KOCHI: As a young kid, Aruna Samuel Jacob would scribble away in her notebooks. While other kids were busy playing outside, Aruna would spent her time with her drawings, only to outgrow it soon.
The next time she picked up those pencils was a long time after marriage. Today, Aruna has a range of art works, including upcycled glass bottles. With Christmas around the corner, the bottles are decked up in a festive fervour, draped in shades of green, red and white.
For the self-learnt artist, it was all about bringing happiness and embracing a long lost hobby to overcome solitude. “My husband works abroad and after sending the kids to school, I would have a lot of time in hand and it often got very lonely,” recalls Aruna.
It was during the vacation of 2013 that she paid a visit to her sister Aysha, who was an art teacher for kids.
Aruna picked up a paper and joined the class. She created a watercolour painting of lotuses blooming.
Those fond childhood memories rushed back to her and that moment marked the beginning of a new chapter in Aruna’s life. “It was difficult at first and I used to make a lot of mistakes. But that is how I learnt the art,” says Aruna.
Later on, her mediums changed. She did oil paintings, watercolour, acrylic and glass bottle art works. “I was going to a friend’s home when I noticed this liquor bottle lying around. The bottle was very beautiful due to its unique shape. I took it home, cleaned it and started painting on it. Now I don’t go hunting for materials on the streets. Friends offer me bottles to work on,”chuckles Aruna, a native of Thiruvananthapuram, who currently resides at Aluva. She is now an entrepreneur who sells paintings and bottle works.