Versatile resin artist Sangeetha speaks on her favourite medium
A melody in green from Sangeetha.
Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer
“I have been interested in arts for years,” says resin artist Sangeetha. “I began drawing and painting as a young girl. As a self-taught artist, I used to draw. Now it takes me a full night to complete an artwork. It is a habit for me for create an artwork per day.” Continuing her tryst with art, she began adding neon and bright colours.
This gave her colour combo ideas and she began putting a layer of epoxy in her works. Her serious resin journey can be dated from here. In the early stages, Sangeetha used to create small objects such as keychains, coasters and trays with resin. She moved on to preserving memorabilia such as marriage flowers and new-born baby’s hair in the medium.
“They can be preserved for many years this way,” she says. She has been making art in resin for the past five years. Experience prompted her to create bigger artworks, each with different concepts and individual techniques, colour combinations and medium mixes. “Each layer needs to be done with patience and caution,” she emphasises.
“A small mistake will turn the art into a mess.” She now creates huge geode (mineral) wall decors, TV cabinets, abstracts in resin and concept art for homes, villas and offices, among others. She is currently also taking commissions, besides exhibiting her work. “If you are interested in my art, you can stay connected with me through Instagram: Athara_Resin_Uae,” she says, speaking to Gulf Today
What attracted you to resin?
To be frank, what attracted me to resin is - YouTube videos! Something related to epoxy was always on my YouTube feed. It was a colourful video of a resin table. In it, one person was pouring resin on wood, cutting and shaping, and the result would be, voila, crystal clear. That moment was like a spark and in that second, I wanted to try the same.
I asked my brother for help and we both went to a hardware shop. The shopkeeper sold me a product, promising it was the same as in the video. But it was varnish; and that was also my first failure. I ultimately searched on google and found the right product.
What does resin give which oil, water colour or acrylic cannot?
Resin art is versatile. It can be used in a variety of ways and the possibilities of making resin art are endless. According to me, you can convert an ordinary wall into a luxury wall by adding my resin art to it. The crystal will give you a luxury feel and the spark and shine will give you positive energy. The free flowing patterns and the intricate designs of resin art are remarkable. This art is likely to evolve with new materials and techniques and will grow.
Resin art is bulky to transport and does not have flexibility of movement. Is this true?
No, actually resin not is bulky to transport because resin pieces can start from small sizes such as 10 centimetres big. Or even smaller. It does not therefore take much space. When it comes to flexibility, resin needs to cure at least for seventy two hours; then it’s easy to travel with it.
Does abstract art interest you – your work is abstract?
All my artworks are combinations or standalone concepts and abstracts. Abstract works give people the freedom to assign their own meaning to a piece. The shape and abstract lines on my geode convey certain emotions, emanating from their visual features. Those artworks let your eyes relax and travel around them …
What is the message you would like to convey?
An artwork needs to communicate emotions and ideas. It needs to tell a story - even confuse and challenge. You should not speak about yourself: the work needs to speak about you.
You use a kaleidoscope of colours. Why does colour fascinate you?
I love colours. Each colour is associated with an emotion and I want to play with colours to create the emotions. So far, all my artworks are in happy colours.
Combining different colour mediums gives different outputs. I want my artwork give a magical aura somewhat like Northern Lights. I love most the combination of black as a background with the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) of Norway in the foreground. For me, it is the best combination in the world!
Are those who work in resin more of craftsmen than artists?
They are both craftsmen and artists. Some of them paint with resin and some sculpt. Which is also considered advanced painting.
Has resin art won the recognition it should in the UAE?
We need to get more recognition so we get more inspiration and motivation. Many think resin is just pouring art. Which is not true. You should have the control to handle the art! Winning recognition in the UAE would be helpful and give us more pride as resin artists.
If you were your own PR person, how would you present your art?
Actually, I am the PR for my artworks. I’m not only the PR but also CEO, manager, salesperson, social media account handler, package team and delivery person as well. I have begun to create reels on Instagram where I show my work and am participating in events such as exhibitions. I’m planning to start a website where I can be contacted directly or people can buy through it.
