Sandhya Shankar Patnaik watched her mother make beautiful art from nothing but scraping the wood. “Once I saw her make the face of a woman with elaichi skin. Until one watched it closely, one couldn’t make out that the face was created out of elaichi,” smiles Sandhya sitting amidst her works in Gallery Space in MLA Colony, Banjara Hills. Her first exhibition, titled ‘Feminine Self’, showcases women painted against a rough texture and in a splash of colours. With variations in jewellery and hues, the women with a flower in her ears look sensuous and delicate. “I just want to show that feminity is not just about being delicate. The rough texture symbolises the difficulties she is surrounded with and the toughness which comes out,” she adds. The artist is quite excited about her first solo show.
Wearing a long skirt, sleeveless tee and ethnic jewellery to match, Sandhya, who hails from Visakhapatnam is a versatile artist. Her creative pursuits spread to jewellery and interior designing too. “As a little girl, I would also watch my brother, who was a professional artist in pen and ink,” she recalls.
With an interest in art and fashion designing, Sandhya’s zeal in designing was a notch higher. She used to design her own clothes even when she was young and later bought an application form from NIFT to study fashion. Destiny had another plans when she got a wedding proposal. “My husband was then the head of the department of fine arts in Andhra University. I married and joined the university to get a degree in fine arts,” smiles Sandhya. Married into an artistic family — her father-in-law is the famous sculptor C.S.N. Patnaik — she began her journey in the world of colours.
Looking at her works, she observes, “My theme brings out different facets of women but that doesn’t mean I am a feminist. I believe there are good qualities in both men and women. One should not go by the delicate looks of a woman. She is mentally a strong person and when the situation demands, it comes out and leads her in facing challenges.”
A mother of two, Sandhya leads a busy life and finds peace in art. Everyday she paints between 12 a.m. and 3 a.m.! “There is silence all around and I can concentrate well,” she says with a smile. Showing us one vibrant work with shades of pink, she says, “I had finished this work, when my little daughter sprayed the pink colour on the canvas. The work was complete so I decided to scrape the colour and these shades emerged out of it.”
Now she has joined MFA in Andhra University, with her husband Ravi Shankar Patnaik is her teacher. “My family offers support and encourages me to pursue my dreams,” she says on a parting note.
The exhibition at Gallery Space ends on June 27.
