Its day 3 of the Easel @ the Easel workshop happening. We’re stepping out of the library space and visiting Gallery Gitanjali.
The kids are all in the van and we’re making our way through traffic, discussing artists they knew. Leonardo da Vinci is the first response we heard. With some amount of prompting, they identified the barefoot painter as being M.F. Hussain.
When we reached the gallery, in addition to the exhibition…they were going to meet the artist as well.
A quiet man and soft spoken man, here was Vamona Navelcar. The kids took to him instantly and he seemed pleased to interact with them.
He took them around the gallery and explained to them the processed behind all of the art works.
…and the kids listened, without a word. Just rapt attention.
Some of the artworks that captured the kids the most were the ones Mr. Navelcar told them he had done in just one stroke, no lifting the pen at all. And this; I later found out; was something that inspired them.
“What’s that about?!” they asked him
He simply stated that that painting was “his voice”. It depicted his anguish caused by the changing scene and trend in Goa; the violence, the changing landscape etc.
When the kids had asked substantial questions and had done the round of the exhibit, Mr. Navelcar led them to a table and requested for paper to be brought there.
Then quite effortlessly, he began to sketch. Page after page he produced art works.
And the kids just watched wordlessly.
And thus, as it ended, the kids each had an original sketching done by Vamona Navelcar to take back with them.
We got back to the library with surplus time before the kids called it a day and headed back home.
Paper and pencils! Let’s sketch!
We were all going to sketch an image of something that had inspired us during the course of the day. Quite taken, by what they’d seen earlier, the kids already had a plan in mind….. “Can we do it without lifting the pencil??”
“Go for it!” they were told.
And so it was…..pencils moved on paper. Opinions were shared across the table. Erasers were requested for. And soon, artworks were produced.
At the end of the morning, the kids were done with their works and headed off to sit in corners of the library to read…and some ofcourse chose to run through the library.
This didn’t stop them from racing to their parents with pictures in hand and stories to tell of their day.
Mamas and Papas happy. Kids happy. Bookworm’s happy.
