Hello Dear Friends
Featuring artists from different genres is in itself a great experience and if you come across incredible artists in each genre that happens to be divine. I find myself lacking in adjectives each time I would like to 'gift' a unique artist to you my readers. I only wish and hope that each interview, as amazing as it is for me to put them together, it would be to you too as you read them...
Towards that end, today in Meet An Artist...you are getting to know one of the major water-colorists of contemporary Indian art scene. He is Ramesh Jhawar whose art exuberates elegance and serenity to the onlooker that one would just afloat with them.
We now move on to get to know Ramesh Jhawar (RJ) and his incredible watercolors...his art.
Deepa: Firstly,
as the tradition goes, give us a brief about yourself. (Family, Education, Work
etc)
RJ: My
parents originally hail from Rajasthan but my mother’s family was settled in
North Bengal. So I was actually born there and bought up in Erode, Tamilnadu
where my father used to run a textile business. Since I was born in a business
family, the typical Rajasthani thinking was to study commerce and manage the
family business. So I completed my graduation in commerce from Chennai and
started assisting my father. I was very fond of drawing since my school days. I
knew nothing of fine arts then. Erode was a commercial city and there was no
art awareness at all. The only art I would see while growing up were the art featured
on the back of Reader’s digest, for which I started subscribing to it. Another craze
was collecting comics for their wonderful drawings. I used to copy those comic
characters a lot, which really helped me in understanding the human figure and
the anatomy.
A Smoke at the Paan Shop
Deepa: You describe yourself as a “Full-time artist”…as glad and
pleased as I am to hear that, does it help you live sufficiently or would you
say that your income is seasonal? Do you have any other job other than art? From
Commerce to Art, how has that journey been?
RJ: Being a full time artist involves a lot of thinking and it's
not easy. There is no steady monthly income here. Sometimes, one may sell many
paintings in a month and then in the next few months, there may be no sale at
all. So one has to be really patient and optimistic. It’s only at the end of
the year, that you’ll be able to assess how much you’ve earned and whether you’ve
made any progress from the last year. Fortunately, I had a stable financial background.
For a few years, I managed my father’s business and painted in my spare time. When
I did my first solo show in 2009 in Coimbatore, I was able to sell 20 paintings
which were above my expectation! I also started selling my paintings online
gradually. As I began to be more involved with painting, I decided to pursue it
full time. And I’m glad that I’ve been progressing steadily!
In the Spotlight
Deepa: The
next thing I am truly impressed about is, you have said that you have not had
any formal education in Art; you are a Self-Taught artist. How well are you
placed in the array of professional artists? Have you met with any indifference
from anywhere at all? Do you think that difference exists between the pro and
the non-pro?
RJ: Fortunately,
this is one profession where your skill and ability make you an artist. It doesn’t
make much difference whether you’ve studied fine arts or are self- taught. On
the contrary, it is good actually. I’m not influenced by any one school of
painting. I’ve been able to develop my own individual style this way. But having
said that, I also feel that it’s always better to study fine arts from a good
institution if one really wants to pursue this as a career.
As far
as the question of indifference is concerned, the only indifference I’ve met
with is that modern art and abstracts are given more importance than realistic
works. They also fetch a better price!
Sometimes, artists also paint abstracts since they are not good at drawing and
compositional skills. This was confided to me by an abstract artist who was
exhibiting at Jehangir art gallery!
The Flower Sellers
Deepa: “During
all these years that I have been painting, I have been inspired and influenced
by different artists at different periods of time” – Can you name at least a
few of those Inspirational personalities?
RJ: Ah, this is my most favorite question! I can
name not just a few, but many. To start with, there were the impressionists –
Monet, Renoir, Cezanne and Degas whose works inspired me a lot. In Indian
artists, late Mr. John Fernandes’s and Mr. Milind Mulick’s works highly
inspired me. I finally found my calling in watercolors, after seeing Mr.
Mulick’s watercolors and other international master watercolorists like Robert
Wade, Joseph Zbukvic, Alvaro Castagnet, David Curtis, David Taylor and the
Chinese masters, Guan Weixing and Liu Yi.
