After graduating from the College of Visual Arts, Davengere, city-based artist Srinath Bidare practised commercial art for over three decades before immersing himself in creative photography and fine arts. His latest collection, Dusk Until Dawn, captures the geological process of the formation of sedimentary rocks through a set of paintings. The artist is all set to showcase the artworks this Saturday. In a chat, Srinath gives us an insight into the show.
Delving deeper into one of his favourite subjects — mother nature — the artist demonstrates his expertise on canvas using delicate brush strokes. “Through this series, I discovered that art rests both above and beneath the surface of earth. I have come across numerous forms of these rocks before, in books and while I was out photographing nature. But recently, I caught a show on sedimentary rock formations on the National Geographic Channel and a surge of ideas kept me engrossed,” the artist shares.
The collection includes over 40 paintings of which 27 will be exhibited. All of the 27 are large-format pieces of art. “While capturing the spirit of these natural creations in my work, I was reminded of a renowned quote by William Morris — the mission of art is to represent nature, not to imitate her. So, I took my preconceived thoughts and scribbled them on a piece of paper as a thumbnail sketch. Later, I experimented using various techniques of knife and random strokes of pastes and colours on the canvas,” Srinath reveals.
Owing to different compositions, mixed media techniques and minimal colour schemes, each piece by the 62-year-old is a distinct representation of nature. “These four-five months that I took to paint these artworks have been exciting and satisfying. From cobalt blue to sap green and yellow ochre to amber brown, I played with every shade that complements an earthy palette. Besides the vivid variety of hues, I used big flat brushes and mesh to create some texture,” he shares.
These nature-based abstract paintings offer a colourful glimpse of the mind of the artist.
Entry fee ₹50. October 8 onwards. At Sublime Galleria, Vittal Mallya Road
email: srushti@newindianexpress.com
twitter: @Sru_Kulkarni