The art activist

There are many who quit their high-paying jobs to chase their passion or ‘dream’, and they are even hailed for the bold decision. But Sooraj Babu, a young artist, is different from them. He has mastered the art of balancing his career and passion well. Now a respected artist and a mentor for many aspiring artists — both adults and kids — Sooraj is living his dream. Preparing for his upcoming exhibition in Italy next month, Sooraj, however, says it was not a cakewalk for him.

After completing 12th standard, Sooraj didn’t look for too many options. Either he could pursue a degree in art or he could go for engineering. Well aware of the challenges every budding artist has to face in our part of the world, Sooraj decided to go for engineering. His plan was to earn a job first and continue his passion for drawing along with it. “The Mechanical Engineering degree earned me a high-paying job in an MNC. I knew well about the life of an artist and how they are left empty-handed at times. And I am not coming from a well-off family either. I could not afford to spend time for drawing. So, it was very difficult at first,” he says. But his creative side could not wait longer to burst out. So, Sooraj quit the job and joined another company as creative designer. Three years later, he joined another company, where he is getting enough freedom as well as time for spending time with the canvas and colours.

A man who loves challenges and tries to be different from others, Sooraj’s favourite medium is watercolour. “Watercolour has the reputation of being a difficult medium. It has been known to cause feelings of frustration, defeat, and disappointment, especially for those who are just starting out and all they want is to paint something that they can be proud of.  And when I started off, the case was no different. I love the way colours turn out when we mix them with other colours using water,” says Sooraj. He also thinks it is not easy to predict the result of mixing different colours with water. One may take a lot of time to master it. While painting using watercolour, you need to act faster or the colours could get dry too fast. “I approach watercolour this way and I think that it is a big reason why it’s been so enjoyable for me.”

Sooraj has already conducted some exhibitions of his works, including ‘Aquarelle’ in Coimbatore with renowned watercolour masters. He made his first international representation in Hanoi, Vietnam, in association with the International Watercolour Society recently.  His paintings are sold worldwide and could be seen in Australia, Canada, USA and GCC.

Sooraj believes things are a lot different now as far as people’s attitude towards art and artists are concerned. He says a lot of people are into it now, especially in Bengaluru. “We know we still have not accepted art as a profession, but things are changing and now artists do have several platforms to showcase their talent. If you see an artist struggling to come to the fore despite having good potential, there is lack of marketing. I believe as an artist, you should market or present yourself well. We have lots of mediums. I use Facebook and other forms of online platforms well and it has really helped me a lot.”  

Sooraj is a self-made artist and he always looks for new ways to improve himself by learning and conducting lots of workshops. But he is hopeful that he will be able get involved more in art or be a full-time artist. He also wants to help budding artists and share his knowledge with them, which is a bigger dream that he is trying to fulfil.