Shipra Gupta: An Artist Who Loves To Share Her Gift

  A portrait from the artist   "We should keep few goals in our mind and commit to them. Not a lot of goals, but few that we really care about. We have limited time with us, and that will get spent anyway. It helps to ensure we find the time to pursue our goals and prioritize them. Just as the law of compounding, each small effort eventually gathers volume and starts creating impact in the long run and gives one immense satisfaction."   Shipra Gupta is someone who doesn't want to keep the joy of painting to herself. She believes in sharing this gift with others too. Shipra talks to BananiVista about herself, her passion and her journey as not only a painting artist in Bangalore but also a sketch artist in Bangalore who through her art and craft classes and painting classes, is leaving a legacy behind.   BV: Please tell us something about yourself and your background as an Artist. Shipra: I’m a 38-year-old homemaker. I did my Post Graduation in English Literature along with a diploma in Fashion Designing. I come from a small town in UP, near Kanpur. After spending the initial 12 years in Noida after my marriage, I moved down South and spent the next 1.5 yrs in Chennai. Now we are settled in Bangalore for last 2 yrs. The Painter and teacher-Shipra Gupta   As a trained fashion designer, I used to do painting and embroidery work on fabrics. Afterwards, I did a lot of art and craft work like Papier Mache, Tanjore, murals, stained glass, royal miniature, marble paintings. In 2012, I came across an institution where I learned various forms of fine art & worked with different media. Although my journey in this field is only 5-6 years old, it has been immensely enjoyable for me. I work for 6-7 hrs every day and continue honing my skills and learning new ones.   BV: What inspired or motivated you to become an artist and start art and painting classes? Proud students with their stunning work   Shipra: I had a creative bent of mind right from my childhood. Since I had done a course in  Fashion Designing, I was also doing paintings on fabrics.  Painting is like meditation for me. So, after 10 years I started painting and it really it gave me peace of mind. When I started seeing and studying the works of senior artists, it tempted me to do something significant in this field.   BV: As a sketch artist as well as portrait artist what subjects fascinate you the most? What is your medium of choice? Shipra immersed in her work   Shipra: Any creative expression around me inspires me. Portraits and Still life are my current subjects of interest. I find inspiration all around. I find it in human expression, their interactions and daily objects around the home as well. Anything that exuberates harmony and creativity inspires me to put it on canvas. I do pencil shading, charcoal, watercolors, oils. My favourite medium is watercolor.   BV: Any particular milestone in your journey that you are very proud of? Little students at work   Shipra: I started taking art classes at Noida, and have been doing so regularly at different scales. In Chennai, at one time, I taught art to more than 70 students. It was quite satisfying to nurture so many young kids. On a more serious note, one of my paintings got selected at International Art Festival held at Kosovo 2017. Decoupage work   BV: We have learned that you take art and craft classes as well as painting classes in Bangalore for both kids and adults. What made you want to share this gift of yours with others? Shipra: When a teacher takes classes, both the teacher & students learn. I, too, learned a lot with and from my students. I organize various art and craft workshops along with the regular drawing classes. More than that, kids are full of curiosity and creativity and that's a quality that all of us adults can learn to keep from them!   BV: Who do you consider your biggest supporter? Any mentor or guide who has helped shape the artist in you? A recently held watercolour workshop   Shipra: I am extremely lucky to have good support from my parents, sisters, in-laws & friends. But my biggest supporters are my husband & my kids. They help me in all possible ways. During the initial phase of my art journey, Sunil Chawla Sir from Noida helped me take shape up as an artist. After that,  I moved to  Chennai and then Bangalore. Here many senior and peer artists helped me to shape my interest and art.   BV: Can you share an anecdote from your artistic journey which you fondly remember and that makes you smile? Shipra: Selling paintings is a really frustrating task. Once, after my fourth or fifth exhibition, my husband asked me which painting to buy and he’ll buy it. It was a funny moment for both of us.   BV: How do you come up with ideas for your paintings? Do you have a place to yourself where you paint your heart out? As an artist, live paintings are Shipra's forte   Shipra: As I mentioned earlier, my favourite subjects are portraits and still-life. So the ideas for my paintings come from my surroundings and my regular life.For still life, a lot of antique things attract me. I get to see humans everywhere.Whenever I have time I love do live paintings, otherwise, I click and work with my own references.   BV: Lastly, any word of advice for people who wish to take up art professionally? At an exhibition   Shipra: I knew many fellow artists who wanted to choose art as a career but didn’t last for long due to lack of monetary earning. It’s hard to sustain oneself if commerce happens to be the main motive. One should have artistic pursuit as a goal, and keep social currency as the earning. Shipra is not only taking her art and painting to newer heights, with her art and craft classes and painting classes she is also nurturing the younger generation. It is always a pleasure to know someone who has the passion to share one's talents and Shipra is definitely one of the rare ones. For more interesting Lifestyle and Cultural information click here.