Women artists at the Balasore College of Art and Crafts workshop. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, March 15: Around 40 women artists of the state expressed their ideas on canvases at an art workshop organised at Balasore College of Art and Crafts (BCAC), Balasore, recently.

The three-day workshop titled “Art Era-2011” was conducted by the capital-based Orissa Modern Art Gallery (OMAG) to mark the centenary celebrations of International Women’s Day.

Almost half of the participants were students of BCAC. For them, it was an opportunity to interact with their senior counterparts and discuss about evolving styles and techniques in art.

Using acrylic on canvas, the artists dealt with a wide range of themes from exploitation and oppression to empowerment and emancipation of women. While some drew an analogy between nature and woman through their art work, others painted their own social experiences like the mother-child bond, the thought process of women and so on.

“This exclusively-women workshop has served as a rewarding platform for students like me to exchange ideas with senior artists. It was not just an opportunity to celebrate womanhood but also to delve deeper into our inner selves,” said Moushumi Mohapatra, a participant.

This special workshop was introduced three years ago, said Tarakant Parida, founder-director of OMAG. “For the first two years, we had organised it at an all-India level but we could not do so this time due to the dearth of funds. Therefore, we thought of bringing together professional as well as budding talents on a common platform,” said Parida, adding that the subsequent workshops would be held in other parts of the state to encourage women artists and bring their hidden potentialities to the fore.

“After the first two workshops were held in Bhubaneswar, we decided to move to other districts. The next one would most probably be held in Puri or Paradeep,” he said.

Stating that women artists do not get much scope or a proper atmosphere at home to pursue art, Parida said they had made arrangements for them to paint at OMAG on the third Sunday of every month.