KOCHI: “I am what my works are,” says artist Sara Hussain’s website. Spanning across all media, Sara’s paintings are evident of every stroke the brush has moved in creating a masterpiece.Fifteen years in the making of an artist, Sara’s life revolves around her art gallery and studio in Jew Town, Mattanchery. Known as ‘Sara Hussain Art Gallery’, the gallery is witness to a host of celebrities and foreign tourists near and afar. Her artwork leaves no stone unbrushed.
Ranging from Mother Teresa to the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus to the boats that grace the Mattanchery jetty, Sara’s canvas breathes life through vivid colours. Sara is, however, in the limelight for a distinct reason. Kerala Lalita Kala Akademi and Kalakar Kerala had joined hands to organise an art camp wherein artists across the state conducted live painting sessions and sold them simultaneously. The proceeds were to be contributed towards the CMDRF. Sara Hussain sold the largest number of paintings amidst other artists. “I didn’t even get time to display my pictures. They were bought as soon as I finished painting,” a proud Sara says.
Priced at Rs 1,500 each, the four-day exhibition cum sale of paintings was held at Durbar Hall Art Gallery, a haven in itself for art fanatics. Sara’s paintings for the camp were exclusively acrylic done with a knife. “My paintings were mostly themed on the flood. An artwork based on devastating floods at our homes would be a reminder,” says Sara. “The 51st painting was bought by Aroor MLA A M Arif. It was handed over to him by the Akademi chairman,” she adds.
Mentored by painter and sculptor Onyx Paulose, Sara is a testimony to the brilliance of Onyx, whom she considers as her guru. A native of Arukutti, Sara might not have travelled the globe extensively but her paintings for sure have. Displayed across art cafes and museums of London, Italy and the USA, Sara’s paintings have a wider global outreach, a feat that is indeed difficult for artists. Closer home, her pictures have been exhibited at Hotel Crowne Plaza, Bloomsbury’s (Lulu Mall) and the Greenix Cultural Museum in Fort Kochi.
A five-star hotel in Kochi even bought 272 paintings! Such is Sara’s finesse with the brush.
When asked about the highlights in her life, Sara immediately mentions Sachin Tendulkar, who’d bought three of her paintings during an IPL season. This leveraged her already uplifted status among the artist community. Sara Hussain is a fine illustration of the possibilities that could occur when one sticks by their goal. As a child, Sara had travelled from Arukutti to Ernakulam for art classes, whilst her amused neighbours looked on. Years later, she has painted her life the way she wanted. As her website says, Sara is truly an ‘artist by passion and profession’.