The Art & Soul gallery hosted an exhibition named Art Mela with 39 paintings depicting the rich cultural heritage of India
It was an exciting moment for the Indian Community in Oman to celebrate the 75th Independence Day of India. While most of the events happened virtually due to Covid-19 restrictions, the expatriate artists celebrated the day in style by putting up their artworks in an art gallery in Muscat.
The Art & Soul gallery hosted an exhibition named ‘Art Mela’ with 39 paintings depicting the rich cultural heritage of India. The event opened under strict Covid protocols on August 16. The 12-day exhibition will conclude on August 28.
Dr Baby Sam Samuel, Vice-chairman Knowledge Oman and former chairman of Indian Schools in Oman, inaugurated the exhibition amid patriotic fervour and attendance from an august gathering.
Dr Shalini Gupta recited soulful poetry on the occasion while Sneha and Leo, students of Kings United, captivated the gathering with their dance performances. Nine-year-old Krishanu’s English poetry received huge applause from the audience.
All the participating artists appreciated the idea of ‘Art Mela’. They called for more such events to promote art and culture. They expressed gratitude to Oman, with which India maintains thousands of years of cultural and trade relations.
All the participating artists appreciated the idea of ‘Art Mela’. They called for more such events to promote art and culture. They expressed gratitude to Oman with which India maintains thousands of years of cultural and trade relations
The participating artists spoke about their passion for art and the style of their work.
Anjali Babu: I have been learning art for the past seven years from different accomplished teachers. My Style is Realism, and I love to work with oil, watercolours and acrylics.
Aneesha B S: I have been mastering art for the last fifteen years. I still learn and unlearn. I have a Diploma in Drawing and painting from London Art College. I use oil, acrylic and watercolour along with pastels and charcoals.
Anjana Loomba: I have painted infrequently over the years. However, I explored my creative self more in recent times. I am self-taught and have honed my skills by attending workshops. Minimalistic / hard edged / abstract are my preferred style, and acrylic on canvas is the preferred medium.
Anuradha Shanbag: I am a self-taught artist but later have taken professional training from Mrs Anjali Pawar and Mr Sheffy Tattarath. My preferred mediums are oil, charcoal and colour pencils. I am passionate about Indian Art and Portraiture
Bhavana Maini: Art has fascinated me since school where I pursued Commercial Art. It has been a creative journey. I am an eternal learner inspired by the subjects around me. I find art therapeutic and stimulating. I experiment with mixed media and techniques – most of which are self-taught, by observation & practice. My artwork is now leaning towards Impressionism.
Bindu Parayil: Art has always been my passion and has become my profession for the past nine years. I have worked hard to improve my skills and knowledge of mediums and styles. I work in all mediums.
Dr Dipty Shrivastava: I have been painting ever since childhood, but it was only in Oman that I got opportunities to learn from accomplished teachers. I was self-taught initially but now have been learning the art from some of the professional artists. I have done a few online courses too. I usually do Realistic or Semi-realistic work. I like to work in oils, acrylics and watercolours.
Dr Ratna Dharmendran: I took painting as a hobby six years ago. I work in oils, acrylics, colour pencils and pastels on paper. I prefer oil painting on canvas.
Dr Shalini Gupta Kumar: My journey in art started just before marriage. It has been 36 years ever since I first started painting in oil colours. I learnt acrylic painting and abstract art from various masters. I have attended workshops and training from time to time. My preferred style of art is Abstract, and my preferred medium is acrylics.
Dr Neetu Chabria: I have been painting seriously since 2005. I am a self-made/ inspired artist. I have explored all forms of Indian art. Recently I enhanced my skills by participating in a series of online workshops. I love art revolving around Indian subjects. Acrylic paints and crayons are my favourite medium for my art.
Elizabeth Davis: I have been painting for as long as I can remember. We had a fantastic art department in the school. I also did a few courses with International artists. I am mostly into Impressionism and currently prefer acrylics.
Kajal varshney: I have been painting for the last four years. I am a self-taught artist. I am learning Oils and acrylics, and therefore these are my comfortable mediums.
Khursheed Raja: My artistic journey spans more than two decades. I have received an online Diploma in Arts from IFAA and London Art College. My preferred medium is oil, though I work in other mediums, and I love to create realistic pieces of art.
