Artist Profile: Spoorthy Murali

Today, we profile Spoorthy Murali, an Engineer turned artist. She has renounced her IT career to pursue her life’s calling – fine arts. The translucency and fluidity of watercolors have always allured her and inspired her to experiment on different subjects in this medium.

Spoorthy's rustic Hampi series paintings, rusty Vintage Automobile series, paintings of busy Bengaluru’s lost sparrows, paintings of languid elephants of the wild, and effervescent people portrayal have all been very well received at various forums. She has brought out a vibrant series of watercolor paintings which celebrate the colors in daily life of common man in India (aam aadmi), which she dotingly calls ‘Colors of the Mango people’. She believes in soaking in the subtleties of daily life, may it be the trellis of light and shadow that trees create on roads, the drama in the shadow play while kids play in the sun, the beauty in the sunlit dancing golden waves of a sea and so on. She loves to paint every beautiful sight and hopes to see more colors in this transient world!

Spoorthy is a self taught artist and has worked with watercolors, acrylic and charcoal media. She has participated in various group shows in Bengaluru, Mysore, Cochin and Mumbai; and her paintings have found homes across India, USA, UK and Canada. 

Art Scene India now features artists on a regular basis. If you wish to be profiled on artsceneindia.com, please send in your submissions according to the UPDATED guidelines listed under Submit.

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Social Cause: Empowering Artists from Raghurajpur

Empowering artists to create a sustainable model for livelihood and helping them conserve local folk art traditions.

It is a travesty that folk artists and craftsmen who work laboriously for hours have to struggle to make a living out of it. Ironically, in the process they contribute enormously in keeping local folk art and traditions alive. Folk and tribal arts and crafts are hugely popular with foreign tourists and the urban population, and yet despite their popularity these artisans receive only a small percentage of the sale amount. Commissions by middlemen and prices involved in handling the logistics make a huge dent in the amount which is received by the artists. 

This is a story intrinsic to every region and most vernacular art forms. There are only a few folk art forms which are lucrative for the artists and their families, for instance Gond and Madhubani art forms have entered mainstream galleries and with their contemporization, these have become popular as well as acceptable in higher price brackets. However, not all artists benefit even in these cases.

A social initiative #DoRight draws attention to artists from Raghurajpur – ‘a heritage arts & crafts village where every villager is an artist, and every home is an artist’s studio’. The village is famous for its master Pattachitra painters, an art form which dates back to 5the century BC. In fact, the families in this village practice various forms of traditional Odisha art, such as Pattachitra, tal chitra, silk painting, stone carving, coconut painting, betel nut painting, papier mache & masks, cowdung toys and ganjappa playing cards. Their artworks draw inspiration from mythology, religion and folklore.
 

Following an intensive process, these artists prepare the ‘patta’ – material which is made to look like leaves and natural colours; they then outline the design and fill it with vibrant colours. Each artwork can take anywhere from 5 to 15 days and sometimes even longer, maybe even months. Based on the level of detail, intricacy, finesse and the size of the paintings the prices vary anywhere from Rs 500 to 2 lakhs.

As this village enjoys a heritage status (in the year 2000 by INTACH) it does bring in many domestic and international tourists who buy paintings directly from them which benefits them immediately. However as this does not happen on a continuous basis and there are often middlemen involved, there is a huge disparity in the amount which the artists receive through the year.

In an effort to empower themselves the artists plan to sell the artworks directly to the customer through a dedicated website, which they hope to set up as soon as they can raise enough funds with our help. The #DoRight  initiative has the potential to have a ripple effect and inspire other communities of folk artists also, so they can aim for self-sufficiency and not depend on middlemen for their income.

So, here’s hoping that they soon succeed in their endeavors and are able to create a successful model which can sustain the artists' existence and also their art!

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Documenting the Bangalore Art Scene with Perfumes!

Suresh Kumar, an artist and self-appointed documentarian has documented several years of the Bangalore art scene, when collective groups and spaces were at a nascent stage.

 

Suresh Kumar of Samuha fame, who most people in Bangalore will recall had initiated a collective project run in 2009 in Bangalore, where over a period of one year a number of artists had slots for exhibitions in a space that was collectively rented. The project was widely appreciated and Suresh went on to present his ideas and vision about Samuha on various fora. Then, Suresh went on to video record events in Bar1, Chitrakala Parishad and Ananya Drushya (you can read more about this initiative here).

Perfumed Arts all over Bangalore

Calling it the Perfumes project, Suresh explains, “I was trying to present Bangalore artists and the scene online in a more organized way. The name Perfumes is a combination maybe of Performance and an idea of a bouquet…”

Suresh writes a detailed introduction on how he took up the role of a documentarian and how he views the current art scene, especially in Bangalore. He laments about the current state of art matters, how art students are going back to their native towns after graduation and how Suresh had to step up and adopt the role of a ‘recordist’.

