His love for the pastoral is evident from the frames that depict the laid-back village life where beauty breathes from almost every corner. This yearning for the rustic charm is the inspiration behind Sanker Dinesh Kammath’s works displayed at the exhibition titled ‘A journey through my shades’ at Durbar Hall Art Gallery.
Born and bred up in Kochi city, Sankar misses out on the myriad colours and greenery of the village which he loves and cherishes. Most of the landscapes done in acrylic, oil and watercolour reflect this. He says that the beauty, culture, innocence and serenity of village life brings out the truths of life and the need for conservation of nature. His ultimate aim is to create awareness on the need to preserve the verdant environs than mindlessly exploiting it in the name of development.
Village life, animal life and other art forms come alive in his works. Some pieces portray Sanker’s love for the traditional art forms. Striking are the murals portraying kathakali, theyyam and other art forms. He experiments with pencil and crayon too.
The 15-year old had displayed more than 100 works done from the time he was aged four. He idolises watercolour artist Milind Mulick and aspires to paint like him to capture the beauty of nature.
Sanker who is the son of Dr Dinesh Kammath and Sobha Dinesh has won many awards and accolades.
He won his first prize when he was just four at the NSS Karayogam Navarathri Festival and since then he is continuing with his triumphant journey with two national-level painting competitions, 15 state-level competitions and more than 300 district-level prizes.
He is the youngest designer of a maxim postal stamp released on Children’s Day 2008.
Sankar has proved his mettle in the academics too. He has also won the NCERT’s National Talent Search Examination(NTSC) in 2012. He aspires to become a doctor like his dad and also become an artist.
His favourite among the displays are murals of Ganesha and kathakali.
“The lord of success brings me peace and happiness. My grandmother Jaya Prabha from whom I inherited the painting skills has inspired me. So have my teachers - Sinil sir, Renjith Sir and others. My parents have been a constant pillar of support and encouragement throughout my journey,” he says.
The exhibition, inaugurated by Maya Mohan, Principal, Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Vaduthala, will run through October 19.