Soma Pradhan
Born: 1972
Hometown: Singapore
Based in: Singapore
Born: 1972
Hometown: Singapore
Based in: Singapore
I am a watercolour artist. My work reflects my complex heritage and background- as an immigrant, a constant traveller and an inheritor of a highly diverse cultural and ethnic legacy. My formal and professional training has taken me, as well, through metal smithing, fashion illustration and weaving.The fluidity and freedom of watercolour allow me to cross borders effortlessly and give free rein to my instincts.
My subject matter is mostly our urban life, including parks, gardens, suburban towns and travel. I like to capture sites and moments within the cityscape and then provoke the viewer. Who are these people, what are they doing, what is happening on this street and around that corner? No one is ever settled in a city and beyond and before a specific second, something is about to occur or has occurred. There are, too, hidden secrets within dense cities-exotic flowers, architectural surprises, highly creative activities.
I began with Impressionism and its’ basics inform my work. But schools are only boundaries in our minds. I have deliberately chosen a more Abstract flavour, leavened with inputs from fashion, New Wave cinema and the DC comics of our childhood. This is not a pastoral life, the one we lead-it is full of movement, tension, interrogation. We need a different way to view the world and that holds true for artists. My work speaks to and for contemporary urban life and I will continue to experiment in this space. My work has been published in The Rappahannock Review, Anatolious Magazine, 3Elements Literary Review and Paranthesis Journal(forthcoming).
What inspires you?
The dynamism and intrigue within the many untold stories of tropical cities as well as the play of light on different surfaces drive my imagination. So there is the part which comes from consumption of contemporary film and media and then the classical learnings from Monet.
Describe your creative process.
I first decide the site of my stories and then go there and click pictures. My personal perspective is very important, I do not want to just transcribe what is out there. Then I begin drawing.
What are 3 words that best describe your work?
Urban Tropical Post-Modern.
Who are some artists that have influenced your work?
Monet, Tolouse-Lautrec, Lee Falk(believe it or not!), Hopper. Kandinsky's Blue Rider. New Wave Cinema directors like Resnais, Chabrol, Truffaut
What is the most important tool when creating your work?
The water i use to dilute the colours and of course the paper.
What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
Find the focal point.
Where do you go for inspiration?
Elgin Bridge
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