KOCHI: For the past few months, N P Gireesh was busy visiting scrap dealers, buying discarded silencers and petrol tanks. And now he proudly points at his latest work - an ostrich made of vehicle spare parts. “It took me 15 days to finish the welding,” says the artist, a teacher by profession.
Wood, terracotta, granite, brass - he creates artistic figurines out of them all. “Most of my works are really huge and takes many days at a stretch to complete. There are five and six feet wooden sculptures that take a handful of people to move them,” he adds.
Gireesh believes in genuine art and says he never tries duplication. “There is always a difference between craft and creativity. Creating a metal figure using a mould is an easy work, but coming out with something entirely new is quite challenging,” he says.
Among his works stands a Jesus in wood, which is ‘a fresh, creative concept’ in his own words.
“You have seen Jesus holding the lamb, but here, I haven’t tried to recreate the popular image.
In my work you will see Jesus kneeling down and petting the lamb,” he explains. His another area of interest is literature and has written a number of poems and devotional songs for various publications.
A holder of five master degrees, Gireesh says he was drawn to art at a very younger age. “I have no formal training in art, but I learned to melt and weld metals as it demands some technical expertise,” he says.
For him, his works are an extension of his passion and none of them carries any price tags. “Buying a brass sheet for a work will cost me around Rs 50,000.
But I am not ready to sell them, I don’t believe in making money out of art,” he says. His house is more like a gallery with countless paintings and sculptures all around and Gireesh says he is presently busy in building an art studio next to his home. “I hope to exhibit my works in a more proper and appealing style there,” he adds.