Artist Nandita Richie names her exhibition of artworks in Urdu as she thinks that the language beautifully decribes every frame. With her new series, Khwabeeda, she brings forth her idea of dreams. By Team Viva
What specific term would you use to describe yourself as an avid dreamer? Artist Nandita Richie calls herself a Khwabeeda, which is also the title of her latest solo exhibition. She says that she’s not very familiar with Urdu but is fond of giving titles to her paintings and exhibitions in different languages. “I have named one of the paintings as Gurub-e-Aaftab, which means setting sun. It just sounds so beautiful in Urdu,” she says.
Art is something that liberates the soul, provokes the imagination and encourages people to go further. And if this imagination is the result of childhood memories, then, it grows into many ideas that are endearing. For Nandita, her foray into art began with the memories of her grandfather’s garden and matured when, as a young teenager, she attempted to turn away from the canvas to experimenting on wearable fabrics.
At the age of 14, Nandita painted a few sarees for her mother with fabric dye paints to try new ways of expressing her art form. Today, she has diversified her art into ‘wearables’ and owns her signature line of ties, scarves and pocket squares. She has started her own line of digitally printed limited edition sarees too. “I believe art should not be limited to galleries and only for those who can afford to buy original art. Bringing out my line of designer sarees, silk wear seemed one of the best options. These products are limited edition prints of my canvas art and they are affordable,” she says.
But her art continues to be rooted in her childhood. “My work is a visual diary of my memories of the garden where I grew up as a child watching my grandfather and father, who had green thumbs, working to create the most beautiful garden full of exotic flowers and lush trees for us to play, enjoy and respect nature in my hometown of Jaipur. Today, a large multi-storeyed building stands where my grandpa’s garden used to be. I not only miss watering his plants and tending to the saplings but also sitting in that open space surrounded by nature’s beauty,” Nandita says and goes on to add, “I am very much inspired by nature especially waterscapes and lotuses. The lotus is more than just a flower. It conveys a very strong message to humans. Even though it is rooted in mud, it continues to float on water without becoming wet or muddy. This aspect of the flower dictates how humans ought to live in this world.”
The architecture, fabrics, handicrafts and gemstones provide Jaipur with a myriad of colours labelling it famously as the Pink City of India, she says, adding that it is one of her favourite colours, therefore. “I paint lotuses and lilies. The latter are captivating blooms, both in the garden and on the canvas. If only I could capture their subtle fragrance. None of my water paintings feel complete without the lotus. The one that is close to my heart is the Blue Tranquil, which is a water body with floating lotus leaves and flowers. I have created a special light effect using bold strokes and layers of paint to depict how the water shines during the early morning hours.”
Although impressionist and post impressionist styles have greatly influenced her work, she is also moved by modern and contemporary art and is not shy of experimenting with abstract styles and mixed mediums. Her work is a result of her vivid imagination, love of nature and years of experience with the palette knife. Her paintings depict joy, romance and beauty and are highly textured giving a three-dimensional effect.
She says, “I am a die-hard nature lover which is evident from my paintings. I paint using my imagination and memories. My formal training during my college years and the critique provided by my talented teachers keep me disciplined about form and dimensions while the appreciation of art lovers lends me new wings to experiment further with textures. I work with a palette knife and acrylic colours on canvas using the impasto wet-on-wet technique.”
