DAY 1:
Session 1: Stretching Canvases
Today, Jagmohan Bangani led the first session on attaching a canvas to a stretcher. It was fascinating to watch him meticulously demonstrate the process of cutting the canvas and securing it step by step. The participants observed intently, as this was their first time witnessing such an event.
Many had not previously created their own canvases, often using pre-made ones instead. Now, in next session, each participant must attach their own canvas to a stretcher, which is sure to boost confidence. Overall, this session proved both informative and engaging for everyone involved.
“I knew from experience that fellow participants may be unfamiliar with certain techniques, so I’ve decided to conduct the first session on learning how to stretch canvases. During my master’s program at Winchstor school of Arts, I was first introduced to stretching canvases and even taught how to create stretchers using workshop tools” – Jagmohan
Session 2: Create your own Canvas
After the demonstration, participants were provided wooden stretchers and canvas roll. The fellows has to to measure & cut the rolls, stretch it over the wooden frame, use staplers and other tools create their own canvas
Session 3: Individual art journeys till Padav
The participants got together after stretching their canvases for a brief introduction session. Each person shared their artistic inspiration and background, allowing others to learn about each other’s individual journeys. Whether it was childhood memories or classroom experiences or options that unfolded, that ignited their interest to pursue Arts. Each participant explained why they were attending the workshop and what led them there.
DAY 2:
Session 1: Mentor’s Journey (Part 1)
This was an intimate conversation session, where Jagmohan, (the mentor) shared his personal journey of growing up in a remote village in Uttarkashi, narrating stories around the challenges he faced while pursuing education. He also mentioned various balancing acts that were essential in moving from one goal post to another. His experiences resonated well with the participants and there was an immediate connect since each fellow could relate to one or the other dimension of his own state.
The narrative highlighted how his lifelong pursuit of art was never easy. It was rife with obstacles and challenges in getting education, overcoming family expectations and pushing himself to move forward towards fulfilling his passion for art, one step at a time, without losing hope. From early childhood, he found joy in sketching, learned photography, and even began doing small, odd jobs like writing slogans on wall, painting banners or cover designs to support himself. Later these skills helped him not only to retain some financial independence when he moved from the village, to town, to other cities in securing education but also provided consistency in his connect with the art itself.
At this point, the sharing became a bit intense. So, a break was provided for the participants to be with their thoughts and if need be, they can share among themselves, the relevance of what they heard and how it resonated within their own personal lives.
After the break, Jagmohan continued sharing his experiences in Delhi, where he found himself entering the world of Art. One takeaway from his story was his intense drive to learn, that time, he often spent hours sketching at railway stations and bus stands, sometimes creating up to 150 sketches in a single night. His routines suggested that dedication and hard work are required to master skills and once one is comfortable, one can extend, explore and achieve perfection in their craft.
Session 2: Art Journey (Part 1)
In this technical session, Jagmohan Bangani presented a slideshow depicting his evolution as an Artist. Using pictures from each year, the presentation brilliantly depicted shifts in his art works overtime, from his early days of sketching, figurative works, and portraits to more complex works between 2001 and 2005.
The participants could see how he grew as an artist, how his personal exposure to readings, other artist’s work, his own mental states, and struggles influenced him and could see its reflection in his Art.
He also drew the attention of participants to the possible conflicts within the artists. Beginning from the purpose of creating, ascribing meanings, and finding balance between the needs of market and self-expression.
He underscored the need to have a research mind at this stage of getting comfortable with skill, form and medium, to explore what others have done, look at their body of work, avoid falling in the trap of spending all energy into perfecting something, that had already been explored, and finally to arrive at something different.
This insightful presentation allowed participants to witness an artist’s growth over time in a clear and engaging manner and left them motivated enough to pick up their pencils.
DAY 3:
Individual Technical Sessions: With Mentor on their Art
This was an intense one-to-one interaction of each participant fellow with Jagmohan Bangani and Poonam Sharma. The individual session focused on fellow’s previous art creations, current ideas for new project, and future aspirations. These sessions cleared individual fellows’ doubts, sharpened their ideas on the layout, feedback on the kind of art they are making and what they should explore further. Relevant references, contacts and guidance was provided on the spot that could support each fellow’s individual journey. Indeed the individual sessions were exhaustive and often draining for Mentors, some even lasting up to two hours.
