Jayanth Kumar’s “Rough Sketches” at the Kerala Art Gallery is an interesting example of how industriousness and creativity mingle. Jayanth, the proprietor found a lot of time on his hands minding the gallery. He just kept doodling on paper with a pen until he discovered that they formed curious patterns. Intrigued by the result he kept at it, replacing paper with canvas.
These rough sketches are a delightful collection of pen-drawings on display at the Kerala Art Gallery. “All I used was an ordinary ball-point pen and paper,” he says.
Jayant has washed the canvas in earthy ochre and mouldy green hues. The paint is diluted and brushed in gentle but broad strokes on the canvas to achieve this effect, he says. The works resemble the inscriptions on ancient parchments. “I have always been an admirer of the 14 century Arabic art, which draws a lot of influences from calligraphic styles,” Jayanth says.
A medium-sized pen on white paper work depicts an idyllic countryside. Men and cattle at work, a huge haystack nearby, a mud hut and gigantic hills in the background have all been etched in great detail. The fine lines in black give the landscape its true rustic character. With the same ease, Jayanth sketches a busy market place, the mighty sphinx, and the abandoned ruins of a fort.
Trees with gnarled branches and knotted leaf clusters appear in smaller canvases. The 9x11 inch frames bring to life little birds on intricate bunches of vines. Sea creatures appear too in good measure, swimming in a sea of colour.
Jayanth has also used red, blue and green ball point pens for some works.
Putting these works together involved very little expense, says Jayanth, who feels several artists never get a chance to display their works as they do not have enough funds to support their “expensive passion”. Framing the works and finding a gallery itself involves a hefty sum and struggling artists may not get an opportunity.
These works, however, cost him little. “Just Rs 50 for the canvas and Rs 100 for the frame. I am not counting the cost of the pen,” he says.
The exhibition is on till June 30.
