The brooding calmness of the birch tree as it spreads its branches into the open sky, the serenity in the woods and the meditative power of the mountains have all been captured by city-based artist Supriya Sathe in a collection of paintings that bring alive the vivacity of nature.
Sathe's artworks are part of an ongoing show "Ataraxy" underway at India International Center here.
For the artist, the process of capturing different elements of nature on her canvas is "therapeutic", and recreating the beautiful moments from her surroundings in her art "replenishes her soul".
"I find that nothing replenishes my soul like beholding the beautiful scenes created by nature. Just sitting quietly by a lake or hiking in the mountains is therapeutic for me. I feel serene and calm. Through my paintings I am trying to recreate that state of mind.
"My paintings are a tribute to nature's beauty. What better way to establish my connection with the outside world than to recreate my inner mental images in a real material form, using paint and canvas," says the artist.
Sathe's colourful paintings, all acrylic on canvas, have been inspired by her visits to Northern Europe, particularly Norway and the English suburbs.
"These paintings are inspired by the lakes and foliage in Northern Europe, mainly Norway and the countryside in the UK, the birch being the central theme of most. It has made a special place in my heart with its elegant bark and graceful branches and an overall serene nature. It stands out with subtlety and is yet expressive," she says.
Sathe's landscapes are layered in texture. She uses multiple techniques to give a three-dimensional surreal effect making her artworks appear "real to the eyes of the viewer".
"It takes anywhere between a week to a month to create these paintings. I paint in layers and use different techniques in the same painting. My first wash is usually wet in wet which gives it the surreal effect and then I go on to build layers over it.
"Some of my trees are almost three-dimensional because of the thick paint I use. I want my viewers to feel like they could reach out and pick the flowers from the paintings," she says.
In one of her paintings "Fall Duet", Sathe highlights the smoothness of the outer bark of a birch tree. She has painted the flowers in vibrant hues of yellows and reds, to bring out the contrast with the monochrome stem.
"I maybe completely wrong but I feel that art should uplift the soul and bring peace to the mind and not depress the viewer. Life is stressful as it is. I don't want my canvas to be a display of the worldly angst. Each person has their own perspective of what effect art should have, and this is mine.
"I like to use bright colours in my works. The monotonous birch works beautifully with my colours. My more recent works have been unknowingly gravitating towards water, reflections and cooler colours," she says.
The exhibition is set to continue till May 4.
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