Art is anything but being in boundaries. A creative mind has the constant thirst to pursue what no one has and present it in their artwork. Persistence and the urge to think out of the box distinguishes artists.
One such artist who has become a household name with his unique creations, be it on the canvas or in the interiors of a home, is Dinesh Kirve, Artist and Interior Designer. We had the opportunity to learn more about him in an interview.
I always try to get out of my comfort zone, be innovative, experimental and inspect how new colours interact with different papers. This approach has always led me to find out unique colour interplays and witness amazing results
Read on:
Please brief our audience about your profession.
As a watercolor artist I grabbed the brushes for the first time around six years earlier when I came across the artwork of my mentor, my guru Mr. Vinay Joshi and I fell into an inseparable love relationship with these materialistic colors which only nourished and grew stronger by time and efforts with dedication and daily practice. As an artist I am personally inclined more towards portraits, but also like to try my hands on landscapes and objects for a change.
Within a year, my mentor groomed me to the level that I could exhibit my artwork. I have participated in several exhibitions, displayed my piece of art by collaborating and socializing with different artists working on different mediums. I am honored to inform our audience that it is through these exhibitions only that I met three more great artists and we formed a team named as “ We Kalakkars” and as Kalakkar we have arranged many workshops in different mediums, participated in couple of exhibitions as team and hopefully sooner or later we will carry out our own exhibitions with new and upcoming artists and provide them with generous platform to showcase their artwork.
Apart from being an artist, I am also a freelance Interior Designer from past few years, with quite an established firm named as “D-zone designers” which is currently based in Pune, near Deccan. I work only on residential projects, and I have worked in Pune and other cities.
What differentiates you from your competitor?
I never think that other artists are my competitors, or I am in the race with others trying to win it. Rather, I call it as a big community of unique, mindful, creative people always trying to come up with some artwork that would give them the joyfulness and satisfaction of making something new, that could lead one to altogether different world. As a part of the community, we always find people eager to help, guide, support and encourage each other. Social media from past few years is helping a lot to easily increase the communication and remove certain barriers. However, considering my interior designer profile, I have to always struggle and try to be on my toes with unique designs and those which are trending in the markets.
Guide us through your personal life. What does it look like?
As a socializer and a big party-animal, I tend to have this happy-go-lucky kind of personality, meeting new and different personalities excites me and I will not mind people calling me gourmet. I love to travel and explore new places. I am also looking forward to travel around the world, check out some renowned paintings, I want to go through the work of my favourite artists and also visit most of the world-famous art galleries.
I will call myself a fashion freak, always ready to explore myself and try out anything and everything that suits me. I simply follow my heart when it comes to fashion, apparels, my presentations or living my life.
What were the challenges you faced while getting into the profession?
Well, Rome was not built in a day, this adage is a reality check applicable to all cases I believe. Because we artists learn a lot from our mistakes, my personal journey does not differ from other artists. I have faced many challenges, few to specify – right from creating perfect shades, getting those strokes appropriately with the brushes on paper, gauging the accurate colour saturation, capturing the correct expressions. As mentioned earlier, I work mostly on realistic portraits, then it is crucially important to always create different skin-tones, skin-textures and well-defined facial features. Also, the persons in the portraits always wear different clothing material, many times it is strenuous to portray the actual fabric effects, transparencies, folds, shadows, etc.
I think every painting is like a roller-coaster ride for creator, and each ride teaches you something new in bits and pieces. There used to be a time, when you have worked on painting for longer time but then you have to keep the painting aside as the shades just went inappropriate and work goes on the toss. You still have to pull up your socks and restart the journey. Not quitting is one of the most important quality every artist should persist.
Even looking at others’ work on social media pages, visiting the art galleries and different exhibitions, I experience some extraordinary observations which makes me question myself how an artist might have brought this beautiful and special effects. I wonder how these effects can be brought into my work, but I try, I fail, then try again until I succeed.
How the adaption of new technology in your field has helped transforming your workspace and what more could be expected in future?
Quality, origin and type of the paper with different textures have major impact on the work. Paper plays significant role as it should give the stability beyond comparison and assure that our work stands out. I have seen the evolution of paper since I am into this field, and it has helped to tryout different papers. We have certain limitations to the paper size, and just hope they will come in all variants in future. Colours are available in many different shades, be it standard or customized. They provide us the chance to try new experiments. I hope we get more colour shades in future that will be available in all price ranges so that every artist can try it out.
How has the ongoing pandemic affected your work life? How are you sustaining in these difficult times, keeping yourself safe at the same time?
This pandemic situation has really affected our personal and professional work in terms of mental peace, calmness, focus, it has disturbed daily routine, and there are certain limitations in getting new ideas due to restrictions.
Well, sustaining during this time is difficult but certainly possible with positive attitude, few changes in habits, getting normalized with new routines. Meditation and daily exercise help me to sustain this new life. Be it art-related work or my interior work, following the norms provided by the government, social distancing, wearing masks compulsorily, making-sure all your assistants are following the same, helps me and my co-workers remain safe.
What would be your strategic approach to scale your profession or yourself in 2021 and beyond?
My approach is quite simple but very compulsive in nature and it is to try out new techniques and styles frequently. I always try to get out of my comfort zone, be innovative, experimental and inspect how new colours interact with different papers. This approach has always led me to find out unique colour interplays and witness amazing results.
I would try to create an artwork that will always stand unique and compelling even after ten-fifteen years down the line.
What would be your advice to budding professionals who aspire to venture in your field of work?
The advice I give is to always follow your passion in art, stick to your work, practice on daily basis for few hours, and always keep in mind that your pallet should never get dry. You will learn through this process, grow, and achieve what you have dreamed for. If you are stuck somewhere, always reach out to different artists and you will get the required assistance.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run and what are your future goals?
If you want to be successful, you need to have specific goal setting done. I personally think that people should know me and my work and in order to make it happen I should have good contacts. I connect with people interested in artwork through social media and art exhibitions.
I always try to participate in art competitions. It is always an honor if you find your name in the winner’s list. I look forward to creating an aesthetic, compelling and realistic work. I desire to be recognized by the name of “Kalakkar.”
What is the current scenario of the industry that you cater to?
Our industry is growing in terms of economy; however, it did tumble due to the pandemic situation and strict lockdowns. Art fairs and exhibitions were cancelled/postponed on national and international level. But we are witnessing and adjusting our self with new ways of working by conducting online art fairs and exhibitions.
Give us a few testimonials of your clients that highlight your skills and positions in the market.
I was able capture few feathers in my cap by winning few national and state level awards in the past couple of years. I have won Best Artist Award – Delhi, Maestro Award – Nagpur, Kalavishwa Award – Pune, Best Artist by Dhepewada – Pune and few more.
There are many testimonials but the following one is very close to my heart given on one of my social media pages.
“I didn’t know that an enthralling word had any definition, however your artwork makes me realize the meaning and existence of it”.
You can check out my artwork on Instagram handle @Dinesh_Kalakkar.