Kiranmayee Jandyam: I am a self-taught artist from Hyderabad, India. Painting started as a hobby and summer projects in school days. I am very comfortable with acrylics and oils and experiment with different forms of painting.
Lathaguru: I have been painting for the last two years. I am professionally an interior designer but have been learning the art from the well-known art teacher – Sheffy Tattarath for the last 2 two years. I like doing reverse negative space technique and light and shadow effects on the black cloth without using black colour. I also enjoy painting with oils.
Manjunath N: I have done my Bachelors in Fine Arts. I love painting semi-abstract forms, and the medium I most enjoy working with is Acrylics.
Mini Nair: I have been drawing and painting since childhood. The only art training I had was art classes while in school. I am inspired by people, places, culture and emotions. I draw in varied styles. I love bright colours and paint in all mediums.
Mona Rathod: I have been painting for the past 20 years. I have done several art courses. My favourite medium is acrylics with 3D artwork.
Nandana Kouli: I have been painting for eight years. I have been trained in Acrylic, Oil, glass and watercolour mediums. My preferred style of art is realism and my preferred medium is oil. However, I am always open to exploring different art styles in different mediums.
Neethu Francis: My art journey has been a short one of 3 years. I am a self-taught Abstract artist as that is my preferred style and acrylic is my preferred medium.
Prakashan Puthur: I am a Contemporary Artist, and my art speaks to the life around me. Early in life, I knew my calling, and I graduated in the field from Kerala School of Art in Thalassery. I specialise in watercolour and acrylic. I won the Ministry of Youth Affairs Award for the Best Painter by the Government of India. I was also awarded by OSFA for Fine Arts in 2018 and Oman Ministry of Culture and Heritage in 2019
Radha Bachu: My journey in art began 12 years ago. I am a self-taught artist and have no specific training. It is my passion for art that keeps me going. I like doing Kerala Murals, 3D Murals and landscape paintings.
Radhakrishnan S T: I was always fond of painting ever since my childhood. I have been trained by the well-known artist Sheffy Tattrath in oil painting. My preferred style is realism and my preferred medium is oils.
Rajesh Gupta: My artistic journey spans fifteen years. I am a graduate in fine arts and my forte is realism in Oils.
Rashmi Dauria: My journey in art has been lifelong. Ever Since childhood, with no formal training, I have been practising art in different forms. I did a Diploma in graphic designing from J.J. Institute of Applied Art, Mumbai. My preferred styles of work are Realistic and Semi-realistic. I love to paint in watercolours but I do work in other mediums too.
Reji Chandy: I have been painting since 1997 (24 years) I have completed a diploma in fine arts (KGTE). My favourite styles are Hyperrealism, Realism and Surrealism while I love working in watercolours, acrylics, oils and Pastels.
Rekhadevi Manivannan: My art journey started in 2008. Initially, I was self taught however with the help of a few trained Artists, my skills improved. I love painting portraits and landscapes with Oil and acrylics.
Remasivakumar: My artistic journey is 6 years old. I was trained in art primarily by teachers from Kalamandalam, and I have also learnt from other teachers. I love Realism and therefore paint portraits and nature using oil as a medium.
Sarika Talwar: I have always been passionate about art since childhood. I am a self-taught artist. I have tried multiple art styles and mediums like block printing and fabric painting with acrylics and needlework. I love doing still life and folk art.
Savita Attri: I have been painting since my childhood. I have not received any formal training in art, though I am still growing and learning different genres of art from accomplished artists. My preferred style of art is photorealism and my preferred medium is oil.
Shalini Kartik: I have been painting for more than a decade. I am a self-taught artist. My preferred style is Indian folk-art styles and I prefer to work with mixed media.
Shalini Varma: It has been a journey of more than two decades since I started painting. However, I do not hold a formal degree in art. I have learnt on the job. My learning is ongoing, with every painting and every stroke. I love painting in oils because of its versatility and my preferred style is Realism.
Shashi Hemant: I have been painting for nearly 20 years. Obtained certifications for freehand drawing from Govt.of India and for painting in oils from WebArtAcademy, London. My preferred style is Realistic Expressions using multilayered and Alla prima painting techniques. The preferred medium is oil on canvas.
