Homemaker enthralls with Thanjavur painting

Most of the paintings by the Madurai artist were Thanjavur and glass paintings. In addition to these, she also had displayed craft works (handmade jewellery and artefacts). 

Talking about her journey in the art world, Vijayakumari said, her painting stint began in a small way 17 years ago. Later, with encouragement from family and friends it began to take a serious turn, she noted. She began to concentrate on the nuances of the art and then slowly shifted her attention to tougher pieces such as the Thanjavur art. As it involved use of gold threads and stones, the richness of it made her delve deeper into the subject. 

At the show, at Madurai, she had also exhibited metal embossed art pieces. But, it was her Thanjavur art which drew the attention of many and also fetched her good profits. “I also take up orders for paintings and the customers should specify the gods or goddesses they want in the painting,” she said succinctly. As regards the price factor, “It depends on the materials I use in the painting. If the customer wants it to be priced low, I will change the threads accordingly,” explained Vijayakumari. 

Vijayakumari looked visibly happy on Tuesday, not because many of her paintings were sold for a good price but because it was her first solo exhibition. She also takes classes on paintings and arts and crafts at her residence. 

She has received several awards such as the ‘Ravi Varma Award’ in 2006 from KAM Art Centre at Madurai and also the award of ‘Budding Artist’ by the Department of Art and Culture of the state government in the year 2003.