“I was rejected for a job as I was 33. Though I was disappointed, I took it up as a challenge and started exploring my passions with many people dependant on me,” narrates 53-year-old artist Ananda Murthy H N.
Ananda who started his career as a typist at a chartered accountants’ office, later joined the design and development section in a company. When the company shut down, Ananda took to art. Being interested in art since childhood, he decided to prove his mettle in this field.
Today, Ananda does temple painting, models in clay, thermocol cutouts, wax sculptures, illustrations and calligraphy.
The fine strokes and the polished works stands testimony to how proficient the artist is. He started his career with miniature paintings.
Speaking about the same, he said, “I started painting as a hobby just like stamp and coin collection. I also began painting on visiting cards I had collected over the years. When I realised the value of my paintings, I started miniature paintings.”
He then took up temple painting and started giving a new look to temples.
Sharing his bitter experiences with City Express, he said, “I mostly paint temple towers on the outskirts of Bangalore. I am deprived of opportunities in the city as there is no encouragement from any art galleries or schools for my art.”
The artiste holds expertise in traditional wall paintings like Warli paintings and also on ceilings. “There are instances when clients have asked me to paint without giving any model. For instance, in Davanagere, a client asked me to do a wall painting on Dasara.”