Meet Sagnik Biswas, this week’s top American Watercolor Weekly Ambassador!
Fernhill, Ooty (12”x16”): Built in 1844 in a Swiss cottage style as the summer residence of the Maharaja of Mysore, the Fernhill spreads across a whopping 50 acres covering many small hillocks & pastures within its premises. Serving as a popular tourist resort now, it draws huge crowds every summer, despite its disrepute as a hotspot for paranormal activities. Excellent restoration and upkeep have still kept the property a delight to paint.
If architecture is my first love, then painting is a close second.
It started with a visit to Uffizi in Florence, whence I discovered the true power of painting – a tool that can be used to record memoirs for myself or to compose a meaningful communique for others …
Over the years, I have read & learned a lot about painting – while much of it I could use in my artwork, some has flown into art blogs & art-related articles I have written in magazines or for my website paintpaperbrush.com.
Shooting Spot, Ooty (12”x16”): Located 15 km from Ooty town, Wenlock Downs or The 9th Mile Shooting Spot is a popular location for Bollywood films & is responsible to some extent in shaping the common vision of “natural beauty” through their portrayal in these blockbusters. This vast parkland has a spectacular view of the lake & trails for horse riding.
My influences have been many & varied – like the “storytelling” of Aban Tagore to the “visioneering” of Robert Wade, the romanticism of Turner to the spontaneity & directness of Sargent.
As an artist, as far as possible, I don’t interpret or “simplify” my subjects as I feel that would be like distorting the reality – a disservice to the audience & a compromise to myself. I have a strong belief that if something has caught my attention or has delighted me in some way, then it could have the same effect on someone else too provided I can capture it the way I have seen it. And that is my only goal in painting.
Pine Forest, Ooty (12”x16”): A must-visit for all nature lovers is the Pine forest – nestled between Ooty & Thalakunda in the Nilgiris. While some trees are about to cross 1000 years, most of the trees are already 4000 years old! Common varieties are Siberian Dwarf, Ponderosa & Potosi Pinyon ranging from 3 to 80 meters in height. Through these ancient trees, one could often catch a breathtaking glimpse of the Sandy Nulla reservoir down below. The ever-changing pattern of the crisscrossed light here is always a delight to paint.
