It was an exciting moment for the 40-odd children who waited eagerly for the man they surrounded to begin his work.
The kids' object of focus was N. Ravi Kumar, an artist working as a drawing teacher in Montessori Educational Institutions. Their excitement touched new heights as he placed his wooden easel on the floor, bang opposite Victoria Jubilee Museum on Mahatma Gandhi Road. Fixing a hand-made drawing sheet on the board, he gazed intensely at the structure on the other side of the road. In the next few minutes, he was drawing the image on the sheet even as the awe-struck kids curved their bodies and craned their necks for a closer look at the emerging picture.
The spot painting workshop organised by Spoorthi Creative Art School as part of an ongoing summer camp was a huge hit with children evincing great interest in learning nuances of the art form.
“An artist must live close to the nature.
Painting is an effective tool to portray your deepest emotions. Our wildest fantasies can be realised through this art,” said Mr. Ravi Kumar.
A replica of the museum emerged on the drawing sheet as Mr. Ravi began to fill the space with water colours. Using the same shades as were used in the original structure, he exercised utmost caution to ensure that every angle of the original structure reflected in his work. Director of the art school G. Srinivas said it was his endeavour to familiarise his students with different forms of art in the summer camp. He said since, despite having loads of passion for drawing and painting, he had missed in his childhood such privileges of new avenues of learning.
He wanted to provide the same to his students and contribute in a significant way to the emerging section of current generation artists.
“Our routine life is boringly smooth and somewhere within us, we all yearn for some adventure, some action.
These art forms provide us with this much sought-after change. The long-cherished dreams and fantasies nurtured by us find their way through the art form,” he said.
Through the series of programmes, Mr. Srinivas has made one thing clear; Art is a platform to express the pent up emotions and latent thoughts. It is difficult to imagine a world without the arts.
