Soulful art on demand

From selecting trendy colours to keeping in mind the kind of architecture that most of the people prefer nowadays while building a house, artist Vineetha Menon has a tricky and extremely hectic task before she finally settles down to make paintings. All her works, apart from adorning the walls of her favourite clients’ houses, also deserve to be displayed at an exhibition as they are not mere paintings, but creations of a full-time artist who finds inspiration from her surroundings.

A native of Palakkad, Vineetha is an artist who associates herself with various interior designing firms in Kochi. Therefore, this time around she has selected the studio of a prominent furniture brand as the venue so that the public who walk into the studio can get a clear picture of how the paintings will look when placed in their homes. Her exhibition, Add Some Art to Your Day, is going on at Studio Pepper Fry, Panampilly Nagar.

Vineetha admits that being an artist, it is very difficult to maintain a balance between painting something that has her signature on it and creating things that are meant to be used for commercial purposes only. The exhibition features around 30 brand-new paintings that include contemporary, abstract, line drawing works and others. In addition, printed versions of some of Vineetha’s old paintings are also on display. She says that the printed ones are in high demand and many people have bought them as well. The paintings use aqua blue shades in abundance as Vineetha says that they are in trend. The line drawings are mostly landscapes that are all-time favourites.

When asked about the difference in her approach while making paintings for different purposes, she says, “Making paintings for interior purposes is my career and it supports me financially. Various interior designers associate with me for making paintings for houses and hotels. People started approaching me as I am a trained mural artist. However, off late very few people demand mural paintings. Customers are more interested in contemporary art and minimalist paintings as they are never out of trend and are comparatively easy to manage. It is, therefore, very important that I stay updated about the latest trends and the colours that are in demand each season. I have to talk to the client, understand his/her view on how a painting should look, inspect the site and tell them if their choice fits the home and if not give them ample options to choose from, which are better than their imagination. I would say that an artist who can easily manage every medium should only opt for a career of this sort.”

Vineetha very well differentiates between her career and passion and being a person who has fought medical conditions to reach the position where she is now, she adds that her dream is to travel, paint and conduct exhibitions in various countries. “I am making a living out of what I know best. But my ultimate aim is to become a famous artist with my own style.”