Shades of streets

It is a busy Saturday morning at Jew Street in Mattancherry. The morning light that filters through the skylight of the studio, where artist Sara Hussain and her mentor artist Onyx Paulose work, brightens up the paintings  on the walls. Sara, who recently made a record by painting 51 pieces during the camp organised by the  Lalithakala Akademi to raise funds for the flood affected, walks in with a smile. We sit near the window that offers a beautiful view of the street, one of Sara’s muses for 14 years. And, gradually, she narrates her journey.

“My mother inspired me to become an artist,” she begins. “I grew up watching her drawing figures. The anatomy of those figures was not intact but she had that sense of where to place what. I still remember one of her drawings that had the side view of a Christian mother wearing chattayum mundum. I don’t know from where she got that image, and it was neatly drawn,” says Sara about her mother Sajitha. “She never learnt art and has not been exposed much to the outside world. She is also a good singer,” smiles Sara, native of Arookutty. 

As family liked art, Sara never faced any opposition from them to pursue it. Like any other child, her books too were covered with drawings. “When I reached Class VII, I started drawing for my peers. I had a fascination towards figures and loved those drawings that appeared in Malayalam publications. I would borrow magazines from neighbouring houses, trace those pictures and give them to my friends. They liked it too,” Sara continues and confesses that she was not so studious. Although she wanted to study art after Class X, her family was not financially sound to let her do that. “My father passed away when I was 12. As I couldn’t afford art studies, I joined pre-degree at Mannam Islamiya College for Orphans. But I couldn’t complete studies as I developed an ear infection and had to undergo surgery.”    

Later, she tried at RLV College but couldn’t get through as pre-degree was the benchmark there. But nothing could tarnish her spirit. “It was then my mother and her sister came across a notice about Geetha School of Arts, Cherthala, where a diploma course in art was offered to those who completed Class X. I joined and learnt the basics of art under the tutelage of P.G. Gopakumar sir, my first teacher.” Once she completed the course, she got an offer to assist Onyx Paulose through her friend. That was the turning point in her life. “Whatever I have achieved now, I am grateful to Onyx sir, my parents, siblings and Sneha, who is like family. It was sir who encouraged me to study BFA and BSc Multimedia later and gave me space to experiment,” says Sara, who took up a job at Onyx’s place 18 years ago. “I took it up as a job, but sir encouraged me to draw more and experiment with mediums and styles, perhaps because he realised I could do it,” says Sara. “During that time the office was at Panampilly Nagar. Most of the works were commissioned ones done using oil for churches. The large Last Supper picture you see in the Cathedral Church, Ernakulam, was painted by me,” Sara beams.

During that period, the brush was her medium. Gradually, she moved to the knife. Now that has become her signature style.  “I started it 10 years ago. Sir had a knife painting and he showed it to me once. I liked it — the strokes and colours — and started practising it. Initially, it was not yielding any result. Working with the knife is different. If you are using acrylic colour, you need to give three more coats to get the effect. Gradually, I realised its potential. Tourists who visited the studio liked my  paintings and purchased them, which inspired me to concentrate on the style,” explains Sara. It fetched her money and fame. Soon, Sara found her soul in knife painting. She says she derives the strokes in her works from nature. The streets are her inspiration. Mattancherry is one of them. “I like the oldness of this street — those slanted electric posts, nests of sparrows and all,” says Sara. “Wherever I go, I visit the old streets that are on the verge of ruin. Old streets are narrow and have got a charm. They look beautiful at certain times, especially during evenings when light falls at a particular angle and the streets are deserted.”

In her words, she gives a new face to spaces. “Also, I try to make the streets look colourful though life there may not be so.” Sara says her choice of colours too has changed with time. “In the beginning, I used to work in monochromes or two shades. After a point, I started using all those bright shades. Now I use more of grey tone that gives a nocturnal effect.” Besides the Mattancherry series, she has painted the streets of Kamathipura and a series of Mother Teresa. “I have never been to Kamathipura. I have seen pictures and added my imagination,” she says. And Mother Teresa has always been her inspiration. “She too has a connection with the street. She worked for those who wandered on the street,” says Sara, who recently did a painting depicting the life of transgender persons. A widely appreciated work, it features a body that is half male and half female. When the canvases are joined, the whole painting takes the shape of a cross. “They too are linked to the streets. Their lives have been sacrificed on the streets. I met and befriended a few of them when the Akademi organised a camp for them. Those conversations  inspired me to come up with this.”

The painting was displayed during the State exhibition and garnered appreciation from all quarters. Ask her about the rare feat of creating 51 paintings, she politely says, “I never thought it would happen and didn’t want to publicise it. I thought I would do a few paintings. The first painting got sold, then second and it went on. When our MLA A.M. Arif sir purchased the 51st painting, it became news,” says Sara, whose works were purchased by the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rishiraj Singh and Nita Ambani.“Sachin saw my works when he came to Kochi for Kerala Blasters' launch. The hotel where he stayed had my works and thus it happened.” Sara also organises workshops. “Recently, I did one in Panvel for the inmates of an ashram, who were brought from the streets. I did a live painting of their background for them,” says Sara, who dreams of doing more exhibitions and travelling across the globe exploring more streets.