Thinking out of the box

Every idea starts with imagination and if that is put to work, it can create masterpieces. This is the case of Sonal Shah who is filling up blank canvases with her creativity.

Though she was always passionate about art and craft since her childhood, it was only after her children grew up that she got enough time to explore her interests.

It has been 12 years since she took to creating decoupage artefacts and glass paintings and there  has been no looking back.
“Experimentation has played a big part in my creative process. I am always on the lookout for various artistic works, be it key holders, photo frames or candle holders. They inspire me a lot and I then think of different variations of these . Once one of my friends decorated a mirror with glass painting. I wanted to work on a similar idea and this kind of motivated me to try glass paintings on other surfaces. Apart from this, watching YouTube videos has also been a great help,” she says.

She makes utility items like key holders, tissue paper holders, mirror and wall paintings and hangings, decorated boxes and bottles with glass painting and decoupage.

So, does she have any specific theme or series in mind during the process?

“Yes, I do have specific themes sometimes. Recently, I had worked on an owl-themed glass painting series which became extremely popular with my friends and family. It was a collection of eight paintings of the same theme. Apart from which, I have also worked on music, Ganesha and Krishna and Radha themes,” she elaborates.

“When it comes to glass paintings, it is challenging to work on the themes of god and goddesses, especially in terms of intricacy. I have to be very accurate in making the outlines and getting the facial features perfect,” she says and adds, “I have to do a little bit of art and craft every day.

Involving myself creatively gives me immense relaxation and joy,” she says.  In most of her artworks, upcycling plays an important role. From the photo frames to decoupaged bottles and boxes, all materials used from start to finish are her own creations.“My husband and my children have been supporting and encouraging me to do different and better things. Though my in-laws were little apprehensive in the beginning, when they saw me growing with this, they understood that it gives me a joy of some sort. And today they have also accepted it,”  she adds.

Since  everything is done single-handedly, sometimes getting raw materials, going out to frame her works or running around for everything becomes a little challenging for Sonal.

“It is sometimes a bit too much but thinking about what the final product would look like helps me get past the obstacles. I am a self-motivated person,” sums up Sonal. 


(Sonal Shah can be contacted at 9880401656)