'Chai' in the lap of nature

Caught in a whirlwind of hues, a bunch of young art enthusiasts are trying to recreate life on canvas by capturing the magic and vibrance that surrounds them.

 ‘Pencil And Chai- Fine Arts Gurukul’ (PAC), is a group that believes in art at its purest form and focusses on realistic art. Wielding pencil as their weapon, PAC meets for about three hours every weekend and try to capture the still existent nature of the City in the form of landscapes, portraits, sketching, still-life drawings and expressions. 

The informal gathering was initiated by a few students pursuing their bachelors in fine arts. Anup, Rakesh and Gayathri, who were later joined by Kurian, believed that they lacked certain depth and the necessary mentorship that was required in arts from college.  “We used to meet in Cubbon Park mainly to complete assignments together.

 However, the four soon became more and we grew into a large group.” He  adds, “We usually decide to meet up in Cubbon Park as it is an easy access point, quiet and picturesque. Apart from that, PAC has met in Nandi Hills, Lalbagh, Frazer Town and Rock Park in Basvanagudi. We mainly capture nature around us and try to bring out the serene mood in our drawings.” 

Despite being an informal group of amateur youngsters, PAC has two mentors who guide the members on finer details such as expression, the interplay of light and shade, capturing the shades of tones, frames,  textures and composition with pencil and oil colours. PAC also conducts exciting events during special occasions such as a trip to Srirangapatnam, an outbound art session, where the group sat on the banks of Cauvery to capture the meandering streams, on their 50th meetup. 

Anup adds, “We conduct our meetings in a particular structure, which may or may not be followed by the members. The first hour is a demonstration and a practice session, followed by the drawing session and the ‘chai chat’ where discussions about drawings follow. There are a lot of discussions on art in our website and Facebook.” 

From a lively gathering to a serious group, PAC has many feathers in its cap.

 “From the time PAC started, one of the major success factors is the seriousness that went into it. Initially, people used to gather and not draw but now everybody is digging the inner artist in them. It’s not only restricted to those pursuing art formally but a lot of techies and college students also join us.” 

They have a big idea lined up in front of them. “We are planning to open a full-fledged fine arts school soon. It’s still in its planning stages and we are hopeful.”   “The name was given by Gayathri. She once said that she enjoys drawing while sipping chai and that’s how the name stuck.” And right she was! Who doesn’t love chai while pursuing a hobby?”