KOCHI: After a long wait due to the lockdown, when Kannur native Shinoj Padmanabhan finally got to taste some fresh Mackerel, he decided to freeze that happy moment forever by illustrating it. An advertising professional based in Bengaluru, he has been using the lockdown days to get further in touch with the artist in him. The applied arts graduate from Thiruvananthapuram Fine Arts College shares he has finally found time to adore the little details — the beauty of his rural hometown, film posters and lockdown life.
“Due to the workload and deadlines, it was hard for me to empty my mind and paint. But since the pandemic outbreak, work has been less hectic. So I chose to polish my art which I haven’t focused on for a while. I am trying to stay persistent and polish my skills,” explains Shinoj.
He explores styles like cut-colour and line illustrations, which according to him gives a minimalist feel to art pieces. “During the lockdown, I came across the random photographs that I clicked a few years ago — festivals, villagers and landscapes of Kannur and Bengaluru,” he says. The Mackeral art comes in satisfying pastel tones. “Fish curry being Malayali’s favourite food, the pastel tone was meant to convey my warm feelings. I also explored double exposure to create fan art for actor Mohanlal’s birthday,” he says.
His work ‘Routine’ is about the old woman who used to make flower garlands at the temple near his house — a usual sight in the mornings. Theyyam, Malabar’s favourite artform has also found a place in his art. ‘Sunkissed’ soothes our hearts with images of children roaming freely in the pre-Covid times. The artist also collaborates with his wife Sapna, an architect. The duo turned the lockdown productive by completing a 6x4 feet long canvas titled Parampara for a Kalari school near their house in Kannur.
His art on @ shinojpadmanabhan