Kerala   

An expression of self

RIOT OF COLOURS: Ushadevi with her works at the Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery in Kozhikode. Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup

"My paintings help me cope with the stress of managing a big school. They also help me come to terms with grief, caused by the loss of my child," says P. Ushadevi.

Ushadevi began dabbling in colours five years ago. Though unschooled in the art of using palette and brush, Usha realised she had an innate talent for painting on glass and ceramic ware.

She kept her interest in painting under wraps but after some persuasion from her colleagues at Government Vocational Higher Secondary School, Meenchanda, Kozhikode, of which she is the Principal, Usha decided to hold an exhibition of her works at the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery. Her exhibits were a big draw.

After her son died in a road accident, she found herself spending more time painting. She was attracted by colours and liked mixing them to evolve new ones.

She never tired of painting birds on glass and ceramic. "Soon, I found myself amid a large collection of my glass and ceramic paintings," she says.

The response to her exhibition came as a pleasant surprise to Ushadevi. "You feel good when senior artists drop in to watch the exhibits and discuss various aspects of the art work," she says.

Ushadevi says her interest in painting helps her cope with the stress of managing the school, which has 110 staff members and a large number of children from financially backward families and from the communally sensitive Marad village.

R. Madhavan Nair

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