THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:“My canvas is my drug, my companion. It soaks up all my emotions, it is my all,” says Sunitha Thrippanikkara, seated in her wheelchair and nodding at the arresting frames lining up the art gallery. The bold, confident brush strokes, the vibrant blush of colours and their interplay in each frame show pure brilliance and craft.
One who follows the impressionist style of painting, Sunitha has put forth an eclectic set of paintings capturing nature in all its glory, all painted by clutching the brush in her mouth. The exhibition at the Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan, titled ‘Colours of Hope’, opened on Thursday.
Sunitha was diagnosed with muscular atrophy at a young age. For someone who was always enchanted by the world of art, Sunitha started painting when she was small. “Earlier I could paint with my hands,” says Sunitha. But as the disease progressed, everything changed. “It was when I really yearned to paint that I lost the ability to use my hands,” she adds. But it didn’t deter her. It was her brother, who introduced her to the world of painting and encouraged her to continue her passion.
That has changed her life. The exhibition at Vyloppilly largely features landscapes. So you have the Madayipara, which gets swathed in ‘kakkapoo,’ during the Onam season, crafted poignantly in one frame. Madayipara is a hillock in Kannur which is known for changing colours according to each season. “I wish to do an exhibition showcasing the various moods of Madayipara,” said Sunitha who was presented the ‘Award for Outstanding Creative Adult Persons with Disabilities’ by President Ram Nath Kovind last year.
“I am more attracted to nature and try to capture the different landscapes I visit during my journeys,” she adds. For this fast-paced painter who can even fashion out a painting in a short span of 15 minutes, acrylic is the favourite medium.
Her paintings have graced galleries across India and also Singapore. A member of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists, she is presently the programme co-ordinator of FLY (Freedom for Limited Youth), an organisation that works for the differently-abled. FLY was started by her brother Ganesh Kumar, a differently-abled artist who paints using his mouth. FLY conducts camps every year to extend support to the differently-abled community in Kerala and celebrate their creativity.
“One of our aims is to ensure that the differently-abled do not get restricted within four walls,” she adds.
The exhibition, which has been organised by the non-profit Art For All Foundation, is on until Sunday.