How long can you be,
what you were never meant to be.

How long will you count those milestones and signs
that keep telling you, you are running out of time.

How long will you wait and always find,
midst unfinished conversations, your thoughts were left behind.

How long can you wish for an anchor to drop,
To let someone hold you or tell you to stop.

How long can you think that there will be a day
when life will be calling and coming your way.

I tell you today. I tell you true. This lesson of mine.
There are no chains holding you. There is nothing called time.

For all that you longed to be and all that you wanted to do,
The moment is now. That person is you.

So grow those roots, grasp those rocks, root yourself, replenish your being,
uncurl your fronds, gauge your horizons, grow your branches, and spread your wings.

When this morning sun starts to color the skies,
tell yourself gently,
I Rise.

I Rise is a group show by women artists at the Art Houz Gallery housed in Jenneys Residency in Coimbatore, commemorating the occasion of International Women’s Day. It was inaugurated on 23rd March 2018 by three well known woman achievers of Coimbatore, in their work spheres across art, social causes, fitness and beauty: Dr. K. Aarathy Paari, Ms. Mookambika Rathinam and Ms. Sonali Pradeep and Coimbatore-based artist, Mr. Jeevanathan who added light to the inaugural lamp lighting ceremony.

The following women artists (in alphabetical order) participated in this edition, displaying their works in sync with the iRise theme:

• Arathi Rajagopalan – Chennai
• Geetha Shree Rajanna – Bangalore
• Gayathri Krishna – Coimbatore
• Ishrath Humairah – Coimbatore
• Ruchi Bagrecha – Coimbatore
• Shoba Premkumar – Conoor
• Surekha Narayanan – Kerala

The inaugural lamp lighting ceremony was followed by opening up the exhibit gallery to the esteemed guests and art lovers.  The gallery walls were full of artworks by the participating artists in various styles, media and expressions. From oils, acrylics, pastels, wax to cut papers and mixed media, there were varied themes and numerous artistic expressions to see, mull over and absorb. The depicted subjects ranged from nature, landscapes, abstracts, saints, women, birth, animals to celebrating life; Mother Nature and the women being a core essence of them all.

 

It was a lovely evening midst art lovers, guests, family and friends. While some intently studied the art works, some admired the techniques, and some broke the silence of the gallery with heartwarming songs and hums. From meeting city-based artists in the fields of painting, photography and music to making new friends, it was an evening lovingly spent. Here are some memories of the moment in space and time where art lovers and artists came together under the same roof.

 

I Rise is my first art show in Coimbatore. Unlike other shows, I did not create any new work for this exhibition as I paint deep textures in oils which take a long time to dry. My best bet was to collect my works that were in sync with the theme – iRise. My earlier works which depicted the rising, cleansing and being born were selected. And more so because I felt that the theme was right to re-start this journey all over again. So, I did.

Here are some of my artworks on display at iRise 2018:

Deep textured artworks using oils as a based to settle the mixed media.

 

The Sacred Tree – 12″ x 24″ Diptych – Oils on Canvas Panels
Read more about this artwork here

 

The Rising – Oils and Mixed Media on Stretched Canvas – 48″ x 18″ – 2017
The Rising was created using paper and shreds as a base with gesso on which the sun rose in its glory of reds, ochres and oranges.

 

Deep Forest Terra Verte – Oils and Mixed Media on Stretched Canvas – 24″ x 24″
Please read more about this work here

 

Serenity Sandscape – Oils and Sand on Canvas Panel – 12″x 16″ – 2010
Please read more about this work here

Another work that is dear to my heart….

A New Beginning – Mixed Media and Oils on Stretched Canvas – 36″x 48″
Please read more about this work here

 

Here are some of the press coverage tid-bits of the event and the ongoing show:

 

And the one who is the happiest to have restarted the journey into art and creative in this nature-laden city is me. And I hope to create more and more nature themed deep textured works. I miss Hyderabad and the endless inspiration it gave. But I also look forward to new vistas unknown and unseen. Let them all unfold.

 

About Art Houz Galleries
Art Houz is one of the leading contemporary art galleries from South-India, with presence in Bangalore, Chennai and Coimbatore. Founded by Vincent Adaikalraj, the gallery has achieved significant importance, mounting some of the most important shows from the Indian art scene. Their focus is on young emerging artists with an experimental approach to practice and expand the horizons of South Indian art audience. Not confining its presence within its own local premises, Art Houz plans to represent artists under its brand at international fairs through collaborations with other galleries, art institutions and initiatives. They have also have started a magazine associated with art called ARTS ILLUSTRATED and are actively involved with NDTV’s online art platform MOJARTO.

About Coimbatore
Coimbatore, also known as Manchester of India, is a non-metro city nestled in the Western Ghats range, which is an established hub for educational institutions, hardware and automotive companies, and more recently touted as the most senior-friendly city in India. What attracts people to Coimbatore is the pleasant climate, low pollution and clean water levels, proximity to holiday destinations, hill stations and natural forest reserves. It is still a small but growing city that has a charm of its own. For more information please click here