A potpourri of colours

Art lovers were transported to a unique world of creativity at the 15th edition of the 'Chitra Santhe' organised by Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath on Sunday.  The annual art exhibition-sales event had visitors pouring in from morning.  The fair saw many themes in varied mediums. Huge works depicting everyday life welcomed one to the street.

These were made by Jaiganesh from Tiruvanamalai and  many were awed by  how realistic these looked.  Raghavendra Patil from Bijapur showcased some abstract and representational images of his village, which were  done in oil and acrylic. "I've  played with abstract and real imagery as I wanted to show shading," he explained.

Kalidas from Gulbarga tried to depict caste and social issues through his works, which  included smaller drawings inside bigger figures.

"Many asked me about how much time I took for each work which shows that they appreciate the effort. I've poured my heart out in to the works," he said.

Nagaraj Bakale displayed his works on 'Nagasadhu' and glow-in-the-dark works. "I've a connect with this subject and have been working on it for a while. I believe that it  will create an identity for me," he  said.  

Works in ink by Smruti Joshi left quite a few surprised as her creations showed the digital and mechanical side of life. "I've used animal  shapes to depict this and my works have grabbed a lot of attention," she said.     

A not-so-common style was metal art on canvas which was explored  by Nitin Pawar from Mumbai.

"My inspiration comes from topics from around the world. It is not easy to work with such a medium  as  it is a tedious process and requires a lot of patience," said Nitin with a smile. He had added leaves to his work  to give a real feel to them.

D Venkata Raman from Andhra Pradesh brought 'Tollu bommalu' (leather puppets) and other leather artefacts to the event.  "All the works  that are displayed here are made of leather and the pattern is filled in with natural dyes. From hanging decor to lamp shades, our works are very popular," he said.

Paintings based on folk art also drew a lot of attention at the 'santhe'. Artist Jagadish Ambalgi from Gulbarga represented folk art designs in an interesting form.  "I have been working on such designs for almost  three decades now," he said.

Umakanth Thakore from Bihar posed proudly with his Madhubani paintings. "The completion time can range from days to months. The intricacy of the work defines the timeline," he said.   It was not just canvas-based works that impressed art lovers at the venue.

As Sanjay Palekar from Gulbarga explained about his scrap-metal based works, many stood around it admiringly.  "My  subjects are animals, insects and aliens. I have  been working on this for years and  found this medium most satisfactory. My thoughts are best explained through this form," he said. The event also saw many artistes sketching on the spot and stalls with  colourful fabrics, jewellery and home decor.

From watercolour works to acrylic frames, photographs to sculptures, the event saw art reaching out to one and all.