Support Artists; Enliven their Dark Stories!

Creating oil paintings was one of the beautiful discoveries I made in my life, of course next to blogging. As I always say ‘Feeling the liberty in an artist’s hands is a beauty beyond imagination!’ For a few years, I enjoyed collecting my paintings; seeing them at every corner of my room was bliss! It was a nice way to gift friends. It saved me from expensive gifts and carried a personal touch too. Sometimes I was asked to do a piece for somebody else. In return I received surprise gifts the joy of which I cannot explain.

And at one time, I wanted to earn out of my paintings. Believe me, it is not as easy to get paid as to get appreciations. There were several to admire the paintings but none would want to spend money on them. I had a few of them displayed at galleries. I kept known people informed about my desire to sell. Nothing worked until I brought them online. I created  a painting blog Conversation with Kolors, advertised on Facebook and Orkut and joined a few online platforms. At last I saw them sell slowly. Even then it is a sad feeling to give away a piece for a low price especially the ones I’ve put so much of my heart into. However, I confess I am neither perfect nor great at paintings. And it’s not my sole source of income as well.

Why am I sharing my story here?

I read the story of artists at Raghurajpur village near Puri, Odisha, a few minutes ago. I am posting this message with the hope that people who are reading now would help their lives. If selling average art for time pass felt so important to me, I know what these real artists who create perfect art works for a living, need. They are trained professionals who have been taught by the fore-runners of the family. They spend days and even months to complete an art piece. If you watch this short video, you can see for yourself with what perfection they do their work and ironically under what circumstances they live in. It felt touching when an elderly artist said ‘Art is not about selling, it’s more about the awe feeling and satisfaction when you complete it.’

So much true are these words! But what happens at the end of it? Their hard work gets exploited by middlemen who take their art pieces for a small amount and make huge profits for themselves. The problem is these artists are not made popular through an effective platform. Hence, Doright initiative plans to build a website and create online visibility to their talents. I perfectly agree to this initiative because that’s exactly how I had earned a few Rupees with my paintings.

We have already discussed about how Doright works in one of my previous posts. Read it here or visit their website.

This initiative would need Rs.45,000. Please visit this page and make your contribution. Every little amount collected shall help them in big ways. Even if funding is a barrier, please spread this message through Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and other social media you use. Our country is long known for her artistic heritage. And it is the right and duty of everyone of us to support art-oriented families such as the Raghurajpur artists.

Let us make art continue to live for eons!

To know about other such NGOs, go to Charity Corner.

If you wish to spread a word about a trusted NGO or charitable organization in this blog, please send a message to nandhini.pfs@gmail.com or leave a comment here.