Art spot

It is no wonder that  Shabana Patel choose to  pursue her Bachelors and Masters in the field of fine arts; the prolific artist says that she had an  inclination for arts and crafts since childhood.  Years after that initial  step into the world of creativity, Shabana now dabbles in more than 70-80 types of arts and crafts like Tanjore paintings, watercolour paintings, acrylic paintings, clay modelling, decoupage, knife painting  and paper quilling.

"I bring my own touch to these established techniques though. For example, when it comes to knife painting, I try to incorporate a little bit of  papier-mâché into it which adds more dimension to my works," she says.  

With so many different skills, does it become hard to choose a favourite? "It changes with time.  My current favourites are Thai clay flowers and decoupaged artworks.  Thai clay allows you to give a very realistic look to your flowers. My mentor is a person who comes from Thailand; she comes to the city once a year to take a workshop. Decoupage is a layman's craft  - even a person who has never held a brush in their life can create a decoupaged item. Here too, I don't just stick to the conventional rules and  experiment in as well as  teach new techniques like crackle effect, doily effect and so on. I  know almost 18-20 different variations in decoupage itself," she says.  

Floral motifs are a recurring theme in her artworks  ("I feel they are universal and everybody likes flowers of course") while the internet is a constant source of  inspiration ("It has made our lives so much easier").  

"The variety of materials and mediums I work with interests and impresses a lot of people. And I do a lot of mixed art. I can combine two mediums on one product which gives it a unique feel."  

Shabana now  runs an art and craft centre in RT Nagar where she has her own studio.  She   also takes classes and organises workshops where artistes can come and showcase their talent.

When asked about her future plans, Shabana strikes an  altruistic note by saying that it is not just her own growth that she wants to see.

"I want to continue working with  lot more  artistes and provide them with a platform to display their creativity. I especially want to work with traditional craftsmen and indigenous artistes so that they can promote Indian arts like Madhubani,  Pattachitra, leather puppetry etc. These artforms are dying out now because most of them don't know how to market their skills."

"For me personally, my future plan is to keep expanding my knowledge. Learning is a continuous process. Arts and crafts is a very vast subject and I make it a point to learn from each and every artist who comes to my studio," she adds.

(Shabana can be contacted on 9880679043)