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ImpArt ( The Art Classes By Professional Artists ) in Telegraph t2 page 17, July 29th... Festive fare ART STUDENTS SHOWCASE THEIR WORKS. PLUS, A LIFESTYLE EXHIBITION IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE TELEGRAPH Masters Collection Art Gallery celebrated a year of Impart — art classes for grown-ups with a penchant for the paintbrush — with an exhibition at its Woodburn Park Road address on July 17. Works of the students, including homemakers, professionals and college-goers, shared wall space with their teachers, and some masters. “I had made a list of things that I wanted to do before I died and one of them was drawing. But I had no idea when I joined Impart that I would have a sketch on exhibition within a year!” smiled Suniti Khastgir. Agreed Sanjeeta Ahmed, who sold two paintings. “I had always enjoyed drawing, but lost touch with it. When I joined Impart, I had just wanted to explore. I have enjoyed every work that I have done here,” she said. If the students were overjoyed, the artists who guide them were beaming with pride. “When students join Impart, I let them draw something they want and try to identify their weakness. Once that is corrected, they manage very well,” explained Sanjib Sen, one of the ‘mentors’ at Impart. With 100 students in a year, Impart is now set for expansion. “We plan to start a second centre, in Salt Lake. We’ve also been approached by corporate houses to host workshops for employees, as a de-stressing exercise,” said Samir Desai, the man behind the gallery and the classes. The plan closest to his heart is to start an online gallery to sell the works of the students. “Indian art is in huge demand. But the works of professionals and masters is very expensive. For people who just want a good painting for their room, canvases by art students work very well. We will upload 500 works to start with, priced at less than Rs 10,000 each,” said Desai. t2 pick: Lipee Roy’s acrylic on canvas. The painting, mostly in green, has a girl sitting by the window of a crumbling building, cactus growing below. Life-like and mysterious. |
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ImpArt ( The Art Classes By Professional Artists ) in Telegraph t2 page 21, Mar 17th... Heart for art A CREATIVE CLASS WITH A DIFFERENCE Students in class at Masters Collection Art Gallery. Picture by Anindya Shankar Ray Bright artworks hanging on the walls, soft music playing in the background and a teacher who helps you draw whatever catches your fancy — not your idea of the run-of-the-mill art class? But that’s exactly what Impart is — an art class with a difference. Organised by Masters Collection Art Gallery, the Impart art classes allow those with a passion for the paintbrush to explore their creativity under the keen eye of professional artists. The idea for Impart popped into Samir Desai’s head — he owns the Masters Collection Art Gallery — when he failed to find an art class that would nurture his knack for putting colours on the canvas. “I’ve always been interested in art but never managed to take lessons after school. Once you cross a certain age and you are looking for guidance to learn art, there is no scope. Where would you go? I couldn’t have gone to the Government College of Art!” he says. The classes are held through the week at the gallery at G7 Malayalay Building, 3 Woodburn Park Road. Students are split up into two groups — those up to 12 years of age and above. Certificates are issued to those who complete a year. It is not affiliated to any university, clarifies Desai. Drawing, sketching, pastels, water colours and acrylic are the media taught at Impart. “We do not do oil on canvas because it takes a very long time to dry,” says Desai. Artists Rabin Kumar Mondal, Arya Chandra Choudhury, Suvra Chakraborty, Sanjib Sen and Sasanka Ghosh are on the faculty at present. So, how difficult was it to get professionals to teach art? “It required convincing on my part. But I had a vast database to choose from because of the gallery and some of them were very interested once I explained the idea to them,” explains Desai. “I was very excited when I was approached to teach at Impart. It’s such a novel idea that I immediately wanted to be a part of it. I wish we had this facility when I was a student,” says Rabin Kumar Mondal, as he moves between the desks supervising someone’s shading or another’s choice of colours. Lessons are tailor-made for the students, depending on their interest and aptitude. The headcount for each class is never more than seven, so that the teacher can pay special attention to all the students. Most of the students are corporate employees or homemakers and mothers looking for some constructive “me-time”. “I have always been interested in art but lost touch after school. Then, some six months back I started coming to Impart. It is totally different from my job. So Saturday and Sunday, I just come here and lose myself in art,” says Priyanka Ray, an IT professional. She is now into landscapes and hopes to start figuratives soon. For Desai, value-addition is important. “Every household has an art teacher for their children and they ask for Rs 300-500 a month. I charge Rs 2,000 a month. So I have to give something more.” So busy has he been putting the course together that he hasn’t had time to attend the classes yet. “Someday maybe, once the classes start doing well,” he says with a smile. Impart has already held workshops on abstract art. Coming up next is one on caricature. |
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