Surface tension art

Artists showing off their paintings at two different exhibitions in the city have given textures as much importance as their art works.

Forty-three year old artist Pramod Thakur has created his art works in a traditional manner. Many of his paintings sport the water colour wash technique (the artist starts out by wetting the paper and once dried begins to paint over it).

“This imparts a certain surface to the painting after which I sketch out my drawings. It also gives it an old-world look,” says Pramod. Among the 28 canvases showing at the exhibition titled Life Movements Vs Live Moments, his use of knife, roller pin, leaf impression and hand impression creates unique surfaces making for an interesting visual.

“Whenever I paint canvases, women occupy centre stage,” says the artist who has worked as a news illustrator with a publishing house and then did a stint as an art director for many Bollywood films but painting has always been his epicenter.

Meanwhile, artist Kawita Thakur who paints on mixed media says, “I am fond of giving my stoneware ceramic art works a ‘crack effect.’ It makes the work seem authentic and natural. Another texture I often use is the ‘gunny bag’ effect.” When the clay is leather hard, Kawita puts it in a cool room for a while and then directly places it under the sun inducing cracks to appear on its surface.

She gets the gunny bag effect by putting a slab of clay on a gunny bag and then removes it and gives it shape. She also likes to create textures using a roller, tree barks, leaves and knives. Interestingly, Kawita also uses calligraphy to create a surface as well as impart a message. Her paintings at Eternity depict Buddha and young monks.

The Life Movements Vs Live Moments exhibition will go on till 30 November at Nehru Centre Art Gallery; Eternity will go on till 29 November at The Oberoi Art Walk.