Converting the abstract into the real - Bhiva Punekar

With more than three solo exhibitions of his paintings in Mumbai and few group exhibitions in India as well as abroad, Bhiva K Punekar has come a long way. His exhibition titled 'Life - no more than a leaf' was recently held at Pradarshak Art Gallery, Mumbai.

" I was born in a family were illiteracy was very much prevelant. So, for my family, art never made any sense. All we knew was how to earn a day to day living. I feel very proud to say that I am a self made man. I struggled a lot in this city (Mumbai), and this city gave me whatever I wanted. Today I am happy and contended," avers Punekar.

Punekar's talent for art and crafts dragged him towards Mumbai. He did his diploma in fine arts from Sir J J College of Arts, Mumbai. With many awards and accolades, he has made his presence felt. When you ask him where he see himself after few years, Punekar replies, "I am a person who lives only for today. Tommorow is one thing I am least bothered about. If I start contemplating about tommorrow, then I might forget what I have to do today. And I think to make a future you have to live in the present."

'Life- no more than a leaf' comprises almost 250 paintings which are full of life and colour. Punekar uses a lot of bright colours to depict various phases of life. A falling dead leaf, which depicts life's end is, for Punekar, just the beginning of another phase. Today's artists are more into abstract paintings. "Though people talk about abstract paintings and its popularity, I firmly believe that there is nothing called abstract paintings. Your thoughts and dreams can be abstract, but the moment you are able to give colour to it, and put on canvas, it no longer remains abstract. So in my view what we painters project is very much realistic," adds the painter cum poet. Punekar has written a lot of poems which are related to life, and at times adds a few lines from his poems onto the canvas.

Punekar also works as a painting teacher in Shardashram School, Mumbai. "I earn profits by selling my paintings. Paintings which go abroad for shows earn the most. Few coprorates also have collections of my paintings, like Essar and Mahindra & Mahindra. In order to save money, I prefer to use home-made frames, which are made out of waste paper and other things," reveals the artist.

"I believe that the more you look at the paintings of other artists, the more you tend to lose your own identity. This does not mean that I do not appreciate any other artist or do not look at other paintings, but I never let the other artist's ideas overshadow mine. If others ideas influence you then you become a naklakar, not a kalakar. Moreover, I do not believe that celebrities only can influence you. I never considered anyone to be my idol, but I appreciate traits of different people that influence me and help me in my development as an artist," asserts Punekar.

By: Sharmistha Chakraborthy