KOCHI: For the 29-year-old Akhil V K, a native of Makkada, Kozhikode, buildings aren’t just structures made of brick and mortar. He considers even the most intricate details on a building an art. An architect, Akhil’s passion lies in contemporary architecture with a traditional tint. He always carries a sketchbook and watercolours with him. He is inspired by En Plein air, a style of artistic expressions that happens instantaneously in the outdoors. Akhil likes to place himself in the middle of all that happens around him, capturing these frames. His paintings reflect his love for architecture, telling stories through it.
“Though I used to do live sketching, I never tried live painting. It was five years ago that I started practising Plein air using watercolour. This was after attending one of Sadhu Aliyur’s workshops. Initially, it was intimidating to paint in an open space where people constantly look at my work. I have seen many artists practising live painting using acrylic and oil mediums. But people rarely work with watercolour.
For, with this transparent medium, once you commit a mistake, it won’t fade no matter how much you try,” says Akhil Akhil wasn’t always a watercolour enthusiast. “I used to think of it as a beginner’s medium. Through social media, I came to know the varied technicalities of this transparent medium and that shattered my idea that acrylic and oil makea better artist,” he adds.
Going with the complexities of the watercolour medium, Akhil aspires to paint different styles of architecture. “I have done a series of Plein air paintings during my travel to Dhanushkodi. I intended to reach the destination and start doing the paintings but en route, many captivating images compelled me to sit down and paint,” he says.
With region and weather, the architecture changes too, he adds. Akhil makes it a point to observe this closely, no matter where he is. Having lived in North Kerala for a while now, his work focuses on the region now. “Architecture in Kerala, in general, has many sloped roofs, probably a result of the heavy monsoon rainfall we face annually. The shades on these washed-out roofs can be brought out well-using watercolour tones,” says Akhil
According to Akhil, Plein air communities are rare in Kerala. “At times I put up stories on Instagram mentioning the place where I would do my next painting. I have had artists coming in to accompany me,” says Akhil.
Exploring watercolour
Akhil, through his paintings, aims to increase the acceptability of watercolour as an advanced medium.
“Artists often bid adieu to watercolour and switch to other mediums. I have been able to change many minds in this aspect,” he says. Akhil also uses acrylic, gouache and oil and is an expert in other realms of art including, digital, wall art, and is a trained classical dancer.
For the love of traditional architectures, Akhil has painted more than hundreds of them in Plein air using watercolour as the primary medium. “With time, the traditional structures that we see around us may deteriorate and fade away. I am on a mission to freeze them in my canvas,” he concludes.