Image credit : Illustrative Image

If you are wondering what to do this weekend, here is your chance to see some amazing work of art and meet artists from all over India. Krisala Arts presents Riddle of Colours, a show based on the Indian Contemporary Art where young artists from all over India are participating with their creations; notable among them are upcoming Artists such as Avinash Gondaliya from Baroda, and Bandana Kumari from Bhopal, Jaya Javeri from Bangalore and Suchit Sahni from Delhi. The Art Show Riddles of Colour has twenty five prominent young artists whose paintings are showcased for art lovers to enjoy and contribute.

We speak to Jaya Javeri from Bangalore who has also showcased her work here.

Jaya Javeri is a well known artist living in Bangalore. She has held 19 solo exhibitions in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and in New York as well as participated in group shows all over India and in different parts of the world.

She has been painting from the time she was 2 years old and though she did not go to a formal art school she was trained by increasingly senior tutors till she had her first solo show at the age of 17. “Painting to me was a passion from a young age…. something my mother recognised as more than just a passing phase. She then ensured I had increasingly senior artists teach me. I feel I had a parallel education in Art though I did my graduation and MBA, insisted by my father who was in the corporate world and had my future security in mind. Art as a profession was not as prevalent as it is today. My education was not only learning the different techniques but also attending almost every art show in the city. I feel I learnt as much as a formal degree as I could ,driven by my passion.”

Her paintings are sought by individual collectors and corporate both in India and abroad. Jaya Javeri’s signature style of achieving perspective is highlighted in each of her canvases. She achieves a feeling of space and depth, a feeling of ‘walking into’ the canvas. The viewer’s eye is drawn into the painting – into the distance. She invites the eye to explore the hidden nooks and corners of old homes, forts, palaces, ancient pillars in temples, foliage lined paths leading into the unknown ,palaces framed against blazing red skies. “I moved to Bangalore from Mumbai in 1996. I was influenced by the architecture of the south….the beautiful old temples, the ancestral homes with the pillared courtyards, decorated doorways….All these lent themselves to my favouring themes with perspective. I paint them for the beauty that they offer with ,no hidden meaning…..except that they are seen as an invitation to explore their comforting ,cool depths.”

Her paintings are executed mainly with a palette knife using several thick layers of paint on the canvas. This helps her achieve varied thick textures in her paintings and she uses it to her advantage – highlighting different textures for different surfaces. Light and shadow play an important part in Jaya’s canvases. She uses the play of light to heighten the feeling of perspective and breathe life into her paintings. The colours she uses are bright and happy – she creates moods which are upbeat and positive. There are suggestions of joyous occasions and a festive spirit – reds, oranges and yellows in her sun paintings, women dressed in colourful finery carrying flowers or children playing and darting between pillars.

Besides her architectural and nature inspired works, Jaya paints the ‘Energy of the Sun’ series where she uses thick bold strokes to capture the vibrant moods and colours of the sun. Her series ‘Moods of the sea’ transport you to a place of tranquillity at the edge of the water looking into the calm horizon in the distance. “Fire In The Sky series originated from my love of painting the Sun as larger than life. The Sun to me represents positivity, energy and life. Also I associate the colours red, orange, yellow, crimson, yellow ochre as very Indian. The knife strokes make the Sun appear more dramatic. The Moods Of The Sea series came about due to my stays in Goa. I wanted to capture the same feeling of calm which I feel standing on the beach looking out at the ever changing water.”

Exhibition Venue: The Taj West End, Bangalore
From: November 18 to November 27, 2017 (11:00 AM – 7:00 PM)