As a member secretary of the Planning Commission, Sudha Pillai’s is a highly demanding job. But if you expect her to kick off her shoes and retire once at home then you’re sadly mistaken. Once home, the hi-flying bureaucrat takes up the palette and canvas and dons the artist’s cap with aplomb. We caught up with her on the sidelines of her exhibition, Avril II — Joy of Living, at the PBC Art Gallery in the city’s electronic hub, Nehru Place.
In her works, Sudha blends various influences in a distinct style thus celebrating life in its infinite manifestations. And when asked as to what makes her take out time from her hectic schedule to paint, she simply replies, “It’s the desperate need to put pen\pencil to paper. My fingers itch when I don’t paint and I feel incomplete if I’m not painting.”
Talking about her inspiration and subjects of her artwork, she avers, “The old jobs required me to move about in the country and I met with people and witnessed images that simply don’t leave my memory and linger on. For instance, the panchayat women I met at a function in Alwar are the subject of my painting — End of Winter. There is the blue of winter (in the image) which could signify the powerlessness of women and yet a sense of warmth seeping in.”
But the subjects and influences are more personal and come from within, for even as a student of psychology Sudha fears analysing. “There is a chance of misinterpretation during analysis, so I focus on keeping my art technically sound and steer clear of introspection. That lets me be original, and aids the flow of ideas and creativity,” she shares.
People may think work is work and hobby is hobby and one has to take time out from work to pursue their favourite pastimes. But not for Sudha. A good time manager she returns to painting whenever she gets time away from work. “We get two days off during the weekend, that helps. My biggest body of work has been done during the month of April, when there are many more off days due to festivals. Which is why my collections are named around ‘Avril’ (French for April). I also get the opportunity to paint during the nights,” she adds.
And as she divulges, her aforementioned urge to paint does keep her engaged even during work hours. She quips, “I even doodle when in department meeting on coasters or letter pads. It helps me concentrate better.” Prod her further on whether she has ever made a minister’s caricature while in a departmental meeting and she cracks up, “No. For that you’ll have to keep looking at the person,” she adds, and sums up her plans for the future, saying, “I have in mind to paint all heroines of Shakespeare and Kalidas and juxtapose the two series to bring out the speciality in all these heroines. They are courageous, strong and there are so many stories to be painted.”