A pair of lovers share a kiss in one delightful
sketch while a single figure looks out over a street in another contemplative
one. Romance, loneliness, companionship, joy and so much more find expression
through Berlin based illustrator and communication designer Allen Shaw’s
sketches. The moods are many – almost as many as the staggering variety of
locales Shaw places them in. From Calcutta to Croatia, Bihar to Budapest – there doesn’t seem to be a place Shaw
hasn’t been to or sketched in. He places his twenty years of travelling and
sketching his way around the world in a wonderful series of sketchbooks,
recently shared with an appreciative audience in Goa through the efforts of The
Project Café in partnership with Sol de Goa.
“What started as
a little indulgence 20 years ago, has become my life today,” admits Shaw.
“I was always a storyteller, but what I have discovered over the years through
these books and travelling is that I have been a nomad, a drifter, or gypsy
with many stories in my books in the form of sketches, illustrations,
conversation pieces and memories.” The artist
who cannot stop travelling, decided to mark the 20-year journey of his life and
work with, that’s right, a road trip! He started with Rajkot in Gujarat and had
an exhibition there followed by a talk with students of NID, his alma mater.
Next, he stopped at the MSU Baroda, Faculty of Fine Arts, after which he
appeared as a guest speaker at the Pune Design Festival. He then stopped at Goa
to present a wonderful exhibition of watercolours and sketchbook drawings
accompanied by his fascinating stories of adventures around the world. Each
sketch, each painting comes with an anecdote – and a very interesting one at
that. From sketching people randomly in little taverns and inns to people he
observes on the street, Shaw has made friends with people from around the
globe. An enthralling storyteller, Shaw recounted how he met most of the characters
populating his sketches.
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These are simple drawings of ordinary people living
ordinary lives and yet Shaw manages to capture an entire gamut of the human
experience through them. A look, a gesture, a movement, and the artist has
captured the mood of the moment. His love for bicycles and his experiences as a
new dad also translate into some pleasing sketches infused with humour.
Towards the end of the wonderful evening – the
artist traveller unexpectedly sat down to sketch for the Goa audience, using
coffee as his medium! Another of his quirky talents – Shaw takes random stains
of spilled coffee on paper, adds his ink drawing it and turns it into a
perfectly coherent image.
Wherever he goes, he chronicles life, always
carrying his sketchbook, pen and some watercolour. The nomadic traveller and
record keeper has been known to have sketched almost an entire village in Italy
when a local spotted him drawing in the town. So, the next time you travel,
keep an eye out for Shaw. You could easily come across one of his sketches
hanging in some quaint village or tavern in some obscure part of the world.
