Love for lotus to the fore

For 54-year-old artist Milind Naik, nature is a huge source of inspiration. His current exhibition ‘Kaleidoscope of Nature’ at Vinnyasa Premier Art Gallery reflects his undying love for nature and everything in between. He has used a lot of greens and blues to convey the theme of nature perfectly. Another highlight of his works is the way he has used lotus as the subject of almost every painting which is on display. His love for lotus dates back to 2003 when he started to make efforts to create a pond alongside his studio in Koramangla, Bangalore. “I had made the efforts of digging my own little pond because I wanted to be in touch with earth and nature,” he recollects. “After a while, my friends dropped by to gift me ferns and other stuff to help decorate the pond. I used to notice the shadows those lotuses used to cast on the driveway, and that was the beginning of this whole obsession of lotus being the theme of most of my paintings,” says Naik.Going into the nitty-gritties of his works, almost every painting of his mirror cut-outs, similar to the ones that are generated using photoshop. “I use a lot of photoshop. I first click a photograph of the lotus or whatever the subject is, then edit it a bit on photoshop. Take a print out of the edited photograph for reference and then paint it on the canvas. I use editing softwares to tweak reality a bit. A painting should be able to deliver peace and not otherwise,” says Naik. With about 14-odd paintings (out of which nine are based on lotus) hung on the walls of the gallery, Nayak says, “Most of my paintings of this theme were sold out. So, I couldn't get all of them for the show here in Chennai.”    Talking about the theme of his paintings, he says, “I have always painted nature or have done something abstract. Even when I paint the abstract, I infuse elements of nature to make it a little comprehensible.”From a photographer to an artist, this painter has seen it all and has a few words of wisdom for aspiring artists. “Painting is not kalaseva, it's also not for the market,” he says.  “Artists are practitioners of an art or a craft. And as a practitioner, one cannot shun the reality that we (artists) need money for living. But one shouldn't concentrate on the financial perks of being an artist. One should continue painting. These days, artists don't distinguish between selling and painting. Painting is easy, selling is difficult. I cannot tag it as commercialisation of art, but there should be some amount of professionalism among upcoming artists and painters.” (The exhibition is on till December 10 at Vinnyasa Premier Art Gallery. For details, call 24982515)