KOTTAYAM: From once shying away from even picking up a pencil to confidently experimenting across painting styles, retired professor G Geetha’s journey into art has been anything but ordinary. Her story is as compelling as her canvases.
A seasoned academic with four postgraduate degrees, Geetha has seamlessly woven scholarship with creativity, emerging as an artist of note. With two exhibitions behind her and several works finding appreciative buyers, she now returns with a new showcase featuring 75 artworks.
In the midst of this expansive collection, Geetha reflects on the winding, transformative path that brought her here.
“There was a time when I was afraid to even draw diagrams — something my course demanded,” Geetha told TNIE on the sidelines of her four-day exhibition which would conclude on Monday. “Now, painting has become a passion.”
For 33 years as a teacher at BCM College in Kottayam, that fear lingered. The hesitation to make mistakes, coupled with doubts about her own artistic ability, often held her back from picking up the chalk to sketch on the blackboard.
Retirement marked a turning point. “After retirement, life became hectic in a different way,” she said, recalling her time working at the CPM party centre alongside her husband, Vaikom Viswan, who was LDF convener then.
Her move from Kottayam to Thiruvananthapuram, prompted by her husband’s responsibilities within the CPM, marked another shift in rhythm. “Once we settled into the flat allotted by the party, I suddenly found myself with an abundance of time,” Geetha recalled. At that point, sewing was the only skill she felt confident about.
“While looking for options, I came across the Flora Institute of Art and Craft near the Secretariat,” she said. It was at the institute that her tryst with painting truly began. “It was George Fernandes, a teacher there, who introduced her to painting,” said her daughter, Nisha Viswan.
Gradually, her inhibitions eased and the self-doubt that once held her back began to fade. What followed was a blossoming of expression — canvases filled with the beauty of nature and glimpses of love and joy drawn from the world around her. “I work mostly with acrylic,” Geetha said, noting that oil painting is far more demanding. Though she has also explored murals, she admits they require considerable time and effort.
“I have done fewer murals compared to my acrylic works,” she added. Her paintings are deeply rooted in observation, each canvas echoing something she has seen, felt, or experienced.Her first exhibition, Chitrageetham, was held at the DC Art Gallery in 2013, followed by a second show at the Public Library in 2015.
Beyond exhibitions, there is also a strong sense of purpose guiding her work. Every year, Geetha donates paintings to Palliative India, with the entire proceeds from their sale going to the organisation.