When nature and its elements find meaning on a canvas

While sketching the portrait of a woman, Subhashini Chandramani Vinay wanted to bring in a unique touch to the nose. She wanted to add a nose ring and was looking around for something exceptional. Quickly, Subhashini spotted a bougainvillea flower at her home garden and placed the tiny white blossom centre as the nose ring on the sketching. Once the portrait was completed, she took a photograph of the work and while looking at it, she realised there is a depth to the picture when she added a floral touch to it. Since then, Subhashini started experimenting with wilted flowers, petals and leaves.

“The world of garden art opened up a new world to me. I started experimenting with various wilted flowers, roots, etc, I found in my garden and outside. Whenever I step out of the house, I carry a tiny bag to collect some wilted flowers or other materials I find interesting. Sometimes, I don’t know what to create. I don’t follow any theme — if I feel I needed to convey something, I look at my collectibles and decide what I can create out of it. Most of the pictures were formed spontaneously, and only a few took time and effort,” she says.

Her theory is that when a flower blooms, it looks the same — be it a white or a red hibiscus, they look similar except for the colour. There is nothing distinctive about it.

“It is only when they start wilting and drying they gather shape. You have many stories to tell when you are aged. Likewise, when these flowers wither and fall down, they have a meaning to them that has to be expressed through stories. And with my imagination, I create an artwork out of it,” she smiles.

Subhashini’s work is appreciated for its creativity and one could easily relate to what she is trying to convey. Her artwork is available for sale in the form of framed photographs.

“All the photographs are printed on an archival paper, which brings out the 3D effect really well. I take pictures in the natural light and the shadows make it more attractive,” muses Subhashini.

She says that the whole process of creating artworks from elements from nature is therapeutic. “The very ‘act’ of arranging things on a flat surface gives so much joy. You are creating beautiful artwork with different elements from nature that comes in various sizes and shapes. My advice to parents is that they should start encouraging their children to do garden art; it’s not rocket science. The only thing you have to do is to start picking up wilted flowers or petals when you spot them. If you notice, architectures in temples and old buildings have a floral interpretation to it. During the olden days, there weren’t any patterns or designs from which a person could create an image. Every creator looked around and got inspired by nature. Likewise, nature inspires me to create artwork,” she sums up.