The painting room: Where artworks are created

The studio is a curious shape-shifting space, changing from artist to artist

Mar 17, 2017, 10:18 IST1 min

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MANJUNATH KAMATHVasant Kunj, New DelhiMy studio is a reflection of my artworks: A little of the space filled in, a lot of it left empty. This place houses my collection of traditional and folk art (points to a leather puppet from Andhra and a bhoota figure from Mangaluru on the far wall of the studio) which I have been collecting since childhood. These artworks inspire me and appear in my work too. A lot of times, I have an idea and can’t grasp it physically. But once I’ve chosen a medium to express it and start working at it, there’s always a point where I lose myself and an energy takes over and with it, this sense of being just a medium.

Image by Madhu Kapparath

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RAMESHWAR BROOTATriveni Kala Sangam, New DelhiThis space where I create my works also doubles up as my office as the head of the Department of Art at Triveni Kala Sangam where I teach. I don’t work in isolation like a lot of artists do. It’s essential that I have all this life around me, these students working in the other rooms down the corridor, the interruptions. Yet, amidst all this, I am an introvert. These works of mine result from scratching the canvas meticulously, for hours, for weeks, for months. Or from experimenting with chemicals and layering transparent surfaces. I spend the day here, and return after dinner to work until midnight every day.

Image by Madhu Kapparath

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THOTA VAIKUNTAMJubilee Hills, HyderabadSpace is everything. And controlling space is our main problem as artists. When we lived in a smaller house in Chikkadpally [a locality in central Hyderabad], I would be painting in the room and my wife and kids did their chores around me. Our family is used to it, but such an arrangement doesn’t suit everybody. Having an individual space to work in is very important. I too have tried to operate from a studio space away from home. But I have had to start working from home again. The reason is that many of my earlier canvasses were small in size and I could comfortably work on them while sitting. Now I paint on bigger canvasses and the constant bending has been causing severe back pain. So I need to take long breaks in between work.

Image by Harsha Vadlamani for ForbesLife India