Having tried his hand in violin, sketching and other multiple streams, Vijay Kumar Somanchi finds solace in art. “Initially, I used to copy different forms of art without adding much creativity.
But I rediscovered myself as an artist when I was idle for two years after my graduation,” he said.
The novel ‘Lust for Life’ written by Irving Stone inspired Vijay Kumar to unearth his creative world. “The story deals with hardships faced by the Dutch painter and how he overcomes in life despite adversities. It did touch me a lot and from then on there was no looking back,” he said.
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He feels that one has to be on guard while using water colours. “Landscapes and mountain-scapes flow out of your imagination which is usually not time bound. But with water colours, it has to be a continuous process. You cannot pause and then resume the paining using water colours as the texture might get disturbed. But it is the other way around with oils as the medium.”
Vijay Kumar’s works bring nature close to the heart with its captivating beauty. Despite being a retired employee of SBI, he never stopped learning art.
“International exhibitions made me embed modernity into my work. We come across different artists under one roof. It is important to evolve as an artist constantly, analyse what people admire at and then incorporate those elements while bringing out the piece.”
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He captures the beauty of mountain-scapes on canvas pouring life in various forms and shades. Apart from the paint brush, he also uses scooping technique with knife and wicks to bring the perfect texture of rocks.
For him, painting is not confined to preconceived ideas.
“We do get inputs seeing various art pieces, but when you work it should reflect spontaneous thought process that comes within,” he added.
Those who want to spend some quiet time with nature in shades of blue, green and rusty-earth can visit Patnaik Art Gallery till Friday, between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m.