Haritha views on art

Learner of life, teacher, mother and ... artist. With these words we could approach Harita Havriti. We broke the silence sharing a warm cup of Tea. She very kindly accepted the challenge. Hope you enjoy the ride into a great and generous mind. 

My words are not enough to do justice to describe her paintings so let her answer some friendly questions on her views on art. Judge by yourself.

juny  2016

To read a bit more...

    about  her pasion for many arts 

    (writer, translations, social activist, exhibitions,  ...)          (Dec 2019 post)  ... here

    about     her  art gallery 

    ( February/April  2020 post )   ... here

 INTERVIEWed by  Aoi              

You started painting young. Can you go back to your first artistic impulse, or your recorded memory in the scope of art?

•  My father was an art teacher. He was graduated from the most reputed art college in Kerala. But he decided to let her daughter follow her instincts from the childhood. I didn’t get toys to play but loads of watercolour tubes, brushes and good quality paper. Painting was a fantastic part of my life. 

• When I learned to walk, eat and do the daily routines, I also learned to hold the brush properly. The only one instruction that I received from my father was not to use artificial white while doing water colour works. That kind of artistic freedom helped me to truly become a free spirit in art, flexible, adaptable and receptive.

Illustration drawn for a Echmu Kutty's novel.

 

   At the level of environment you have lived in, your native place has an impressive view of the glowing landscapes and imposing forests. The boating experience on the Keralan shore is beyond words.

What are the elements or those people that have most influenced you? 

Mermaid at Monsoon

 

•  Nature is the only factor which influenced me. My life was immersed with water in our surroundings, yes. Water is channeled, it curls or flows smoothly in brooks, sometimes torrential. Lagoons, marshes, waterways. Streams that approach the rough beaches, the bay.
  
  Every night I sleep listening to the rhythmic sound of the waves of Arabian sea. Through the gaps between branches and trees I could see the silver surface of a river. There was a pond in our land also. If you check closely, you can find the mixtures of green and blue occurring repeatedly in my paintings.
  
  If you ask me to paint a flower, unintentionally I will paint a water lily. I enjoy the presence of fishes in the rich, deep turquoise background of my paintings. When I ponder about other painters (or craftpersons) who influenced me, no answers come to mind. Because I feel that only mother nature can influence an artist.

How do you prepare to tackle each of your works? That is, the long journey of the artist you are goes thru the ups and the downs, so how do you get nourished along this quite solitary life?

• Normally when I start painting, there will be an outline. Nothing more than that. A painting just happens to get into place. I do not make it. It has its own natural process of evolution. At some point I feel that it is enough. This canvas doesn't need me anymore.  Besides, any artist, I guess, takes delight in experimenting with styles and materials as much as I do. Have you heard of Gold leaf? It is a material which is very difficult to use, but produces unbelievable results. I managed to learn how to use it myself. Like this, I try to follow the techniques that impress me. But I am not interested in following the style blindly. I try to attain new techniques and use it to enrich my style.

What has been your personal way of researching inspiration material within Art in Capital letters? 

• I don’t know what other artists do, but I check the works produced by my favourite creators. I love to observe how they have used materials and techniques to produce desired result. To be honest,  Gustav Klimt is definitely my favourite artist. Let me get clear here …   I never imitate, but try to learn how the artists have worked. I am interested only in their techniques. Perhaps it is a bit of wrong way to approach art, who knows? ... but  I mostly work like that. 

From her rich FB pictures files