I can, resonate with their lives and know that many have loved my work enough to express the desire to own them and put them up in their homes. Having said this, I do however confess to being mighty impressed by and possibly envious of the zillion figures that the works of famous artists fetch.
I hope to get that well recognized sometime soon and be able to tell the stories of many women through my work.
Who is your favourite painter and why?
When I look at the works of the old masters like Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Monet, Carvaggio, Michelangelo and Raphael, I say to myself, that’s the real art. That’s the way it is supposed to be done. But then artists who dared to deviate from this and experiment with Surrealism, Impressionism, Cubism, fauvism and abstraction are also so inspiring. It is difficult to name a favourite artist as it is usually titbits from many that catch your attention and admiration.
The fluidity of Pollack, the expression of Munch, the surrealistic comedy from Dali, the geometric cubism from Picasso, the pop of Warhol, the futurism of Marinetti, the abstraction and minimalism of new age artists who have gone a step further.. . I think you can see a touch of these styles in my works as every painting you do is influenced by an idea, a thought or an image until you make it your own.
What does your typical day look like?
I look forward to spending a few hours experimenting on all this in my makeshift studio which is my domain and mine alone. Thanks, Parineeti (I took over her old bedroom and converted it). Each day I finish off with my chores and office work (I handle my husband’s IT department) and quickly retire behind my canvas and into a world of landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes and impressionism and abstracts.
All this took many years to get to….my life was extremely domestic in the early years after marriage…20yrs to be precise but with the encouragement of my kids I managed to break out of a traditional mould that bound me and slowly managed to give more time to my passions…reading, travelling, painting, music writing. Every woman should know that her life is not a sum of her kitchen, motherly or wifely duties…she is more than that and if you find that courage, whether with the support of someone or on your own, you deserve to do a lot more with your lives that what others expect you to do.
Where do you get inspired to create art?
If you don’t have access to teachers to guide you with your art, don’t use that as an excuse to hold back…Youtube has very generous people willing to give tips for free…they were my go-to teachers as I am self-taught too. The internet is a saving grace.
What piece of advice would you like to give to future aspiring painters?
Find your niche, go after it, spend at least a few hours of the day on yourself…paint that picture, travel that road, read that book, sing that song, colour your hair blue. Do whatever pleases you as long as it hurts no one else.
Which is your favourite book and why?
Initially, the only way I could lose myself in something exciting was through reading… as a young child, my birthday gifts were Enid Blytons followed by the make-believe worlds of Alfred Hitchcock, Willard Price, Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, Georgette Hayer, Alistair Maclain, Clive Cussler, Robert Ludlum….the list is endless.
Two books, besides the Enid Blytons, stood the test of time for me…The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough and The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. I think it was because I read them at a very important juncture of my life. The first as I entered puberty and the second as I struggled to fit into a new country and study architectural nuances. Now of course I have my art to fall back upon too.
Art Work:
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Interviewed by - Vanshika Jain
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