It is sheer dedication and passion to his art that has made Venugopal Edapally revive the talent that had laid dormant in him for 30 years. His exhibition at the Durbar Hall Art Centre was an unique experience for the visitors. They could observe characters in the Puranas being depicted using sand.
“Sand art is a unique art form as it uses natural resources as its raw material,” says Venugopal. “It is a tough job, especially when dealing with the thin strokes in the drawing. But the satisfaction it gives after completion is immense.”
Some of the materials that Venugopal uses include rock powder, glass powder, black oxide and araldate gum. It is astonishing to observe that all the figures and drawings are manually made with a single tool: sharpened wooden sticks. The works are done on aluminium, copper, brass and steel bases depending on the demand and the nature of the work. At his current exhibition, Venugopal has showcased 54 works, with prices beginning from `2000.
Being a religious person, his sandworks revolve around the figures of Lord Ganesha, Shiva, Ayyappa, Nataraja Narasimha and several godesses. His works include the portraits of eminent personalities like the poet Changampuzha and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, apart from abstract figures.
Venugopal is also keenly interested in drawing religious figures in an innovative style. Abstract strokes and sketches give multitude perspectives for the viewers. His works, which are clear and perfect, provide solace to the spectators and ultimately reveals the freedom of an artist in full flow. But the creation of sand works requires immense patience and hard work. A single work takes ten days to complete.
Initially, Venugopal tried out the sand art on an experimental basis through small works on plywood. Realizing that sand works can have longetivity and is anti-corrossive, he decided to use other materials. What is surprising is that he has no formal training in sand drawing. He has developed his skill through constant practice and, today, he is a teacher to many.
His future plans include making sand art popular, and using different colours in the drawings. Venugopal will also publish his first novel which deals with a family and its history of 50 years.
“I also want to do portraits of leaders like APJ Abdul Kalam, Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi,” he says. “It feels great when we can do portraits of the personalities we adore.”
The exhibition concludes on May 31.