Graduate students from Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University recently attended a painting workshop in their college, under the mentorship of senior artist A. Rajeswar Rao.
Head of the department (Painting and Sculpture), K. Srinivasachari elaborates, “The Vice-Chancellor of our University, S.V. Satyanarayana always encourages us to organise new media and technique workshops to enhance the creativity of our students. This time, they were introduced to reverse painting on acrylic sheet by one of the most renowned artists of our city, A. Rajeswar Rao.”
Enthusiastically sharing his experience with the students, the artist and mentor says, “I had a great time with the students during the workshop. They are very creative and came up with fresh perspectives. They absorbed every detail that I shared with them about working on acrylic sheet. I was happy to hear later that some of them are looking forward to pursuing this style in the future.”
A fascinating work: Radha’s reverse acrylic artwork on display.
The wide array of works created during the workshop are presently on display in the college premises and make for a very impressive experience for the viewers. The students have explored their personal dialogues and concepts through a completely new medium. Sharing her experience, Radha, a student says, “The process of work on acrylic sheet starts with drawing and then requires multiple layering of colour applications and frequent scratching or removal. The final work is to be seen from the reverse side. This aspect was very new to us and yet very fascinating.” Radha’s work consists of a self portrait and an image of her beloved bag.
On the other hand, Upendar Medabonia juxtaposed images of a group of fish within the crisscrossing lines of a net on his picture surface, with the entire composition rendered in a subtle and earthy colour palette. Explaining the inspiration behind the work, he says, “I belong to a family of fishermen from Suryapet district. Through my work, I want to make people forget their hardships for some time.” Equally noteworthy is a work by T. Pavani rendered in a sepia and black colour palette, consisting of an overlapping cluster of plants with curling twigs that end in leaves. Portraits of girls behind the plants reinforce the importance of women and nature.
