Art lovers check out works of Jyotsna Patra at Jayadev Bhavan in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, June 18: Academic-turned-painter Jyotsna is showcasing her oil paintings at a two-day solo art exhibition that began on Tuesday morning at Jayadev Bhavan here.

Jyotsna, who holds a PhD in Sanskrit, hails from Cuttack, but grew up at Hisar in Haryana.

Jyotsna’s husband Mihir Ranjan Patra, who is an academic and poet, urged her to hone her artistic skills when he saw her draw a beautiful painting. Encouraged by him, she started painting and in a few years she left her job of a teacher to become a full-time artist.

“I needed time and space to think in a creative manner and create something that satisfies me. Mihir and our children continuously encourage me to do better,” she said.

Her exhibition here is divided into three sections — Horse Carts, Half Veil and Mindscape. In the first section, she has taken inspiration from the crafts village of New Delhi. However, Jyotsna’s attempt to replicate the exact image of the village on the canvas, do not look convincing enough.

They appear very amateur as compared to the other two sections that speak volumes about her artistic proficiency. Half Veil shows a series of burqa-clad faces where all the expressions ranging from happiness to dejection are conveyed only through the eyes. In the third section, she has painted a number of celestial objects such as galaxies, but represent inner turmoil of every human mind.

Jyotsna is already making plans for her future exhibitions where she will paint the legendary figures of Odisha. Another exhibition of Jyotsna based on Mumbai will present the Maximum City’s past, present and future in pencil sketches, watercolours and oil paintings respectively.

Mihir at the same event, launched his book titled Swagatokti, a collection of poems. He has translated his Hindi poems into Odia for this book. He hails from Berhampur but is based in Hisar. The couple has two kids. While their 13-year-old son Nishit wants to be a writer, their 10-year-old daughter is more inclined towards arts.