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About us...
Devanand Shanmugam
I graduated from the school of life, as they say, being constantly exposed to the highs and lows that it offered. With no formal training in art, I think I discovered art on my own early on, sketching, drawing and painting the people I admired, but considered it a serious hobby just recently.
Having been born and brought up in Chennai, and living amidst at least ten cinema halls within a five kilometer radius has left a lasting influence in my art. Imagining myself to be at the centre of my movie world was one thing, but to really be a part of movies became my fascination, passion and ultimate goal. My art is just an extension of this, as I see.
As I draw and sketch the great men and women from the movies, portraying them as my art, I bring them closer to my world of existence. The stars are no longer a distant dream for me personally. I feel like having known them better, and as an artist, see this as some sort of a connection I establish with my imaginary movie world.
I have consciously widened my exposure to a wealth of movie information and people behind the scenes, by watching an eclectic mix of films in many languages, appreciating all aspects of its origin and making. Art as a media to express my love for movies has shown me ways to fill in the gaps before I become a part of movies myself. So here I am, releasing my first set of portraits of a few great people I admire. I felt great joy in having known them personally through my art, and I hope you will too.
Kavitha Shivan
I studied fine arts in India and media production in UK. After more than ten years of a happy and contented career as a graphic designer which continues to be my priority, I am currently enjoying my newfound passion for art.
I have been a quiet and keen observer of people and things around me, so I find myself doing a lot of things that engage the curiosity of my mind. Art opens another window for my expressions. In choosing my media, I find a combination of fabric and found objects along with canvas and paper created interesting visual textures with a back story. My first dabble in art was in pen and ink, sketching intricate patterns and drawings that contained designs of animals and objects that I would imagine. I still have a few pieces of them done years ago. I also use language and words in my art, a certain hangover from my graphic design background. A recent hands-on approach with uninhibited freedom to express with colours appealed to me, and I have since moved on to canvas.
For me, a piece of torn cloth, a tiny scrap metal or even a shiny broken glass that I pick up from the street can find a place in my art. The act of preserving the history of these unwanted objects fascinates me, and hence my need to make art out of them. Living and working in a place like Oxford has only had a deeper influence in my apreciation of objects, people, history and time.
As an artist, my only wish is to make happy pieces of art while I enjoy the process which is important to me. I want to be able to extend my artistic journey to newer media, improve my techinique and learn from far and wide. Hope you enjoy my first online exhibition of art works.
Dev and Kavitha are married to each other, and currently live and work from Oxford, UK.
I graduated from the school of life, as they say, being constantly exposed to the highs and lows that it offered. With no formal training in art, I think I discovered art on my own early on, sketching, drawing and painting the people I admired, but considered it a serious hobby just recently.
Having been born and brought up in Chennai, and living amidst at least ten cinema halls within a five kilometer radius has left a lasting influence in my art. Imagining myself to be at the centre of my movie world was one thing, but to really be a part of movies became my fascination, passion and ultimate goal. My art is just an extension of this, as I see.
As I draw and sketch the great men and women from the movies, portraying them as my art, I bring them closer to my world of existence. The stars are no longer a distant dream for me personally. I feel like having known them better, and as an artist, see this as some sort of a connection I establish with my imaginary movie world.
I have consciously widened my exposure to a wealth of movie information and people behind the scenes, by watching an eclectic mix of films in many languages, appreciating all aspects of its origin and making. Art as a media to express my love for movies has shown me ways to fill in the gaps before I become a part of movies myself. So here I am, releasing my first set of portraits of a few great people I admire. I felt great joy in having known them personally through my art, and I hope you will too.
Kavitha Shivan
I studied fine arts in India and media production in UK. After more than ten years of a happy and contented career as a graphic designer which continues to be my priority, I am currently enjoying my newfound passion for art.
I have been a quiet and keen observer of people and things around me, so I find myself doing a lot of things that engage the curiosity of my mind. Art opens another window for my expressions. In choosing my media, I find a combination of fabric and found objects along with canvas and paper created interesting visual textures with a back story. My first dabble in art was in pen and ink, sketching intricate patterns and drawings that contained designs of animals and objects that I would imagine. I still have a few pieces of them done years ago. I also use language and words in my art, a certain hangover from my graphic design background. A recent hands-on approach with uninhibited freedom to express with colours appealed to me, and I have since moved on to canvas.
For me, a piece of torn cloth, a tiny scrap metal or even a shiny broken glass that I pick up from the street can find a place in my art. The act of preserving the history of these unwanted objects fascinates me, and hence my need to make art out of them. Living and working in a place like Oxford has only had a deeper influence in my apreciation of objects, people, history and time.
As an artist, my only wish is to make happy pieces of art while I enjoy the process which is important to me. I want to be able to extend my artistic journey to newer media, improve my techinique and learn from far and wide. Hope you enjoy my first online exhibition of art works.
Dev and Kavitha are married to each other, and currently live and work from Oxford, UK.