Hyderabad: When you browse through artist Siva Kumar’s handiwork on Instagram, the first thing that strikes the eye is the riot of colours.
Intermingling art styles like Pichwai, Tanjore, Pattachitra, Rajasthani miniature and works from mythological epics, Siva Kumar’s showpieces stand out with their bright colours and fine detailing.
An IT professional who moonlights as an artist, Siva Kumar started creating vintage inspired cow heads, elephant heads and deer heads a year ago and began to post his works on his Instagram handle Eswar Vintage.
Artistically inclined since childhood, Siva wants his craft work to be conversation starters and build a brand easily recognisable by the bold colours and intricate details.
“At first, it was just to show my work on social media, but later, people started approaching me to make something similar for them. I have always liked traditional styles of paintings, but decided to paint them on different mediums instead of canvas. Now, I do made-to-order pieces. Earlier, I used to finish the orders in a day or two, but with so many orders coming in from the US, Australia, Japan, Malaysia as well, I take 10 to 15 days to dispatch the pieces,” says Siva.
His collection features his signature elephant heads with a Lord Venkateshwara design, and other animal heads like horses, rhinos, rabbits, Kathakali and Theyyam faces that can be hooked on to walls or serve as showpieces. He also customises according to the client’s needs. One order he made for Maha Shivratri was a cow head in an orange and blue combination with Lord Shiva’s image and floral motifs painted on.
Mostly working with wood, Siva uses acrylic colours to make his designs and usually prefers to work on the art pieces himself.
Only the wooden base and figurines designed by him are carved by another artist. “The response has been phenomenal. Usually, there is only one theme in handicrafts, but I like to mix many styles. I’m particularly fond of mythological characters and works, so I like to use such elements a lot,” says Siva.
With orders coming in rapidly, Siva is now looking at bringing in more people and plans to train them to paint in his style. The prices start from Rs 2,000 onwards.
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