The line ‘small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises’ by Greek orator Demosthenes comes true for five self-taught artists in Hyderabad. They have taken small steps to find strength in art and give wings to their dreams by launching their ventures in the form of creative workshops. Most of these workshops are held in cafes and breweries, helping participants engage with art in a different setting.
No pressure to create
Alisha Avasthi | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
A native of Erode in Tamil Nadu, Alisha Avasthi learnt fabric painting at a summer camp in school. “Painting was simply for joy,” says this self-taught artist who explored different techniques and styles while pursuing B Tech and MBA and pursuing a corporate career.
During a solo trip to Gokarna in 2019, Alisha met Debasree Dey, a co-traveller who had quit her job to conduct art workshops in Pune. Her story gave Alisha the confidence to not let an idea remain in her head. However, her corporate life continued for another four years before she launched her art venture Inspiring Pigments in March 2023.
Participants during an art workshop | Photo Credit: special arrangement
This art venture has held more than 40 workshops on weekends at cafes and breweries. The two-hour guided workshop (fee ₹1600 includes all art material and a beverage) has her painting step by step with the participants, most of whom have lost touch with arts in school and others who have never painted in their lives. “The joy and surprise that they can create something beautiful is priceless.”
Participants show their art | Photo Credit: special arrangement
The ambience is relaxed, with no pressure to create in a certain way. Participants are asked to express themselves freely, and not copy the teacher. “The idea is to not create a duplicate artwork; I ask them to add or remove certain elements to express themselves,” says Alisha who is inspired by her travel, for landscapes. The workshops painting abstracts or themes like Northern Lights, Starry Nights and Golden Voyage bring out members’ personalities too.
Alisha also conducts art workshops as part of corporate well being or team building activities.
Of psychology and arts
Marzia Ali at a workshop | Photo Credit: special arrangement
Marzia Ali, a major in Psychology and Mass Communication, was always immersed in arts, as she was introduced to the field by her artist-mother Mumtaz Jusaf. . “I have been seeing art since the day I was born, our house used to be filled with colours and paintings. I would often watch my mother paint and take workshops,” recalls Marzia.
The psychology graduate applies psychology in her entrepreneurial career. Beginning as an Astro (astronomical) artist, she initiated the Duende Box (art subscription service) in 2018 — and had to discontinue it during the pandemic— and subsequently ventured into conducting workshops as ‘Marzia Ali - the art label.’
Creating an artwork from alcohol ink | Photo Credit: special arrangement
Marzia’s online and offline workshops at The Glass House in Jubilee Hills and long-term courses in Hyderabad and Bengaluru introduce participants to jesmonite (collaboration with Bohriali) resin, alcohol and ink and fluid art. They provide artistic experiences to individuals and corporations such as Google, Fabindia, ProjectEve and LBB. “These one-day sessions give an exposure to the medium and are therapeutic for people wanting to take a break from routine and have fun doing something artistic,” says Marzia, who also does social media marketing, part-time. The five-year-old company with more than 100-plus classes has around 10,000 students. She shares, “My mum would say, ‘You live by passing on your knowledge to others’. I want my skills to pass on so that art continues even when I am not in the field.”
Love for art
Creative session | Photo Credit: special arrangement
Practice makes anyone perfect, believe friends-turned-business partners Puja Das and Prodipta Ghosh. Natives of Jamshedpur and Asansol, the self-taught artists came to Hyderabad to work and study. Puja recalls how their venture Almanac was established in 2023: “While we chatted over a cup of coffee, we realised Almanac could be a way to take our love for art forward.”
Puja Das | Photo Credit: special arrangement
In these 18 months, Almanac has a database of more than 1000 students and has held sip and paint sessions, private events, curated flea markets and worked with influencer marketing teams and curated wall mural projects.
Prodipta Ghosh. | Photo Credit: special arrangement
Hyderabadis’ interest in art was also an inspiration, explains Prodipta. “We wanted to introduce fine art to audience spanning from beginner to advanced levels. Being co-founders and mentors, we wanted enthusiasts to understand the skills behind each stroke. We understand the struggles of fellow artisans and aim to provide a platform for emerging talents.”
Do the sip and paint workshops become socialising events rather than serious art sessions? “The sessions let people network, socialize and make new friends; they create a comfort zone where they relax with others, sit and draw or paint, thereby creating a new experience,” replies Puja.
They also have a team of artists teaching different art forms - acrylic on canvas, knife painting, coffee art, ink art, pottery gold foil art, rock painting, abstract mandala dot work and charcoal.
The team is now busy planning summer camps in collaboration with schools.
Enriching experience
Palugula Pranathee | Photo Credit: special arrangement
Armed with a bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology, Palugula Pranathee worked in a genetic lab for three months in 2018. “I enjoyed Sciencebut didn’t find lab work exciting; I didn’t see myself doing it forever,” recalls Pranathee. Her only exposure to art was a competition she had participated in class X, but bored during the 2020 lockdown, she took out her colours and began painting landscapes.
Painting 100 days continuously as part of a social media challenge ignited an interest in art. “I would watch online videos but the techniques didn’t work for me.” Thereafter, exploring her artistic style, she began posting works on Instagram which brought her many followers.
Showcasing their art | Photo Credit: special arrangement
Having conducted more than 300 workshops for adults and children, she likes to work in acrylics in her workshops because: “Acrylics dries quickly and is easy even for beginners. Participants are happy to take their works home from the workshop.” She shares, “One need not have a serious outlook towards art . Earlier, I used to talk about the medium and techniques, but then I realised that people want to experience art. Especially after COVID, they are looking for activities which are therapeutic and relaxing.”
Showcasing their art | Photo Credit: special arrangement
Pranathee feels her personality has changed because of her art enterprise. “I was an introvert and not many people knew me in Hyderabad but after the workshops, I feel everybody in the city knows me,” she laughs.
