Art of the matter

No wonder they say life can throw quite a few surprises at you. Priya Satish started off with an interest in dance, becoming a trained bharathanatyam artiste with quite a few awards in her kitty. Years later, she prefers to be known for her paintings and crafting skills.

"I couldn't go to work after marriage and children. I was a fairly decent artist since childhood so I started sketching randomly during my free time. It was an effort to fine tune my skills but soon I became quite passionate about art. I took up proper painting classes immediately afterwards," she says.

Now Priya is a certified one-stroke instructor, the second in India to receive this honour by completing level two. She has brought alive myriad artforms through her deft hands - acrylic, Tanjore painting, Kerala murals, mixed media, altered art, quilling, punch craft. The basics in painting were taught to her by Shyla Prasad.

She is also a Pidilite Fevicryl specialist and is a part of numerous international design teams; artistes tasked by global companies to popularise their products through their mixed media creations.

Coming from a traditional background, traditional motifs fascinate her. But traditional or otherwise, each of her creations involves hours of backbreaking work and painstaking labour - a reason why she can't pinpoint a favourite.

"But I do have a very special memory attached with one of my creations. I once made a Ganesha with 'supari' and 'shilpakar' (a modeling compound, similar to polymer clay) and gifted it to my father. My mother later told me that he placed it near his bed and made it a point to look at it every morning before he started his day. Since my father is no more, this is one memory that I cherish," she recollects.

Ganeshas have a special place in her life even otherwise. "I have a collection of over 850 Ganeshas in different shapes, sizes and forms like metal, paper, clay and so on. I had been collecting them over the years. Finally, I decided that I should stop collecting and start making them instead. Now I have a minimum of 1-2 likenesses of the God in all the different mediums I have experimented with," she says.

A frequent compliment that she gets is that her work is very neat, a reflection of the sincerity she puts into it. "I say that to all aspiring artistes too. Their passion should be visible in their work. And free yourself from negative thoughts otherwise it can be seen in your production. I want my creations to inspire people. Which is why I make it a point to write a positive quote in almost all my craft works. They say life is not about finding yourself, it is about creating yourself. And I believe that," she signs off.

(Priya can be contacted on 9880031323)