For someone who has had only the lockdown to hone her latent artistic skills, one would think Tejaswy Swathi's decision to have her own Art Exhibition and Sale was a bold move. And that's the first question we asked the 27-year-old. "I believe that every artist has their own style. Moreover, I wanted to get an honest feedback on how I was doing," says Tejaswy. And that's how, folks, the exhibition was held from January 1 to 10, 2021 at Café Rāsasvāda in Hyderabad. About 15 acrylic paintings were on display along with hand-painted badges and fridge magnets. "I was prepared to be disappointed but I learnt that even a little appreciation goes a long way," she says humbly. But she needn't have worried because we hear that many curious passersby stopped and admired her work. She found fans in kids who purchased her fridge magnets and even frames. Indeed, a little appreciation, especially when it comes from the little ones, goes a long way.
During the lockdown, Tejaswy signed up for an art workshop, calligraphy and also learnt digital illustration/botanical elements. And she enjoyed every lesson. All through her social service experience as a student with Teach For India, Make A Difference, VOICE 4 Girls and then, a fellowship with Rubaroo on sexuality and child marriage prevention, she was involved in the creative side of things as well. Hence, she knew that art could be used to send out a message. "Brevity is king when it comes to message-oriented digital illustrations," says the Guntur-born. She has collaborated with Clinical Nutrition Consultant Shikara Baddam for a few illustrations on sanitary napkins and their work is indeed noteworthy.
The paintings we get but we wonder where the idea for badges and fridge magnets came from. The youngster, who works as an associate analyst for a pharma company, laughs as she confesses that she is a hoarder of badges, big time. "I decided to paint on them and at the exhibition, I also offered a combo including badges, fridge magnets, bookmark/greeting cards and a hand-painted floral or galaxy artwork," she says with delight. Currently, the artist, who pursued her Doctor of Pharmacy from Malla Reddy Institute of Medical Sciences, is hard at work to get her website up and running so that online sales take the cake.
So, what's the ultimate aim? She hesitates and then says, "I have always wanted a store of my own, like Chumbak..." And she trails off.
The classes she took during the lockdown:
- Art workshops by Sumouli Dutta (@woodledoodledesigns)
- Calligraphy classes by Dr Neha Jain (@crimsonstrokes)
- Digital illustration/botanical elements from Isadora Zeferino (via Domestika)
For more on her, check out instagram.com/grumpy_pandaaaa
