Hello everyone! BabbleOn will be featuring a local artist every week. We shall interrogate said artist in a bid to understand surrealism and the jokes accompanying it. If you'd like your work to be featured then do write to us at blog.babble@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you! :)
29th January 2016
We met Maitreyi Bhatia. Perpetually excited, perpetually paranoid and perpetually hungry. Muralist, Graphic Designer and Illustrator.
Did you ever go for 'Drawing Classes' as a kid? Your opinion on those classes?
In my opinion a talent for artistic skills isn't something 'special people' are born with.
When I was small I loved drawing and my Mom always encouraged me to do it and everyone I showed my work to always praised me, (because it isn’t right to tell a 3 year old that their drawings of a typical geometrical house and triangle mountains in the distance sucks.) but being praised made me feel like I was something special which made me want to do it again and again and all that practise improved my skills at it.
I did go for art classes when I was about 4 years old and I loved it because my art teacher was a really nice person but I don't think her purpose was to 'teach' us. The idea behind art classes at that age should be to have fun and learn to love art and feel proud as she praises you and gives you a lollipop before you leave to go back home.
As I grew up I tried to go for art classes with another teacher but I didn't last for more than a week and I kept switching teachers trying to find a good one. I had one teacher in particular who would yell at you if you brought her fees a day late and yell at anyone who asked her too many questions. There were tiny children who walk tremble while asking her questions and run the minute they saw their mothers come to pick them up. She even yelled at an old lady who came to her classes.
Another teacher I had was a pretty terrible person as well. His favourite students were the ones with wealthy parents who had 'good contacts' that would be beneficial to him and if there was a student who's parents owned an art gallery or were famous in the art field they would automatically get the highest marks, and I was repeatedly told things like ‘you expect to get a 90 in art? I promise you , you won’t even get a 50’
Good art teachers are a blessing but they aren’t completely necessary to have. Art can’t be taught exactly but it’s always great to have a mentor of some kind who is experienced and can give you their opinions on your work and it’s always useful to be around people who you can learn from.
Whose art do you identify with?
I don’t think I identify with anyone’s art but there are definitely a couple who I ‘fan girl’over . Salvador Dali , Banksy and Ralph McQuarrie are some of my favourites.
I’ve always had a fascination for human beings and ‘psychotic-ness’ hence I find the process of Character Designing very fascinating and exciting but I don’t enjoy Realism much.
What's been the most memorable response to your work?
What do you dislike about the 'Art World?'
There’s nothing I dislike about the art world I think it’s brilliant and exciting but the world does lack good ‘Teachers.’
What's the best advice you've ever received?
It’s not exactly advice but it’s something Robertryan Cory said – “ You can try to rush the process but you will eventually run into your age/ experience as a blockade. As Impatient as the modern age is, you can only be your age and you’ll no sooner be the Artist you were meant to be at 30, 40 or 50 years of age. So enjoy the slowness of the process because it’s inevitable and that’s the true definition of an Artist. Fame, Likes, Jobs, Money is all a distraction.”
Go stalk Maitreyi at maitreyibhatia.in
29th January 2016
We met Maitreyi Bhatia. Perpetually excited, perpetually paranoid and perpetually hungry. Muralist, Graphic Designer and Illustrator.
In my opinion a talent for artistic skills isn't something 'special people' are born with.
When I was small I loved drawing and my Mom always encouraged me to do it and everyone I showed my work to always praised me, (because it isn’t right to tell a 3 year old that their drawings of a typical geometrical house and triangle mountains in the distance sucks.) but being praised made me feel like I was something special which made me want to do it again and again and all that practise improved my skills at it.
I did go for art classes when I was about 4 years old and I loved it because my art teacher was a really nice person but I don't think her purpose was to 'teach' us. The idea behind art classes at that age should be to have fun and learn to love art and feel proud as she praises you and gives you a lollipop before you leave to go back home.
As I grew up I tried to go for art classes with another teacher but I didn't last for more than a week and I kept switching teachers trying to find a good one. I had one teacher in particular who would yell at you if you brought her fees a day late and yell at anyone who asked her too many questions. There were tiny children who walk tremble while asking her questions and run the minute they saw their mothers come to pick them up. She even yelled at an old lady who came to her classes.
Another teacher I had was a pretty terrible person as well. His favourite students were the ones with wealthy parents who had 'good contacts' that would be beneficial to him and if there was a student who's parents owned an art gallery or were famous in the art field they would automatically get the highest marks, and I was repeatedly told things like ‘you expect to get a 90 in art? I promise you , you won’t even get a 50’
Good art teachers are a blessing but they aren’t completely necessary to have. Art can’t be taught exactly but it’s always great to have a mentor of some kind who is experienced and can give you their opinions on your work and it’s always useful to be around people who you can learn from.
Whose art do you identify with?
I don’t think I identify with anyone’s art but there are definitely a couple who I ‘fan girl’over . Salvador Dali , Banksy and Ralph McQuarrie are some of my favourites.
I’ve always had a fascination for human beings and ‘psychotic-ness’ hence I find the process of Character Designing very fascinating and exciting but I don’t enjoy Realism much.
What's been the most memorable response to your work?
Dinesh Vazirani bought one of my paintings at a school art exhibition which was super flattering.
But other than that some of the most special compliments are ones that random people have given me. A random stranger once walked past me while I was doing up a restaurant's chalkboard and smiled and said ‘ You’ve got an incredible talent,’ and that made my day. It means a lot when it comes from strangers.
But other than that some of the most special compliments are ones that random people have given me. A random stranger once walked past me while I was doing up a restaurant's chalkboard and smiled and said ‘ You’ve got an incredible talent,’ and that made my day. It means a lot when it comes from strangers.
What do you dislike about the 'Art World?'
There’s nothing I dislike about the art world I think it’s brilliant and exciting but the world does lack good ‘Teachers.’
What's the best advice you've ever received?
It’s not exactly advice but it’s something Robertryan Cory said – “ You can try to rush the process but you will eventually run into your age/ experience as a blockade. As Impatient as the modern age is, you can only be your age and you’ll no sooner be the Artist you were meant to be at 30, 40 or 50 years of age. So enjoy the slowness of the process because it’s inevitable and that’s the true definition of an Artist. Fame, Likes, Jobs, Money is all a distraction.”
Go stalk Maitreyi at maitreyibhatia.in
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