CHENNAI: A girl with a round, cherubic face wearing a school bag peeps from the balcony. A woman in a blue sari with long, lustrous hair is seated comfortably on a pebble rock. A lady in a sari folded up till her knee carrying a vessel in one hand is engaged in her daily chores.
These are artist Ramya Sadasivam’s women. She takes several hours to painstakingly depict their appearance and subtle emotions on canvas. They are candid, expressive and appealing. “The secret behind my paintings is broad daylight. The golden rule to painting is to follow the light, nothing can go wrong with outdoor painting,” said Ramya.
The self-taught artist’s forte is portraiture, figurative art and dry brushwork. The MBA graduate has been painting for the past eight years. “I’ve been inclined towards art since class 8 but could not pursue a course in fine arts. After graduation, I started practising art regularly for three to four hours a day. My relationship with art is beyond explanation. I seek solace in it,” she said.
Ramya has been taking classes in full figure drawing and still life sketching for kids and adults since 2017 at her workspace in Virugambakkam. She has a YouTube channel and Instagram page under her name, and she’s active on social media where she regularly uploads time-lapse tutorial videos.
Ramya has won many state and national awards including Prafulla Dahanukar Award for Kalanand Contest 2016 and 2017, Tamil Nadu Best Artist (2016), Spandan Best Artist Award (2016), Chennai City Award Best Artist (2017), Camlin National Award Nomination (2016) (National Recognition), and Tamil Nadu Tourism State Level Painting Nomination (2017).
The artist has a flair to explore skin tones and curves. This reflects in her figurative paintings featuring women in all forms. “It’s an art to put the features in the right place. Skin colour varies across countries. The Indian complexion among all is versatile and beautiful. I have painted nude portraits as well. I faced rude remarks and frowns from people initially but nothing deterred me,” said Ramya who is inspired by Russian artist Vladimir Volegov.
To break the monotony, she attempts still life and plain air works. These are nothing but subjects we come across in daily life. This also helps her refresh her mind with new ideas. She does black-and-white sketches and oil painting, too. “I don’t plan to exhibit or promote my paintings commercially at any gallery. I aim to improve my standards of work to an international level. I wish to win a set of awards. Every artist, despite the years of experience, must practice every day. Once you establish a style then nothing like it,” said Ramya.
For details, call: 9962695960 or visit Instagram page: Artist Ramya Sadasivam