Evening Guest Session: With Nidhi Panta on Art Markets
Nidhi hails from Uttarakhand and was grounded in arts from Kala Kendra, Dehradun. She moved to work in Delhi Art Gallery 20 years back, gained experience in Art Markets before moving to ARTREY in Gurgaon, known for generating valuable insights on Global Art Work Auctions, market prices and trends. Currently, she is an art consultant.
Nidhi’s session dymystified the Art Markets, the fellows got to know how it works, who is buying, the nature and type of art markets, the role of Investors, collectors, galleries, exhibitions and auctions. Much of the discussion was around what sells, how to price your art work and how to leverage different agencies to make your art stand out.
The key takeaway was that the art market exists, despite some shocks, it is growing exponentially, with online and virtual galleries, lots of spaces exist to enter markets, provided one has done a good homework on one’s artwork.
DAY 4:
Individual Technical Sessions: With Mentor on their Art
One of the primary goal of the mentor is to review the previous work of each fellow, assess their comfort zones, natural inclination, any consistency or pattern that are there
The other part is listening to their story of practice, what comes easy, what is difficult, how much time they spent on their work etc.
And then observe them while they are at work. See their layout, strokes, choice of colours and guide them whenever it is appropriate
DAY 5:
Individual Technical Sessions: With Mentor on their Art
Once the shape start emerging, the conversations become less and just a nudge is what required
By this time, the Mentees are totally engrossed to see their work getting completed for the final nod of the Mentor
Session 2: Art Journey of Jagmohan (Part 2)
In part one, Jagmohan discussed his art journey up to New Delhi, 2005. It highlighted ups and downs and growth of the works he was producing then. His art can be put in the broader category of largely figurative works. Since, most of the current fellow’s work reflected figurative work only, it was decided to take up the transition from figurative to abstract in part 2 of the presentation. Splitting presentation in two, resolved confusions (noticed in previous workshops) where in some fellows became contemplative, and couldn’t pick up the brush to get feedback on their individual work.
So, while first part of journey was designed to motivate and help fellows exercise their full potential as artists, the second part of Jagmohan’s journey was to inspire fellows to dream more
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Jagmohan shared second part of his journey that began at Winchester School of Art, in United Kingdom while pursuing a master’s degree in painting. Till then, he had already developed a significant body of work with some commercial success, he thought journey onwards would be a relaxed and expected to refine his skills in this new environment.
However, contrary to expectations, within first couple of weeks, Jagmohan realized the challenge. His professors showed little interest in his current artwork and pushed him to produce new art. The education format was very different, fellow students could critique his work, he was given references to read, or to study other artist’s work. While at the workshop, there was the constant pressure to create. This pressure pushed Jagmohan towards finding his own unique artistic language. It was revealed to him in his darkest recess when he cried out for his mother ‘Maa’ and wrote it repeatedly on the canvas. Surprisingly, next morning, it got the nod of the professor to explore it further.
Once the despair is lifted, the strokes became confident, and another journey began into the trance, rhythm, colours and forms of text in his art. This continues to evolve gradually in subsequent years when he returned to Delhi. These nuanced shift were beautifully captured by Jagmohan in his presentation through slide show of select art works and their link with related happening or states of mind.
Session 3: Art Journey of Poonam Sharma
Delhi-based painter, Punam Sharma, usually experiments with different medium and her work is pure abstraction. After her formal MFA degree, she moved from oil on canvas to paper and enjoyed abstractions, seldom using colours & brush. A few years back, she has developed a unique style with paper-on-paper and textile on other mediums. She is also a passionate art teacher, who even draw a lot from observing how art takes unpredictable shapes in young hands
Poonam’s presentation contrasted with Jagmohan’s arduous journey, focusing on the exploration of art from a vantage perspective. Drawing from childhood ideas and impressions, as well as observed experiences, this approach involves navigating the abstract mind space to arrange and examine various layers, effects, and contrasts.
The significance of this presentation lies in emphasizing that there is no single path for artists. Each individual must move towards their own unique exploration process. However, one should take it as an advice, to exhaust all the possibilities as one moves from one body of work to another. For an artist, this is a continuous journey.
Closing Session: Art Exhibition & Interaction with Guests
All the artwork created in the Padav is put on display at the Kaaya Cafe wall. It will be there for a month, so any body can come and visit us to see the work.
However, please see below the video created and compiled one of the fellow, showcasing their experience of the first Padav workshop
