Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

Motivating children through murals

PHOTO: CH. VIJAYA BHASKAR

FOR A CAUSE: Augustina Droze of Chicago painting a mural on the premises of Child Aid Foundation in Vijayawada on Tuesday. —

VIJAYAWADA: At 25, she is obsessed with painting murals. Her fascination for the paintbrush dates back to over two decades ago when she was barely two-years-old. “My parents saw the spark in me and they sent me to a special art school,” says Augustina Droze, swishing her locks tied back in a ponytail. A native of Chicago in the United States, she grew up dipping the paintbrush in oil pastels to create lasting impressions on the canvass.

“Now, I just can’t think of not painting even for a single day because it’s like breathing for me. It is so much a part of me,” says the full-time muralist who spends almost eight to nine hours everyday to satiate a constant desire to connect to her inner self.

The beauty of the mural she is creating on the wall of a concrete structure on the premises of the Child Aid Foundation near Benz Circle is as arresting as the artist herself.

The colours she uses to create the images ossify into a beauty that will adorn the place forever. With an amazing sense of imagination, she is working on a novel project with the theme of promoting education for poor children. “The depiction will have images of trees, butterflies and other elements coming out of the pages of a book supported by a few thought-provoking catchphrases in Telugu.

The idea is to motivate the children on the premises to take their studies seriously,” she says exuding a rare charm.

“For something of this size, it normally takes a couple of weeks. But I am trying to speed up because I have to return home by next week,” she says.

Ms. Droze readily accepted the invitation extended to her by the founder and Director of the foundation A. Goswami, to visit and create a mural for the children.

Lending a contemporary touch to the ancient art of mural painting, Ms. Droze has worked on over 500 of them.

“I feel I am at an advantage for being able to express myself in a non-verbal way. I feel blessed in life and I have always felt the need to give back to the society in my own small way,” she says.

Her passion to paint a canvass took a twist seven years ago when one of her friends asked her to paint the ceiling of her home. “I was slightly apprehensive since it was my first project. But thankfully, it came out well except for one segment, which went crooked and had to be re-done,” she recalls with a chortle.

After working on a nine-month project, which had her nimble fingers deftly moving along a stretch of 365-foot wall in a shopping mall in Florida, prestigious projects have started coming her way.

Ms. Droze is keen on making the art an effective tool for social change. “Murals have the power to cause social emancipation and I hope to tread on this path up to a point where my works create a lasting impact on human minds,” she signs off.

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