If you question senior citizens about what they would do after retirement, they probably would articulate their interest in reading books, in travelling across favorite destinations or investing time with the grand children. Vinaya Suvarna is however a bit different.
After her retirement, she took on the challenge to paint and it all came together at a summer camp where inspiration struck her first. Excerpts from an interview:
On inspiration
When I was nine-years-old, I attended a painting summer camp and my instructor would teach me with great interest and she planted in me, a seed to paint. My father though asked me to pursue a career that would give me something for my sustenance and later on they suggested that if I had an interest in art, I could do it for pleasure at any point of time. So now that I have time, I do portraits, seascapes, landscapes, still life studies and a anything that inspires me.
Mixed media
I use charcoal, oils, acrylics, watercolor and pencils. I use the palette knife technique and also dry brush and liquid drop acrylic techniques that gives a certain abstraction to my painting.
Here and now
I want to do more painting to pursue my passion, exhibit and sell them depending on my customers’ likes. Other than this, I have no projects.
Life before art
I was a teacher of Social Sciences and retired as the headmistress of the Sheshadipuram High School. As I have been a teacher for son long, I would advise the students to just look beyond the things that are presented to you and always nourish the talent that you are born with. Who knows, just as a summer camp was an inspiration to me, for you something else may trigger a life long passion.
Fruitful retirement
When I look at the beauty of nature, be it the majestic mountains, the vast seas and oceans or the never ending sky, my heart leaps with joy and my ego dissolves to nothing. Only dreams remain to be materialized on canvas.