Sucy Titus was in her late 30s when she learnt Chinese painting. She lived in The Philippines with her husband. “I took classes from Prof. Chen Bing Sun,” she recalls. For five years, she attended weekly classes along with a few other women. Today, she’s 86 and the lessons have stayed with her.
Over 50 of Titus’ paintings will be on display from tomorrow at The Folly, Amethyst, Whites Road.
The exhibition was possible because of the encouragement of her children, says Titus. “I painted a lot after my husband passed away. My daughter Meera egged me on to paint and I would give away my paintings to friends and relatives.” All the works on display have been done over the past year.
Seated at her workroom, surrounded by her paintings, Titus speaks of the technique behind Chinese paintings. “It’s rather intricate. The work is done on rice paper and natural vegetable colours are used,” she explains.
And with rice paper, there’s no room for mistakes. “It absorbs every little stroke and cannot be undone. Once done, the paintings need not be covered with glass. The colours will stay on for years.” Titus was born in Thiruvalla in Kerala. “I’ve always liked to draw and paint.” Her inclination towards the arts can be attributed to her artistic mother, says Titus.
Several decades have passed since she learned Chinese painting, and yet, the almost translucent strokes on the off-white rice paper, come to her naturally. “People ask me how I paint with a steady hand,” she says. “But I don’t find this difficult. I enjoy painting.”
To Titus, age is just a number. Ask her how she managed to complete over 50 paintings in one year and she just smiles.
This is her first solo exhibition. “But I’ve displayed at group shows in The Philippines. In fact, one of my paintings is displayed at the Indian Embassy in The Philippines,” she says. Does the art form take her back to her younger days? “Oh yes, yes,” says Titus, smiling to herself. “I do think of those days when I paint.”
