The art of the matter

Like every child, Ankita Rout too was attracted by colouring books and paintbrushes when she was a kid. Her love for different shades and her ability to experiment with them soon turned into an undying passion.

She knew she was good at painting and sketching but never thought a childhood interest would become a serious hobby.

“When I moved in with my friends a year ago, we thought of decorating our house. This was the best time to put my skills to work. It was after ages that I tried my hands at painting. I worked on a few sketches and framed them for the walls,” says Ankita.

After earning appreciation from guests who visited them, she displayed her work at flea markets, which caught the attention of other art enthusiasts. “Constant words of appreciation kept my spirits high throughout and I started painting more and more.”

Ankita, who works with Northern Trust, makes sure she invests sometime everyday to pursue her hobby. Now, apart from using her artworks to decorate her house, she also gifts them to her friends and loved ones on their special days.

“I use black and white charcoal for my sketches. Oil and acrylic paintings are something that I recently started. My work involves tribal art, mandala designs, dot art, knife painting, abstract, modern, geometric and charcoal paintings,” she adds.

Her parents already had an idea that she had a knack for arts and crafts since her childhood, but for her friends, her creative side was a complete surprise.

“My parents are quite happy that I have come so far and have been encouraging me. My friends never saw this side of me as I was always into dancing when I was in college. So they were pretty amused,” she says.

Ankita relies on her imagination to get ideas for her paintings. She also picks a theme on a weekly basis and paints accordingly. “One of my most favourite is a painting of Buddha that is done on a black paper using only dots. It took a lot of time and dedication, but the end result was amazing,” she says.

According to Ankita, a hobby is something that one always has in their mind and not something to be done only when one is bored.

“I am constantly thinking of how I can make my paintings better and I seek help from nature. Most of my inspiration comes from people I meet and things I see in my surroundings,” she says.

(Ankita can be contacted at [e-mail])