Shimmering Water
Deepa: You
have experimented with various mediums and finally settled with a challenging
choice of watercolors. What is it that inspired you to decide on watercolors?
Which is that one quality that you place your fingers on and said…”yes, this is it”?
RJ: In the beginning, I
tried several mediums. . I always used to buy books on various mediums, study
and tried them out. First, I started with oil. But I didn’t like their slow
drying time and the strong smells of oil. The materials were also expensive and
the paintings also required much space, if they were kept stretched. I then tried
pastels but it was very difficult to protect them from smudging unless framed
which was again a costly affair and also required space. This was followed by
acrylic, but found it a little difficult to handle since it dried up very fast.
Watercolor was one medium, where there was no smell, no maintenance like
varnish, didn’t take up much space and above all, was quick and easier to
handle. So I finally settled on watercolors.
Chaiwallah
Early Morning, Udaipur
Deepa: Your
Rajasthan series of Palaces; I think it was Udaipur series, the Bicycle series,
Goa series and the ‘Chinese Fishing Nets’ of Kochi are all my personal favorites…What series are
you currently working on?
RJ: Currently,
I’m working on Kolkata series. Kolkata has that old world charm with its
magnificent architectural buildings of the past, trams, rickshaws and the
yellow ambis. Before they decide to remove these from the streets ( I truly
hope not), I wanted to capture them in my paintings and save them for
posterity.
At Victoria Memorial, Kolkata
Lal Bazaar, Kolkata Series
Deepa: Light
is an incredible quality in your paintings… why is it that it is so significant
and central to your art?
RJ: It is very significant. Without
it, there won’t be any drama and mood in the painting. It is the one quality
that mainly attracts the attention of the viewers and I get so many compliments
from them for the way I’m able to portray it.
The Gardener's Bicycle
Deepa: Is
there a painting project that you have been harboring on? A dream project that
you need to fulfill in your near future?
RJ: Honestly speaking, I
have my hands full now. With my loads of reference photographs from my various
trips, I could paint for almost 2 years on my current subjects, unless I get
bored of them.
Lanes of Varanasi #1
Deepa: You
have been featured in many prestigious magazines, participated in exhibitions
within India and abroad. Can you share a memorable instance or compliment that just
fortified you?
RJ: When your customers tell
you that after seeing your art, they’ve started to observe and appreciate the
play of light and shadows and everyday things in life, you start to love your
job more.
Blue Bicycle
Deepa: Do
you come across artists’ block and if so how do you overcome it?
RJ: Not
really. I remain inspired by my subjects always.
Ganga Aarti, Haridwar
Deepa: Any
one tip or technique that you would like to share with the artists here to
boost up their artistic strength?
RJ: Master
the art of drawing and always keep a check on tonal values.
Night In Varanasi
Deepa: Your
piece of valuable advice to the upcoming artists, for that matter any artist.
RJ: Always be inspired. Have
a lot of patience and optimism. Your family must also be supportive. Never be
satisfied with your work and always raise the bar a little higher every time.
Of course, you’ll get better with experience, so practice art every day. Remember
that if your art is really good, you will surely get recognition and success. Try
to display your art wherever possible. Internet today is a great blessing and a
big platform. So use the potential of the internet. Be social, not just online
but also offline.
Udaipur Vista
Deepa: Social
platforms where we can find you.
RJ: I maintain a blog (rameshjhawar.blogspot.in) and am also on facebook. Recently, I created my own
page on facebook by my name –Ramesh Jhawar.
Goa Series - Baga Beach 1
Thanks a lot RJ for taking your time out and sharing your story, experiences and your art with us. It has been a pleasure to have you at Hues n Shades. We wish you immense success in all your future endeavours. May the Lord bring you all the Success you aspire for.
My Dear Friends, I hope you enjoyed reading the interview and getting to know this superb artist. Please do leave a comment and share your thoughts and feelings about this awesome artist and his art. We would love to hear it from you. Thank you for visiting Hues n Shades and enjoy the art :)
So until next time, it's adieu...much Love & more Art.
PS: All the images pictured here are the property of Ramesh Jhawar. Please seek prior permission of the artist before reproducing any of it for any purpose.
Please do not use/reproduce the content (words as well as images) without the written consent of the author.
