KOCHI: Two lovers are sitting on the stairs in an embrace at night. Two flowers from the tree near them fall on the couple effortlessly. They might be whispering secrets under the cloak of night, hidden from the world, or rather, oblivious to it. This could be a sweet memory from youth that many of us can relate to, something you have read in a book or watched in a movie, a tale of love that stayed. Gaya Kunhi Kelu’s artworks are enveloped in nostalgia like this.
Be it the orange sunset mid-summer fading into a paddy field where chickens and goats roam aimlessly or helping your father cut his hair during the lockdown. It could be the rhythm of a train journey or the simple yet magical art behind human intimacy. Her creations touch all these moments. “I love painting moments of human intimacy. The love between parents, the quiet moment between a father and his daughter, love between couples — I love drawing these moments,” says Gaya.
Gaya started creating digital paintings just six months ago. Though an ardent art lover and an artist, she always preferred watercolour. “I used to draw since I was a kid, despite not having any formal training. I used to attend art camps during summer vacation. Though I was inspired by other artists, my paintings were always inspired by my life,” says Gaya.
The paintings also manifest Gaya’s thoughts and her childlike wonder. Sometimes, her digital work resembles watercolour paintings. Her quick, spontaneous sketches are drawn on smaller frames. “I can never plan or customise my art. They have to come from my soul. If anyone buys them, they also get a piece of my heart,” quips Gaya. Blue stands out in most of her paintings.
“Whenever I think of art, it all comes to me in blue. Sometimes grey. Now I am trying hard to use other colours too. A pink-tinted sunset or a wild green yard,” she says. “I love when people can relate to my works. When someone says they can feel it, or they have experienced it, that makes it worth the effort,” says the Bengaluru-based software engineer.