Sheffy Tattarath: A self-taught artist, I hail from India and currently residing in Oman. I have been passionate about fine art since early childhood. I am a versatile artist experimenting with various mediums, and I work as an Art Director/Advisor in Golden Brush Enterprise. I have participated in 48 exhibitions and won many awards. My paintings are regularly bought by art lovers/firms across the world.
Showbi Nowshad: I started doing art seriously in the past ten years. I’ve never really been trained professionally, except for a few workshops. Most of my progress is through self-study. I mostly prefer doing rough brush strokes, even though I occasionally try to do other techniques as well. Oil painting is my favourite medium.
Soni Budhia: As an Artist, I have been passionate about art from childhood, but have been professionally painting for 6-7 years. No one is a born artist, neither I am. To refine my skills, I have attended workshops with eminent artists. I prefer to work in mixed media and my art style is impressionistic. I also like to sculpt to communicate my social views.
Sudha Siju: True to the well-known saying that ‘Every child is an artist’, I started drawing and painting during my school days. Fortunate to be residing in mystical Muscat and surrounded by lots of talented artists, I got the opportunity to learn from a few of them. I love exploring and experimenting with different styles. I started with acrylics on canvas but also loved working with oils and watercolors.
Sushmita Gupta: I have been painting ever since I was a little girl. However, my first solo exhibition happened in 2011. I am a self-taught artist. I dabble in Expressionism the most. I love working with acrylics.
Tarini Agarwal: I was drawn towards art from childhood but have seriously delved into it for the last seven years. I am self-taught with online instructions. I have a diploma from the Drawing Art Academy, London. As a mixed media artist, I explore abstract relationships between the landscape and figures and the emotional response to any given situation. My work hovers between Abstraction and Expressionism.
Trupti Bhatkal: I have been painting for the last 16 years. I haven’t had any formal education in art. But I have been trained in oil painting by a local artist. I have always been fond of realism and semi-realistic styles of art in oil and acrylics.
Uma Gopinath: Having learnt a few traditional Indian art styles, I forayed into fine art three years ago. I do not have any structured training in art. But I have had training under some senior artists. Although I am comfortable with oil and oil pastels, I also work with acrylic and coloured pencils. I began with realism but I want to expand my repertoire.
Vaishali Sachin Thakar: My connection to art has been from school days, I then did interior designing along with some painting lessons in India, and now my passion is photorealism which I have been learning with Mr Sheffy Tattrath for the last 6yrs. I like painting landscapes and still life in oils.
Veena Naveen: Painting has been my hobby for the last 20 years but it has become my passion for the last 4 years. I am self-taught but got the guidance of a few senior artists in Muscat recently. My style of art is realistic, and even though I work in oil and watercolour, my preferred medium is acrylic.
Sheffy Tattarath: A self-taught artist. Sheffy hails from India and residing in Oman. He has been passionate about fine art since early childhood. Sheffy firmly believes that art and creativity is something that every individual possess. It is up to the person to discover the talent in him through determination and constant practice. Sheffy is an example of this statement.
Today he has become a versatile artist experimenting with various mediums and working as an art director/adviser in Golden brush Ent.
He has participated in various exhibitions (48 exhibitions), including virtual ones. He won many awards too.
His paintings were bought by art lovers/ firms from different parts of the world. Sheffy also conducts art classes online from his studio.
Harini Kumar: I have been into art since my school days. I took a break for 10 years after 1994. I then resumed painting in 2004. I have a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Stella Maris College, Chennai. I like acrylic and oils. I also work in Pen, Ink and Charcoal. I prefer to call my style of art as Cubist Expressionist.
Ashwini Kelkar: It has been over a decade ever since I started considering creative art as just a hobby. I do not have any formal training. I have learnt the technique from different classes and workshops. I do not have any fixed style yet as I am still in the learning process. I am comfortable painting with oils.
Shrikant Shrikant: Prefers a realistic approach in his work. Even his abstract depictions use an undercurrent of the daily articles to anchor his artistic vision. Traditional forms and objects related to his sensibilities and experience attract him with their geometry and tonal balance. This method provides the look he wants to achieve in his traditional yet abstract paintings. It is this ‘rhythm of texture’ that has become his signature.