The walls of the Durbar Art Centre are lined with a progression of images that convey a sense of change while retaining the same essence throughout. The works of Sankar Dinesh Kamath, a Class X student at Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Vaduthala, have striking similarities and yet differing levels of polish, a result of the young artist honing his skills over the years since he first set crayon to paper in UKG.
Now a District, State and National award winner in various painting competitions, Sankar says the basics of his paintings have not changed all that much since he started. The rustic scenes depicted in his paintings are snapshots of life in the countryside, small villages, boats on rivers, children taking shelter from the rains and mothers tending to children. “My main interest lies in painting scenery. I enjoy observing the sights when I go on trips with my family and later recreating them on canvas, either from memory or using photographs. Though I started with crayons, I later used water and acrylic colours in my works,” he says.
Contrary to the locations featured in his works, Sankar was raised in the urban surroundings of Kaloor, where he found his roots in art at a young age, taking classes in painting till Class IV and learning the basics of mural painting when he was in Class VII . In this period he picked up a few prizes in art competitions, the most notable being a first place at the All India Stamp Designing Competition conducted by the Postal Department of India in 2008. His painting was featured on a five rupee stamp that year.
Despite his proficiency at working with various mediums, Sankar says he does not research different art disciplines in detail, preferring to stick to his strengths. “I have been taught the basics of working with different types of colours and how to handle them, but other than that I don’t actively research art. It is a hobby that I plan to continue alongside my ambition to become a doctor like my father,” he says.
A few mural works, oil paintings of flower vases and fruit baskets, and scenes from mythological tales like Vikramaditya and Ramayana, which bear a very distinct Amar Chitra Katha feel, complete Sankar’s collection of nearly 100 framed works. As for the future, it is more of the same as he intends to fine-tune his works, sharpen his lines and enhance the detail. “At the moment, I do not find the time to work on complicated works like murals. I am focusing on improving my oil painting skills and learn knife painting,” he signs off.
The exhibition, titled ‘A Journey Through My Shades’, is on at the Durbar Art Centre till October 19.
