There are some who are blessed. They search for what lies within. And then discover the ability to express and create what they discovered in their journey.
Think tones and shades in different colours. Think textures of different kinds. On canvas, paper, cloth, clay, ceramics. All of which are representations of our partner-artist Sujata’s journey of expression in to The Unknown Within.
Sujata laughingly admits that her foray into art almost did not happen. Despite an interest in art – and with a specialisation in Economics in the year 1993 – it was quite by chance and via her school friend Pooja Broota – that she began to learn art from renowned artist Shobha Broota at the Triveni Kala Sangam in New Delhi.
Learning the basics of art and specialising in painting – Sujata’s grooming in the field was a fluid process – unhindered by history. She learnt by touch and feel – and was not bound down by the need to treat art as work for an income. That part was taken care of as she qualified in parallel in Interior Design and worked with one the city’s best known architects.
But her tryst with art continued as she evolved in her style and opted to work with dry pastels by 1996. Sujata found her work to be akin to meditation and of immense help in overcoming challenges in her life. The medium of dry pastels is relatively different – and Sujata would spend hours struggling to create what she wanted to, often smudging her work completely to either begin afresh or take it on a path unknown. She believes that her creative process began with something within her that she recognised as being a mystic form or light that would seek expression. After crafting the basic line work of the form she would seek to create depth and dimension – as she would rub and smudge – working with her fingers and thumb to get it right.
Her first and solo showing took place twelve years after she began creating her art. And it was a revelation for Sujata as she saw how the world was interpreting her creations. Which was very different from her own view. But the experience was one which immensely satisfying and led to a deep sense of fulfillment.
Post the showing – Sujata felt that her work was becoming repetitive and felt she had gone back in time to the early years of her journey as she struggled to find an expression for her vision. She decided to work with different materials – moving away from canvas to paper and cloth. By the year 2004, her inspiration led her to create relief work – using shades of white. These unusual creations enabled her to interpret colour, depth and shadow. Sujata found her expressions to be pure and peaceful in nature and the process of knitting together and creating different textures created a third dimension in her previously two-dimensional art. Overall – creating relief work has ensured better compositions and form she says.
Then Sujata again discovered the urge to continue with her process of discovery and experimentation as she began working with a third material – ceramics, from 2009 onwards. That phase saw her working and showcasing her creations at different events in the city’s art and craft calendar.
And yet again – giving in to the old urge to do more and differently – Sujata is considering options in mixed media – including perhaps doing relief work in clay ! She is excited by the possibilities of that her experience and passion now offer her and is perfectly content to go with the flow and follow the call of her heart. Despite challenges in execution, technology and scale she believes that when expression and creativity spring from within and are all around us – the boundaries of time and space cease to have meaning. And all that matters is what one is able to craft in that space.
She continues to seek out her inspiration and expressing it in her work – while finding joy and peace as she grows in her understanding of a world that is truly mystic and beautiful.
All on her journey in to The Unknown. And The Known.
Check out her collection at The Unknown Within