Looking back at 2007

As the year draws to a close, it is time to look back and reflect upon my art and growth as an artist during the year. The year seems to have gone by just like that, and I would certainly say that I have grown as an artist. I am happier with my art than I was same time last year. Whether I am satisfied or not is a different story altogether, but I think I am on my way there. It is time to reward myself for everything that I managed to do, and introspect things that went wrong.

The foremost achievement for me this year is the very fact that I have managed to draw/paint very regularly. I wanted to make this a daily habit, which I did during the latter part of the year. Initially I was painting whenever I found the time, and slowly I have learnt to make the time for it. This was my first year of painting with a child, with her taking most of my time. I would say I fared reasonably well.

The next good outcome from this year is I finally started making some money with my art. I started taking up private commissions and it has been a lovely ride so far. The money that I have made is not even worth mentioning, it is a miniscule percentage of what I earn through my job, but it is the one that excites me much more. The feeling that someone is ready to pay for your art is simply priceless, and I got that happiness this year.

And then I took part in my first ever exhibition. Though I did not have much success, I got a chance to interact with other artists and stuff. And it gave me a first hand view of the art market here.

This one is not an achievement by any means, but one that I am happy about - I ventured into doing Art Cards (miniatures) and loved it so much. I will continue to do more of them in 2008.

I updated my website and also blogged my paintings during the year. The website thing was pending forever, and I finally got to do it. I would be improvising it as I go, but I have a decent looking site ready to inform anyone who wants to see what I do. I used to blog my art regularly till 2005, and stopped it last year when I was on long leave. Now I have started again and it has been good so far. I have also interacted more often at WetCanvas and learnt immensely from other artists out there.

And finally, my biggest achievement this year has been the great progress in my time management skills, where I could effectively make time for art amidst everything else. I have gotten over my laziness in a big way, something that I am very proud of! There is still a long way to go, but I have made good progress. So with all these behind me, I am really looking forward to making a fresh start in the new year. Lots of more art to come in the coming days, watch this space.

My first Art exhibition and more.

I am glad that finally took part in an exhibition. It was a great learning experience meeting a lot of artists, having a look at the kind of work that others do etc etc. My first learning was that I need to work larger, I felt my pieces were miniscule compared to the others. Even a 16*20 seemed so small on the wall, especially when hung without a frame.

I wish more people had turned up, though I do not know anything about how the average turnout would be for events like these. I did not have any enquiries or anything, but got to develop a few contacts. That was the most important goal of the event, to create a platform for art lovers to interact. Two of my friends dropped in and I did not expect either. It was a pleasant surprise to meet Altoid for the first time, and Cheti after almost 3 yrs! Thank you both!:)

The event was great overall, a great initiative by the BYOA guys. They plan to have more events in future to help artists network, let us see. Great job guys!

Me with both my pieces that were exhibited

Among other things, I got my website up and running finally. I have my domain name booked for well over 6 months now, but never got around to building a decent looking site. This time the motivation was different. I had to market myself at a public event and it was a must that my site was updated. I have gone in with SiteKreator, which is very popular amongst artists for the good image handling capabilities. Have a look at http://www.nithyachander.com and give me your valued opinions.

Bring your own art!

There is going to be an Art festival in Bangalore this weekend, and I am glad to be a part of it. The 'Bring your own art' festival is aimed at providing a platform for several 'unknown artists'. What a unique idea! I read about this unique event in yesterday's edition of the Hindu. I sent in about 6 of my paintings and 2 have been selected to be exhibited. Needless to say, I am hyper excited!

The event is at the Chitrakala Parishad in Bangalore, and is over a period of 3 days - 7th, 8th and 9th of Dec 2007. I am exhibiting on the 8th, when I will be available at the venue all through the day. I hope to come again as a visitor on Sunday too, to have a look at all the undiscovered art.

More than anything else, this event is supposed to be a platform for artists to meet fellow artists and other art lovers. I am hoping to have a lot of fun! If any of you are around, do drop in:-) And spread the word. Thank you.