Making Art for a "White Man"...
I have often been told : Dont use colours, think like a "white man", make art for "white audience", your colours are too much and too many . My blog is an answer to that!
I have always loved bright colours and movement, l don't know if it is a cultural thing because I am an Indian or is it, my intrinsic love for colours; I find it very therapeutic, relaxing and fulfilling too. The bottom line is, the feeling and message that I want to convey through the medium is only brought forth by the usage of colours. When I paint, every time I think " this time I'm going to not play with colours and just go black or monochrome but then I am unable to capture the myraid emotions of warmth, passion, joy and bliss in colourless objective compositions, somehow, although I do enjoy experimentation of different media and subjects.
My subject varies based on my emotion and statement but my love for colours is constant. In spite of this, viewers of my art see different forms or figures in my abstract expressions too, colours I think does that to the optics. The good thing about these expressions is the freedom of the viewers to see and appreciate the forms in their mind’s eyes, like face painting in the eye of the viewer. It's also important to mention that “Madhubani and other Indian Art forms" have played a major role in shaping my love for art and my paintings. The symbols and forms of this art style are reflected in my abstract images, abstract relief sculpture, seascape, drawing, pastels and watercolour paintings or anything I do.
People see different forms or images in abstract art, the depth of what you actually see when you look at the paintings is partly based on individual exposure and understanding of art forms, colours, shapes, line and texture; cultural experiences and community engagement with colours, which are the mental elements that combine to make up the artworks and the viewer's perception of art.
A selection of different dark hues, shapes and forms may give various impressions to different minds; light, airy images as mystical; balanced, temperate forms as peaceful. Just like organic forms and shape are symbolic, the same is true with colours and forms and each colour has meaning in and of themselves. It is a simple truth that you can’t give what you don’t have. I am a believer and my work time is also a meditation time, which can go either way depending on the spiritual consciousness of the creative mind.
To me, my work is an intimate moment between me, canvas and my colours. At that creative moment, there is a spiritual interconnected between the artist and the colours...most of the time the colours play out themselves even before I begin painting !!! Hence the emotional reaction to these elements even if they create no recognizable object for the viewer to hang onto.
I enjoy the inclusion and deletion of space and the foray of colours into them that may walk in gently or just blast on the scene !The handling of space and the illusion of colours mixed with emotions is a powerful element in my mind's eye. If you are drawn into a yard of three-dimensional space stretching beyond the framework of the painting to sculpture or memories or emotions.......you are not alone. The impression of depth, perspective, airiness, solidity, textures and other spatial relations are created and controlled by colours in my art , so as to achieve the desired goal.
The overall composition or design of my painting or sculpture is created to guide the viewer’s eyes to understanding and appreciation of the images.
I must admit, most of my figurative compositions is a celebration of womanhood, which I am very proud to be part of for they are the seats of wisdom and knowledge. Energy is the life force that is present in all good art, especially feminine art . This is not something that is easily defined. The life force of every work is the same, but different energy and different statements., make the colours change and the meanings differ It is this peculiar energy that makes my works speak , and makes them unique, original and identifiable to me. This energy is created out of experience and self-awareness, materials and tools, but the end is more than the means in the same sense that a musical composition is so much more than a collection of just notes.
I pride in the feeling and reactions of my peers and viewers to my creations. I feel blessed in many ways than words can express. The challenge sometimes is getting the composition right or balancing the elements of colour, lines and shapes while maintaining a dynamic tension and the message beneath it .
My subject varies based on my emotion and statement but my love for colours is constant. In spite of this, viewers of my art see different forms or figures in my abstract expressions too, colours I think does that to the optics. The good thing about these expressions is the freedom of the viewers to see and appreciate the forms in their mind’s eyes, like face painting in the eye of the viewer. It's also important to mention that “Madhubani and other Indian Art forms" have played a major role in shaping my love for art and my paintings. The symbols and forms of this art style are reflected in my abstract images, abstract relief sculpture, seascape, drawing, pastels and watercolour paintings or anything I do.
People see different forms or images in abstract art, the depth of what you actually see when you look at the paintings is partly based on individual exposure and understanding of art forms, colours, shapes, line and texture; cultural experiences and community engagement with colours, which are the mental elements that combine to make up the artworks and the viewer's perception of art.
A selection of different dark hues, shapes and forms may give various impressions to different minds; light, airy images as mystical; balanced, temperate forms as peaceful. Just like organic forms and shape are symbolic, the same is true with colours and forms and each colour has meaning in and of themselves. It is a simple truth that you can’t give what you don’t have. I am a believer and my work time is also a meditation time, which can go either way depending on the spiritual consciousness of the creative mind.
To me, my work is an intimate moment between me, canvas and my colours. At that creative moment, there is a spiritual interconnected between the artist and the colours...most of the time the colours play out themselves even before I begin painting !!! Hence the emotional reaction to these elements even if they create no recognizable object for the viewer to hang onto.
I enjoy the inclusion and deletion of space and the foray of colours into them that may walk in gently or just blast on the scene !The handling of space and the illusion of colours mixed with emotions is a powerful element in my mind's eye. If you are drawn into a yard of three-dimensional space stretching beyond the framework of the painting to sculpture or memories or emotions.......you are not alone. The impression of depth, perspective, airiness, solidity, textures and other spatial relations are created and controlled by colours in my art , so as to achieve the desired goal.
The overall composition or design of my painting or sculpture is created to guide the viewer’s eyes to understanding and appreciation of the images.
I must admit, most of my figurative compositions is a celebration of womanhood, which I am very proud to be part of for they are the seats of wisdom and knowledge. Energy is the life force that is present in all good art, especially feminine art . This is not something that is easily defined. The life force of every work is the same, but different energy and different statements., make the colours change and the meanings differ It is this peculiar energy that makes my works speak , and makes them unique, original and identifiable to me. This energy is created out of experience and self-awareness, materials and tools, but the end is more than the means in the same sense that a musical composition is so much more than a collection of just notes.
I pride in the feeling and reactions of my peers and viewers to my creations. I feel blessed in many ways than words can express. The challenge sometimes is getting the composition right or balancing the elements of colour, lines and shapes while maintaining a dynamic tension and the message beneath it .
You are welcome into my world of colours- come and see up close and explore the intricacies of brushstrokes, spatula- strokes, paint thickness, textures and compositional details. I so enjoy weaving the parts to form the whole.
My artwork cannot be understood and appreciated in a ten-second glance. Allow my art to grow on you, becoming more interesting and more enjoyable to look at as you live with it. And yes, more colourful too !
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