I painted because I loved to do that. Those days the only resource available to me was pencil and paper. I didn’t know much about colour pencils or other materials that can aid art; neither could I afford them!”
Thankfully this young boy did not give in to the pressures of life. Rather he chose to give it a shot. He sent out his paintings for competitions and responses obviously were encouraging. In the last few years he has received awards from the Art Society of India, the Bombay Art Society, India Art Festival, State Art Exhibitions, etc. Recently he has also been awarded as the Kohinoor of Maharashtra.
He exhibited his work with the Art society of India in 2008. “Post that galleries approached me and I kept preparing my paintings for them. I sell my work through these exhibitions. I work as per the concepts I have in my brain; I don’t really work in a model where people come and tell me what painting they are looking for. Rather I bring to life only those images that capture sufficient part of my brain. A lot about it is based on my observation as my art primarily capture lives and postures of women. I don’t know why my paintings are predominantly about various moods and expressions of women; I can only say that this is what comes to me naturally.” ........................
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Once upon a time he had to drop out of his art college because he had to attend to the conditions that stared ruthlessly at him back home and in such circumstances, his intellectual pursuits were no more than a luxury. His father had fallen ill under the physical abuse and unhealthy living he had subjected himself to over the years. But why did he quit? Wasn’t there any provision that the college could have offered to ensure that he retained his studentship? Couldn’t they have arranged for scholarships of any kind, or may be some kind of economic assistance? The artist bares his sensitive side in response to this question! “I didn’t really tell anyone,” says Shashikant. “It was a lonely journey. But I don’t feel I have missed too much by not attending college. Of course a formal training would have helped me revise my finesse and would have given me exposure, but this is one space where practical work helps better than books. There are many examples across the world who haven’t received formal education but have garnered genius achievements. I couldn’t have mourned over what I had lost. Rather, I chose not to lose faith. A hundred books and classroom lectures can teach me colour schemes and application technics, but my art wouldn’t really progress till the brush and the canvas conspires to coordinate together...
that painting is so life like it's astounding
