Growing up in the rustic environs of Adoor in Kasaragod district, Ponmani Thomas was surrounded by colours: verdant nature, temples, sacred groves, Theyyams, Yakshaganam...The artist in her found inspiration in all the rich imagery. Twenty-five years down the lane, Ponmani continues to explore her creativity with a riot of colours.
The first exhibition of her works in the city begins tomorrow and she is elated about it.
“I was told that the city prefers performing arts to fine arts. So I kept postponing my exhibition here. But now I feel that I should prove myself here also,” says the 46-year-old. A resident of Mahe, Ponmani came to the city a few months ago after her husband, Thomas Sebastian, was transferred here on official work. Since she was already in the capital city, Ponmani decided to test the waters with an exhibition.
‘Memories & Beyond’, her new collection, will display 30 of her new works along with some of her old paintings. “Landscape is the underlying theme but the canvas is not bereft of fauna and people. Each work is like a documentation of what is in my mind, in my dreams and in real life. That is why my canvas is getting bigger and bigger!” she says.
She points out that her journey would not have been possible without the support of her husband and two children. “Once I start painting, I don’t bother about household chores because that breaks the flow of the creative process. They understand that,” she says with a laugh.
Her tryst with colours began during her school days. A huge influence has been artist P.S. Punchithaya, known for experimenting with colours. Once she joined Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Art, University of Mysore, for her Bachelor of Fine Arts (paintings and graphics) Ponmani had a clear picture about what she wanted to do with her art. “Till then I was confused about how I should interpret myself as an artist. But the course gave me a sense of direction,” she says.
Shifting to Mahe in 1993 gave her a wider canvas. “There was Theyyams all around and I couldn’t have asked for more. Basically it was all about transferring what I had in my mind on to the canvas. Art is not something that looks beautiful. Ask any artist and he or she would say that it is all about the process involved. The explanation or definition comes later. For me it is the work that leads me and not vice versa. Nothing is planned and that gives wings to my creativity,” says Ponmani who works with acrylic.
Ponmani, who used to work at Kalagramam in Mahe, is pretty disappointed that she couldn’t work on an art installation project she was supposed to do in Mahe. “I had got the land by the beach. There was a perfect blend of everything- surroundings, the sea, the sky and the sun, but the project failed to take off,” she says.
Nature, inclusive of the people, flora, fauna and other creatures, has found myriad manifestations in her works. Her first series was on the sacred groves back home, which won her Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Honorable Mention in 2010.
Next year she came up with the ‘Bodhi’ series, of which the work ‘Roots of Bodha’ won her the Akademi’s award for best painting.
Coming to the mirth of colours in her works, she tells, “I love to have colours in my works and my life. We all have our own problems and griefs. What’s the point in translating them on to the canvas as well? There are no favourites, but people say there is more of blue and orange in the paintings. In fact the density of the colours has increased now. Usually as you grow old colours seem to fade away, but the opposite is happening in my life,” she smiles.
The exhibition begins at Vyloppilly Samskriti Bhavan on September 23, 4 p.m. It is on till October 2. Time: 10 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.
