The curious Siddharth Tiwary – an artist par excellence

Siddharth Tiwary, currently preparing for his IIT-JEE entrance examination, is a ‘naturally gifted’ artist in the truest sense of the word. Siddharth from Apeejay School, Kharghar, has always preferred to learn from nature and disliked the conventional approach to art in professional drawing classes.  In this week’s Apeejay Aspiring Artist interview, the budding artist, who has a personality hints of a Nikola Tesla spark, speaks about the joy of making portraits and how art is striking a balance between reality and one’s own creativity.  Read edited excerpts:  

How did your artistic journey begin?

I’ve been drawing since I was a toddler. This might be surprising to many, but I was ambidextrous during my childhood. I was able to imitate the objects and draw them down neatly on the paper using both hands.

My parents were aware of my talent so they decided to enroll me in a drawing class (I was about 4 then). I attended the drawing classes for roughly a week but then got highly bored because I found the conventional way of drawing objects by making rough geometrical shapes very monotonous. It was instead easy for me to draw things by free hand.

Initially I started drawing with my right hand but after the vacation break, I ridiculously forgot from which hand I used to hold the pencil. So, I chose to start drawing with my left hand. I didn’t feel uncomfortable with my left hand at all. During this course of time I slowly used both my hands for writing and drawing.

But when I got promoted to class 3, my parents advised me to choose a dominant hand for writing and drawing. I chose my right hand because my parents informed me that the scripts of most of the languages are sinistrodextral (directed from left to the right). Eventually, I lost my ambidextrous ability because of the lack of use of my left hand.

 Which art form is your favourite and why?

I have liked painting and portraying objects (with pencil) since the very beginning. I drew a portrait of my mother when I was 5 years of age. My mother found it very realistic and once again enrolled me in a drawing class to hone my skills. I denied her for a second time.

Portraiture is natural to my hands. It allows me to capture the unique character and personality traits of my subjects. I also enjoy the challenge of capturing the likeness while also infusing my own style and artistic interpretation into the work. This way the work becomes both challenging and rewarding.

I love painting by infusing everyday ambient objects within the universe. Like any other person, for me too, the universe is very fascinating, deep and interesting.

 How did Apeejay School, Kharghar support you as an artist?

I’m grateful to Apeejay School, Kharghar, for fostering a nurturing environment that has allowed me to grow both personally and professionally. The art faculties gave me invaluable lessons. They pushed me to improve my skills and I’m deeply appreciative for the same.

So how would you define art?

For me, art is the connection between our mind and hands. It’s a form of expression that allows us to communicate ideas, emotions and experiences in a way that transcends language and culture. Whether it’s through drawing, painting or any other medium. Art has the power to move us, challenge us and inspire us in ways that words alone cannot.

How much time does it take you to complete an artwork? What are the common ideas and themes?

I usually finish my artwork in one go as I don’t like to break my focus and inspiration in between. Portraits usually take 2-3 hours while a painting takes 4-5 hours depending upon the object or theme. My common themes for portraits are the faces of my friends and family and great personalities like Nikola Tesla, Satyendra Nath Bose, M.S. Dhoni, among others.

Upcoming artworks?

My window for leisure is extremely small as I am currently preparing for the IIT-JEE entrance exam. Hence, my leisure activities are on hold until the results are out.

A new art form you wish to learn?

I would like to learn 3-D modelling. It is a technique in which objects are represented or illusioned as if they are popping out of the paper. It is very intriguing!

 Lastly, other hobbies apart from art?

Dancing, playing guitar, reading articles, and exploring astrophysics and Vedic sciences are all dear to me. I’ll resume to follow my hobbies again once my exam gets over with.