She pours life into fiberglass sculptures

When artist Shilpa Surana discovered her passion after her wedding, she was quick enough to align it with purpose. It's her passion that drove her to pursue Bachelor of Fine Arts and MFA in Andhra University after getting married.

Although she forayed into the creative world in later part of her life, she did pick up the nuances of art quite fast. "I was fortunate enough to be taught by late Ravi Shankar Patnaik, Head of the Department of Fine Arts of AU. He encouraged me to trace my area of interest which turned out to be sculptures," shares Shilpa with the Womenia.

Of all, fiberglass sculptures dominate her works. A number of them depict different stages of Vardhamana Mahavira, a young girl sitting cross-legged, pigeons followed by a bunch of murals. "All of them were created from my imagination. At times, when I meditate, I get a fair idea of what theme to work upon next," narrates Shilpa.

After her recent participation in the exhibition 'India Art Festival' held in New Delhi, Shilpa says, "It's a great learning experience where I met over 150 artists from across the country and exchanged best practices." Her works – one fiberglass sculpture and two murals of Kalpasutra garnered encouraging response at the festival.

The artist has set up her workshop at Madhurawada in Visakhapatnam. "It is where I like to spend most part of the day. When your passion and purpose are aligned, it gives amazing results," she elaborates.

Back in 2018, Shilpa took part in the Dubai Art Fair. "Art fairs have their own charm. It is where you get to open up your ideas and bring in fresh perspectives," she opines.

So far, Shilpa poured life into a number of paintings, murals and fiberglass sculptures. One of her works was also installed at the Beach Road. Elaborating about the maintenance of the fiberglass creations, Shilpa recommends a fresh coat of satin paint every two years. When asked about her future plans, the artist shared that she would like to open a gallery of her own and spread the joy of making sculptures across the world. "Also, I aspire to take part in the India Art Fair," sums up Shilpa.

Earlier, the artist from Visakhapatnam has won an 'Excellence Award' from the Inner Wheel Club of Visakhapatnam and appreciation for her excellent service and performance in the field of art and sculpture from JCI, Vizag Smart.