Moods of women on canvas

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 24: The complex emotions of women have caught the attention of artist Namita Kumari, who has captured the subject at her solo exhibition Achintya.

The six-day exhibition is under way at Odisha Modern Art Gallery. Namita, an IT professional based in Bhubaneswar, has depicted the expressions of a woman through abstract strokes most of which invite interpretation. A number of positive and negative feelings that rule the minds and bodies of women in varying situations have been depicted.

She began painting two years ago without any formal training. "I have been following artworks of a number of veteran painters from the country for a very long time and that gave me the motivation to try my hand at it," said the engineer-turned-painter.

Around 50 paintings have been displayed at the exhibition. The paintings have been created using acrylic techniques. The expressions have been portrayed using a lot of bright colours. Each painting speaks about the frame of mind the character is in.

"Bright colours attract me. They also reflect my personality as I am very optimistic towards life," said the artist.

Namita is among the few women artists who have won the appreciation of art connoisseurs for pursuing their passion.

"Her paintings display the limitless power of women, both physically and intellectually. That women are taking up art as a means to fulfil their aesthetic interests is quite encouraging," said eminent artist and founder of the gallery Tarakanta Parida.

Also, a five-day painting workshop was hosted at the heritage village of Raghurajpur recently. Hosted by the regional centre of Lalit Kala Akademi, the workshop titled Kala Kadambam witnessed a conglomeration of contemporary, tribal, folk and traditional artists.

Around 15 artists from various parts of the country were divided in groups to create four canvases with glimpses from each of the art forms.

"The aim of the workshop was to promote cultural exchange in the field of art that could also enrich the lives of the local artists," said Sovan Kumar from the Akademi.