Undestined Pieces – Thinking Beyond

It’s been a great ride to get to know people I admire more closely. I know Vaishali from Quora and even since I have known her she has never ceased to get me more awe of her!

When I asked her if she’d like me having her ask few questions for my blog, she said, “Oh my god, what did I do?”

Ha! She’s too good with her timing. I was more than happy that she’s in with me on this.

A brief intro of her:

A writer on Quora, an artist on Instagram and a Corporate Law consultant at work, Vaishali hates to be referred as either of them. Refer to her as an Enthusiast and you are good to go with her.

She took time to answer and let her candidness stretch all over. I would really appreciate her interest into my questions that she treated them with utmost care.

So, let’s hear it from her!

How and when did you get interested in Charcoal Art?

Charcoal Art and I got together sometime around September 2015. Although, I had been this crafty little witch since childhood , like many kids of our middle class Indian dwellings, I left my hobbies as hobbies not really knowing how to take that up as a career or punch some Gandhis out of it.

Fast forward some 20+ years, when studies and work were moving at its pace, I was on a lookout to get back to drawing. It was then that I got to know of this weekend classes conducted in my city. Without wasting any more time, I got myself and my mom enrolled for these classes.

I was excited and nervous. Excited to get back to drawing and nervous to pull an “artist” like line after years. This place turned out to be an epitome of diversity where there were students right from 7-70. In my class particularly, we had students of all age brackets and each one of them worked with a different medium.

It was then that I saw someone working with Charcoal. To me, the process of creating an art with Charcoal was immensely captivating and magical. One colour and all you do is etch light amidst darkness. Pathetically philosophical but that’s exactly what we do with the compressed stick.

This single idea of creating an art so crisp, real and powerful with one colour made me want to learn this and here I am, about to celebrate my third anniversary.

You seem to tell stories with your art? What goes in your mind when you draw?

Hey, Thanks! I am glad that came across.

The process starts much before I actually take up a sketch on canvas. To me, every work has to have a premise. A story line. It has to ideate the why’s and how’s. And every work of mine that you see begins with a homework. Post which ones I am through with deciding the size of the canvas, the medium and other elements, I head to the canvas. Once there then it is all about executing and moving with what ultimately fits where.

On an average how long does it take to get an artwork done?

It depends on what I am drawing, the size of the canvas and the medium to be used. The sittings vary accordingly. Minimum, however, is four sittings each of two-three hours.

What’s your most memorable piece of art so far?

It’s really difficult to choose that one memorable piece. It’s like picking a favourite child. Every work has its own story and journey and each is special in its own way. However, if I have to choose one, I would pick my first work which I call The Plight of an Indian Woman.

That was the first time I saw Charcoal create magic on my canvas. And while I was still gasping on what this one charcoal stick could do, the subtle touch of vermillion pumped the excitement to another level.

And with that I got the courage to dive deeper and learn the science of this medium much more seriously.

Have you attended art exhibitions and do you find them inspiring?

Including one where my work was on display I have, so far, attended some four to five art exhibitions. I wish I could visit exhibitions, galleries and studios more often.

The works we see on social media is not even one third of the real, raw and refreshing art that is out there in the galleries or in the studios of any artist.

Visiting exhibitions is an extraordinary learning experience. You not only get to see the textures on the canvas first hand, that entire walk through the mind of the creator is absolutely mesmerising. For lack of a better word, yes, seeing first hand what human minds are capable of creating and innovating with trash and valuable materials is phenomenally inspirational.

Do you think art helps open new doors of exploration?

Say, you draw something for the first time. Then you colour it the way you want. You like what you see and wish to try it again. You give up on your fear, grab another sheet and draw that same thing again. Seeing that you could do it again, you now wish to draw it on a bigger sheet or make it more grand. You gather some more courage, push your doubts aside, let those questions mumble within you and plunge into taking another shot. Eventually you see yourself getting better at the craft which makes you want to try and learn more.

This is primarily what art does- Fills you with this immense confidence. Lets your fear take a back seat. Instills patience, courage and prepares you to give in hours and learn, explore and perfect your craft without having anyone else asking you to do so. Art doesn’t enforce anything. It frees you and helps in breaking those known/unknown boundaries. After which things magically begin to look beautiful.

How do you choose your elements of art? Charcoal, pencil, palette

I mostly work with Charcoal and oil paints. Pencil work is generally restricted to medium and small sized work as of now. A large part of selecting a medium depends on the subject in hand, the story I want to convey and above all, the mood I want to create for my audience.

Have you interacted with some artists who share same thinking as yours?

I have interacted with some established artists, some on the tip of being the next big thing in a couple of years and a decent number of enthusiasts. What all of us share in common is a different thinking.

While we share the same sentiment for the craft, the uniqueness of each voice accentuates the significance of each interaction. There’s a lot to learn.

Would you like to collaborate with other artists and make something big some day?

Absolutely, yes! No second thoughts about that.

What’s your next big?
Haha! It’s in the nascent stage right now, the “homework” phase I spoke of earlier. The built up for now seems to be primarily rooted to my origins. For more information, and a sneak peek, keep an eye on my Instagram handle – https://www.instagram.com/vaishali_patodia

Get to know her better: She’s on terribly tiny tales as well, https://terriblytinytales.com/user/vaishalipatodia, and do read up her amazing answers on Quora. https://www.quora.com/profile/Vaishali-Patodia