It leaves him disturbed to see virgin landscapes being destroyed in the name of development. Kochi-based artist Abdul Salim Kochi has been on a mission to capture the beauty of nature on his canvas, well aware that what exists today, won’t be there tomorrow. He is all set to do a watercolour painting exhibition on Kochi, highlighting the beauty, heritage and culture of the city, in December. Also, he is planning to do a live ‘quick demo’ for the audience at the exhibition. It will be on how to do a landscape, portrait or floral in watercolour. He recently won Vidyarangam Award by the Educational Department of Kerala for the fifth consecutive year. Salim likes painting heritage sites, buildings and streets, especially the ones in his native city. “I paint landscapes and things around me because they, more often than not, change constantly and rapidly,” he says. “When we see a beautiful sight, we are not sure that it will be there for long. The environment and our surroundings are under threat, all in the name of development.”
He was saddened to see an old building at Mattancherry, which is famous for its historical heritage, in a demolished state. In fact, he has won a Kerala Lalitha Kala Academy Award for depicting this. The work, Remnants of an Era, could well be considered one of his best. He feels that his artworks chronicle his emotional journey culminating in hope, and nostalgic feelings about the once abundant greenery of the past. He adds, “I am passionate about watercolour since childhood. It is a difficult medium, yet its color richness and transparency attracted me. For picturising landscape beautifully, the most favourable medium is watercolour.”
Salim, an art instructor by profession says he had a passion for arts since his childhood. “As I could not afford to buy colours, I had to be content with leftovers from my cousins,” he says. “There were times, I used leaves and stones for colouring.” The pains he has taken to nurture his talent have not gone in vain. Today, he is the only Keralite to have made it to the rolls of the International Watercolour Society which includes 250 artists from 50 countries.
So far, only nine Indian artists have secured entry. As a watercolour artist, he has also won 10 state awards, including two Kerala Lalithkala Akademi Awards in 2010. Salim, an alumnus of the RLV college of Fine Arts in Kochi, says his days at the college helped him approach painting in a professional manner. While he is a master at using watercolours to depict the different moods of nature and humans, he has also successfully tried his hand at oil painting, acrylic, and pen and pencil works.
He is equally good at computer-based graphic illustrations. “To be a competent artist, it is a must to master different streams,” he says. Salim is also a known cartoonist. He works for a local magazine. “Cartoons are the best medium to fight against the evils of society,” he says. Salim has also done many commissioned works including painting air-crafts and warships for the Indian Navy.