Artwork on pots

Discarded toilet cisterns, bath tubs, mosquito nets, mica sheets,and other pieces of junk decorate the walkway at Shobha Manickam's apartment complex in Anna Nagar East. She works on them with her brush and oil paints. Thermocol, broken concrete pipe and stone slabs, even tree stumps, have undergone a make-over at her hands, attracting the attention of morning walkers and visitors to Ms Manickam's apartment complex.
Turning junk into artwork is an ongoing work with Ms Manickam. Her work has created a following among here neighbourhood residents, who look forward to seeing a new item added to her display now and then.

The row of cement-potted plants at Mantri's holds out possibilities for promoting creativity of residents, notably, of our children with flair for drawing and painting. And, I believe, there is hardly a child who would miss an opportunity to take to crayon, or brush and paint.

It is amazing what children come up with when you let them do what they please. This is the work of a two-and-half year old Sahasra. We gave her a blank sheet and some crayons, to keep her off meddling with cell-phone, TV remote, and things lying about in our flat.The this (see photo) was what Sahasra produced. The photo (below) is that of an young artist at work.

Nikhil, who is nearly four, is trying his hand at finger painting. They may not be producing a definitive piece of art. But the thing about the works of children is richness of colours. Unlike adults who paint with an object in mind, a child's approach to painting/drawing is process driven.
If we designate a pot on our driveway to a specified child, allowing her/him the freedom to work on it, we can count on a riot of colours, with each pot distinctly different from the rest. The plan is to make a start on Children's Day (Nov.14), when Mantri's children can choose their pot. They can oil-paint,water-colour or crayon the pots. Their work need not be completed in a day. Children would have freedom to draw/paint whatever they please. They can work at their own pace, evenings,weekends or whenever they want. Fun is in watching children give shape to their pots. Those who finish with a pot can take up another; and the exercise can go on till we are done with all the pots in the complex.