Shyam Sharma, a nationally acclaimed artist had his 29th solo exhibition on 17th April at Art Desh the studio, Tardeo with 15 paintings on display. At the launch of his exhibition which will be on till 26th April among the celebrities were actor Aanjjan Srivastava, Kapil Khadiwala, Subhash Ghai's discovery Vikrant Chaturvedi, Swatantra Kumar from Subhash Ghai's Yuvraj, Preeti Jain and Gaurav Chanana. Gary Richardson, Ganesh Venkatraman and Tarana Singh performed a 8minute interactive comedy skit 'Got to be Love!' and Madhusudan gave a splendid seven minutes Sitar performance



Senior artist Prithvi Soni inaugurated the show lighting the lamp with actor Aanjjan Srivastava. The other artists Amisha Mehta, Gautam Patole, Reena Patel, Surendra Jagtap, Raghu Neware and M Shankar were present to support their colleague.



"Shayam Sharma is a man related to earth and simple in nature. His simplicity is witnessed in his work. More than a painter he is a complete human being a good friend." says Prithvi Soni.



Shayam Sharma, who was overwhelmed with the response he got, said about his exhibition "Spritual Synthesis is a collection of figurative 15 paintings on Lord Buddha and Krishna and our simple day-to-day life. In my work the texture is always important."



Shyam Sharma - interview



'An ant may work its heart out, but it can't make money.' The proverb became wrong for the smallest member of a farmer's family from Lakhimpurkheri, when he supported his family and elder brother's study expenses by working in a shop and continued his studies too.

Shyam Sharma stands tall in proud when he puts his life story in the picture.

His sacrifices and hard work showed result soon, when the elders realised and supported him pursue his dreams in Arts – after he completed his BFA degree he completed AMT (Art Master Training) 2year Diploma and one year training in pottery design.

Then the struggle of making a place in the field of art for himself started. At night he did commercial work and day time made paintings. Shyam participated in the All India painting Camp. After this, his first solo exhibition held at Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai. He got Ghari scholarship from National Lalit Kala Academy. He shifted to Delhi and settled there.



From whom you inspired to become a painter? How did it happen?

I was passionate about art from my childhood, but am deeply inspired by my elder brother who was also a painter. Sadly, he is no more with me now but I always follow his footsteps and his guidance which given me strength to become a painter.

What are the mediums you work with?

I work in different mediums like crayons, oil pastels, black ink and Water colours etc. but my recent works are with oil on canvas. Painting is almost like meditation for me. I plan my painting according to the subject I am working on. I sit in front of a blank canvas and draw the sketch and fill the colours light and dark shades, depth, tone in textures according to my choice.

Which genre of artists do you belong to?

I would like not to belong to any genre. Artists are unique and never static. I would say that my style of work is a combination of modern generation, semiabstract, and figurative simplicity.

How do you see today's artists in comparison to the veterans?

Every artist is unique but according to time their experiences reflect on their work, which makes all the difference. Well about the art scenario in India, the art is gone global and became an investment. Today's artists are more aggressive towards everything from creating the art to selling it. In past, most of works were done in realistic and photorealistic and those artists were still discovering new ideas in still life or portraits; where today its simple modern or contemporary.

How would you like to comment on art education in our country?And how can it be improved?

I think the art education is not quite good in India, as there is a basic problem with the root level of education system and is needed to be changed. According to me, education should be such that students should able to express their creative approach and potentiality fully. But I personally think that art is a talent which you are born with and it can't be taught.

Why only a few have made it to international market?

It is only because the policies of the galleries and the corporate houses promote big names and senior artists only.

How important is colour scheme in each painting? And the mood of the artist?

Each colour has a deep impact on human mind. There are no set rules for creating colour scheme. It basically depends on the artist what he thinks, his perception towards the subject. The artist's mood is definitely important for the work. Happy mind makes happy paintings.

What would you say about the current art scene in India?

In the time of globalization, corporate sectors and private galleries plays a very important role in the art scenario. They have made art absolutely global. The corporate sector gives national- international buyers who are purchasing paintings from artists. This helps to set up prices and correct evaluation of art. And Indian paintings are and will always be in demand.

Tell us about your future exhibitions. How many exhibitions have you had till now?

I have had about 28 solo show as yet and 40 group show with many senior artists in various prominent galleries in India. With my active group, am planning a group show in this year. I am participating in a camp which will be organised by private collectors in the next month. I have thought of a new subject but it is too early to disclose about it.

What do you do when not painting?

In free time I meet my colleagues and go to the exhibitions. I am a very family family man… so most of the free time I spend with my sons and wife.

Where and how do you see yourself in the future?

I see myself in the future as a successful international painter like every artist dreams and that people would appreciate my work and collect it.

How do you see life and its facts as an artist?

I have seen my life as a creator who creates the life and fills them with colours and according to my view life is a continuous journey where is there is no beginning and no end.