Hello, I am Manesh Menon, a self-taught artist and an engineer by profession. Colors have always fascinated me; it has been my passion since childhood. Sadly, I did not continue to nourish this passion and got busy in my worldly life. After years away, I am ready to paint again, and this time I pledge to never let it go.
It is true that humankind is going through a chaotic time due to COVID-19, but I also feel that it’s important to not let this chaos affect our mental health. I think Art is one of the best ways to uplift your mental well-being or a way to express your feelings. This is also the time when I am ready to explore my capabilities through my paintings.
A walk through the processes while I play with the colors:
Generally, I look for a striking feature from any source to get a reflection in my head and visualize how will it look on my canvas. If I can’t find it, I ask people around me, my wife, my friends, or colleagues for a specific theme to let me paint them as I need. Then I draw a pencil sketch of the theme or the idea before I start painting on the canvas.
My current work mostly comprises of abstract art. Whereas my usual work mostly begins with an experimental drawing. I also enjoy drawing nature, landscape, dance forms anything that develops and refines my hand-eye coordination. Occasionally I also explore different ideas in terms of content, color, composition, etc.
There is a moment when I feel that any more addition would detract the painting. At that instant, I know that I have achieved my satisfaction. It is actually difficult to describe in words. When I am in doubt, I leave the painting for some time and come back to it with a fresh find. It’s an immense satisfaction to see it finished and alive on the canvas. There is nothing more satisfactory than being able to portray the same specification or significance in the viewer’s eye the way I intend to, in the painting.
What inspired me?
During my graduation days, acrylic paintings really intrigued me. I felt attracted by the endless possibilities I could create through my own colors and to evoke sub-realistic scenes onto the canvas. I am highly influenced by many artists whom I met across Instagram and other sources. I still thrive to learn and improve my craft and explore the world of Art.
I am blessed to have a lovely family who always encourages me to carry forward with my passion. This very positive surrounding of my family and friends is my daily dose of motivation which keeps me going.
To conclude, there is no looking back now. Art is my life and through this medium of painting, I will continue to learn and keep that creativity and imagination alive through my canvas. I hope you liked this post, please share, comment, and follow my social media page
You can also grab a copy of my painting at https://www.etsy.com/in-en/shop/Mangoartistogallery
Author: Manesh Menon