He has recorded events at Samuha, Jaaga, 1Shanthi Road and the government-owned Venkatappa Art Gallery. You can read about his experience here and then follow the link to view the videos here.

Artist Profile: Barbara Ash

This week we profile Barbara Ash, an artist based in Bangalore and Bristol, U.K. I saw her works for the first time at Gallery Sumukha, Bangalore as part of a show and found her 'Doll' sculptures refreshingly different. These explore notions of identity and power relating to individual and media created perceptions of femininity.

 

According to Barbara, she  creates installations, sculptures and drawings that explore the world of feelings and expression, through large-scale toy and doll imagery. She trained at the Royal College of Art, London, and has been working in India since 2006; she fell in love with Bangalore and has been based there since 2010.

Barbara's idiosyncratic work celebrates colour and curves, and works on different levels, from sardonic humour and gentle critique to simple objects of visual pleasure and exuberance. She is currently developing a large body of fibre-glass pastel-painted sculptures for an otherworldly installation "Soft Power" playing with ideas of femininity and individuality.

You can view more of her works here. 

Art Scene India now features artists on a regular basis. If you wish to be profiled on artsceneindia.com, please send in your submissions according to the guidelines listed under Submit.

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6 Tips On How To Approach An Art Gallery And Find Gallery Representation

For new and upcoming artists it may be difficult to approach an art gallery and find gallery representation. Here are a few points to help you get started.

It may often be difficult for an artist to find that first foothold in an art gallery. Art schools cover every aspect of art history, artists, techniques and skills but rarely cover the practicalities of establishing yourself as an artist. Many new and upcoming artists struggle for gallery representation and for inclusion in group exhibitions. In such a situation, having a solo exhibition with the support of an art gallery becomes even more elusive.

Therefore, those who pass out of art schools or have been learning painting informally need to know how to approach a gallery. Remember, galleries receive so many portfolios, images and requests from artists that most of the time it is physically impossible for them to go through each of these and get back to the artist.

Have A Systematic Approach

1. Annual art exhibitions: These are organized by art schools annually and it is one of the ways to get noticed by gallery managers and representatives: These events are popular with gallerists, curators and art connoisseurs as they scout around for emerging talent, to buy art at affordable prices and to look for potential participants for future exhibitions. However, in the current weak economy, this trend is greatly reduced. Certain art school events become synonymous with quality artworks and I know a few people who make it a point to visit the annual event at MS University, Baroda, Shantiniketan and Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore.

It therefore makes sense that even students rise to the occasion and put in effort to create artworks which stand out. If this works well and a gallery signs you up for a future show, then you are amongst the fortunate ones and all you will need to worry about is living up to the expectations of the gallery.

2. Reference point: One of the best ways to get a gallery to review your portfolio and to agree to meet you is by ‘reference’. If an artist or a curator who is either working with the gallery or is involved with them in any way, refers you and your artwork, there is a very good chance that the gallery will be at least willing to look at the images of your works.

3. Shortlist: Zero in on the galleries that you would like to approach. It doesn’t make sense to send your artworks to all the galleries possible, because your art may not be suitable for many of them. For instance, a gallery specializing in photography will not be interested in your paintings or videos. Therefore look for a match, and it need not be in the same city.

4. Contact the Gallery:

• Create a portfolio: Make an artist portfolio with your best images, an excerpt from your artist statement, resume and selected exhibitions. Ensure it looks professionally done.
• Contact: Send an e-mail to the gallery - write a polite covering letter and send your portfolio to the gallery. Make sure it includes your contact details and has a link to your website/ blog. I feel a soft copy is so much better than an envelope with copies of photographs or a CD, which can sometimes remain unopened.
• Follow up: You can follow up with the gallery after a reasonable amount of time, say about two to three weeks and request for an appointment.

5. Be visible: You can also participate in juried exhibitions and apply for art grants, which may give you visibility.

6. Network: Networking with the right people can really get you places. Visiting art shows and events and being active online will allow you to grow your network of like-minded people, which will help you in getting advice and references for galleries to approach and also about participation in possible group shows.

Final Tips

• Keep the content limited; nobody has time to go through hundreds of images and pages and pages of written material.
• Allow sufficient time to pass before you follow up with a gallerist/curator.
• Always make an appointment before you show up at the gallery.

There is no quick fix solution, but as an artist who is talented you will find the right gallery for you. Be patient and persevere.

I hope this helps you and if you have any other tips for upcoming artists, then I would love to hear from you. It would be great to learn from your experience and I’m sure new artists will appreciate it. Share with us in the comments section below or you can even send me an email.

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