The painting is simple. Titled Golden Showers , there are bright, bold strokes in yellow, depicting the ‘kanikonna’ flowers. Attached to the painting is an illustration of how it will actually look, when placed in a room. And the viewer is sure to take a second look at the picture.
Believing that people in Kerala are more of art-lovers than art-collectors, S. Santhosh Kumar, a self-taught artist, has tried to invent ways to take art to people’s homes. At his exhibition titled ‘Prayaan -Into the Enchanting Fragrance of Floret,’ now on at Museum Auditorium in the city, each painting is paired with such illustrations.
This techie from Neyyattinkara, working as a user interface designer at an IT company in Technopark, dedicates a good amount of his free time to pursue his passion for art. The exhibition displays 51 paintings with the theme of flowers, in acrylic and watercolour, besides those based on the technique called paper-quilling. The artist’s penchant to try different techniques is evident in his work Seasons , a set of four pictures created using ‘blow painting.’
His mentor artist George Fernandez says Santhosh Kumar’s works stand out for their simplicity.
Santhosh Kumar says Internet is the best teacher for those who want to explore new trends in art. The exhibition and the online site eight.in, which showcases his works, are the first steps towards fulfilling his many dreams, he says.
The exhibition will conclude on March 5.
