Artist Pratima Sheth

It all started when I was rather young. My father encouraged me and was keen to assess what I would be best in. He got me oil colours when I must have been around 11 years in age and made a small balcony studio before I even finished schooling. I then innocently joined Home Science College in 1969-70. Not able to do in Chemistry, I joined J.J.School of Arts, giving assurance to my father that I am choosing my best career. It was a five-year course, but I lost my father in the 1st year of college itself. Later, I then got married but received encouragement from my in-laws and finished my course. I practiced art especially in oils, with colour, style and technique being my strengths. It was here that I picked up my hand and mind to work for abstract art, semi-abstract, figurative, still life and many other subjects, mediums, with texture, style and techniques and mixing colours directly on the canvas.

Art being the creation of the Artists, it is a reflection of their life, a rendering of their experience and knowledge in visual terms. Even simple art will have elements of joy in expression of my dreams, like landscapes/seascapes, houses, trees, seas, water or rains sometimes with hills in the background, in a very personal but distinctive style.

Depicting a slight skew in semi-abstract gave the impression of looking out to a world that is natural and poetic even in enthusiasm or apathy. The sea and water with harsh wind, during high or low tide, the rainy effect, sometimes adorned with threatening clouds, the small or tall grass, the trees with coconut and palm curving up to the sky at dawn. They are like strange characters of nature with differing light through the day.

I start off with abstract blobs of colour, slowly developing a semi-realistic composition – the colour abstraction being either in the form of a small sketch or at times applied directly on the canvas. I work on it until some of my ideas actually appear on the surface. Style and expression make their appearance through this process.

Many of my figurative works deal specifically with Indian women. The focal point being the expression of their varied feelings at different phases of their lifes and moods. At times, my paintings are done in colour drip - wash technique, giving the impression of the modern abstract style. The paintings of the semi-nude figurines are a combination of the above theory with a more traditional treatment. The composition possesses just a hint of action.

The unity and compactness of the figures are simplified by action figures. They are gripped in powerful frame work of vibrant colours and intensive light yet they are sensual. They personify a simple solidity of the female body. The original and unique aspect of my figurative work is a display of feelings although there are no faces visible. They still hold natural romanticism which co-exists with patient research of composition and colours.