Toon spirit in a bottle: Innovative methods to do art and craft

For the longest time, youngsters in city had a fad for a Superman t shirt or Simpsons pyjamas. But that craze has fizzeled out. This generation is not only thinking of innovative methods to do art and craft, but also experimenting with such quirky prints on objects that would have otherwise been in the bin.

A table lamp, a vase or just a decor. That’s not all! An empty glass bottle can fill in for a lot more uses. Supriya Venkatesh, an art enthusiast, is filling empty corners across the city with her art project titled, Khali Quarter Bottle.

Describing herself as someone whose interests have always been on a creative edge, Supriya reminisces her childhood days. As a child, she was enrolled for  dancing, singing and painting classes but she looked forward to only the painting sessions.

This Hassan-born, Bengaluru-bred girl who has been making greeting cards and paintings from a young age has quite an interesting story to share, “Doodling in between lectures was always fun. I finished my engineering studies and joined a leading IT company. However, something was amiss.”

 

It was while working at this firm that she realised her true calling to integrate her penchant for art with her technical background. Her venture Khali Quarter Bottle was born out of the idea to reduce, reuse and recycle. Amidst the typical nine to six schedule, post work, you can find her in the four corners of her room, humming to the songs of Coldplay, deciding on her next painting and swirling paint across empty glass bottles.

This 26-year-old traces the idea behind her venture to a boring Friday night. “Ideas popped up in my head when I saw an empty glass bottle, which was meant to be thrown, in front of me. I wanted to try these ideas right away. I couldn’t wait till morning and started painting. What followed was a blessing in disguise. I had made a beauty out of waste,” she says eagerly.

“Painting on empty bottles could have never been so exciting. You get to experiment with ideas and play with colours. Bottles have become my canvas. My imagination becomes my work. I started out with abstract painting on bottles and then saw where it led me.”

It was while trying out new ideas that Supriya started receiving a huge response from friends and families. She also bagged a few projects from a few pubs and cafes in the city.

“I was so overwhelmed with the response I got. I took it forward from there. Each of the painted bottles has a story of its own. A few clients convey their idea and specification of what they want. The rest just leave it to my innovative mind,” smiles Supriya.

Just a few months into this project, you can see joy resonating in her laughter.  Supriya tells us how she couldn’t have been more content and happy in starting this venture.

“My love for art has no bounds. I dedicate at least an hour everyday to improve my skills to get better at it. It’s refreshing, a great stress buster and also helps me make that extra penny. What’s more is that you get to interact and meet so many like-minded individuals in the long run.”