Young and inspired

School students Pinar Dumlu and Sanyukta Srinivasan proved their versatility as artists in their very first exhibition in school.

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Today, we constantly hear about young achievers, not only in India, but all over the world. These two teen artists from American International School-Chennai, who exemplify these very traits, just had their debut exhibition, where each explored a variety of media to create pieces centred on a theme of their choice.

Pinar Dumlu

All about your art… I feel a strong connection to colours and the emotional power they possess. Colour can change the way a piece looks and the message it conveys; it is the colour that brings out the expressive nature. I used a wide range of colour schemes for my work in total. I particularly like bright, strong colours; they have positive energy and portray the confidence ART has given me.

Influences… I have noticed how, in a world controlled by media, people are trying to be and look perfect. When I first started, I tried to make my pieces look perfect, but then I found that perfection was not my style, nothing in reality is perfect. I felt more comfortable with imperfection and I wanted my work to portray the perfection I saw in imperfection; it is what makes everyone individual.

Medium and style… I kept on going back and forth between different media and styles. There isn't one that I prefer over the other. However, towards the end I found that I expressed myself best illustrating with colour pencil. I particularly enjoy working on a dark ground or surface to bring out the power of the colour.

Sanyukta Srinivasan

All a bout your art… I've always been scribbling around even as a child, on walls, on paper, anything. Then I got really interested in paper craft, just from some books I've had lying around the house. I don't think that anything in particular inspired me to draw; I just really enjoyed it.

I guess it's my way of unwinding. It can be extremely frustrating when your artwork doesn't go the way you want it to, and it can be extremely heartwarming when it does manage to go right. It's two extremes of emotions from which I learn a lot about myself.

Influences… I suppose what moves me as an artist is hard work and a depth in meaning.

Medium and subject… The medium doesn't really matter to me, I guess, but I love it when people use random objects like, say, fish hooks to create a painting. Media can be anything; it's just amazing when there's something completely unexpected!

Inspiration… I guess there's no one person, really. Kate Macdowell makes some brilliant porcelain sculptures, rich in detail and meaning. I admire many animators, I draw inspiration from their movies too, especially Hayao Miyazaki, a Japanese animator.

Samvitha is a student of the American International School.