KOCHI: Padma remembers how she used to go to a post office near her house when she was a kid, and helping migrant labourers write on their postcards and money orders they send to their families back home. It didn’t matter if she was writing in English. “Don’t worry. Someone in my village will help my wife read it”, they would say. Flash forward to now, when technology has made letter writing almost obsolete, but Padma Malini Soman has still not let go of her love for the yellow postcards.
“I think they are one of the most aesthetic communication mediums. It carries a certain nostalgia. I learned that M F Hussain used to carry around 100 postcards with him on his journeys, to draw on them when inspiration strikes. So, I thought, why not adopt it into my art,” she says.
It was a couple of years back that this Chennai-based Malayali artist rekindled her affection for postcards by drawing colourful images on them. “I buy postcards from the nearest post office and draw images that influence me on them. Frida Kahlo in sarees, scenes from the market — whatever comes to mind find a place in the cards,” she says.
It is easy for one to get lost on her Instagram page where the grids are neatly arranged postcards that tell a story. Women adorning marigold flowers reading a book, vibrant scenery, Van Ghog’s starry night, Onam celebrations and theyyam — all find a place in her magical postcards. “It’s difficult to draw big pictures on the small area on the back of the cards. It’s challenging, but I enjoy it,” she adds. @theplainpepers on Instagram
THE BECOMING OF AN ARTIST
Every household holds the trail of an artist, Padma believes. “Every weekend, after a carom game, I will sit together with my dad and draw. Later, everybody, will sit together and colour these drawings as a family activity,” she remembers. “After started working in the IT industry, I almost gave it up. But after my dad passed away, I decided to learn art at Dessin Academy in Chennai, and went on to earn a diploma in fine arts from Tamil Nadu University,” says Padma. When she makes customised orders, Padma takes a little time. It is difficult to contain a portrait in the small space without missing out on details, she says. “Sometimes I take two months to finish the work. Customers have been very understanding,” she says.
PERSONAL TOUCH
Padma also maintains two other pages to experiment with her art. @artbypadma is where her students and other beginners can explore her works and her page @padma-malinisoman is where she explores new paths in her creativity. “I want to create my unique style before I hold a solo exhibition,” she says.