The biology record book, for any science student, would later turn out to be a part of nostalgia. But for Mary Sheeba, it gives an indication of the artistic future that awaited her.
When lessons of BSc botany and nursing made her a nurse, the pages of her old record book turned her into an artist.
“I never thought even in my wildest dreams that I could paint. The words of encouragement from my friends who happened to see my biology records were the initial motivation,” says Mary Sheeba who works as a staff nurse in the District Hospital here.
“The passion for painting guided me to Chitrakalamandalam in Thiruvananthapuram to learn the basics. When I started, water colour was my medium. Later, I experimented in oil paint too,” said Mary, who is busy arranging a painting exhibition in Sopanam Auditorium here from March 11 to 15.
She first exhibited her paintings as part of a group expo in 1996 in Kilimanoor, the home town of Raja Ravi Varma.
This was followed by group as well as solo exhibitions on the premises of Napier Museum, Thiruvananthapuram, in 2003 and 2014 respectively.
Mary Sheeba, who completed a decade in the nursing profession, simultaneously explored the less-travelled avenues of visualisation. Paintings such as ‘Journalist’ and ‘Shelter’ are splendid paradigms of this journey.
‘Journalist’ depicts a venturing photo journalist. “Victor George was the motivation behind this. ‘Shelter’ emote the insecurity of women in this society. Here animals protect her from the two-legged masculine beasts, “ Sheeba said.
This artistic nurse lives with her husband Johnson A V, a KSEB employee, and their children Aleena and Adna S Johnson.