Clarice Vaz from Saligao is a unique and
naturally gifted artist. We say this because she has neither received formal
training in painting, not does she use conventional tools. But her works
reflect her creativity and the thought-provoking themes behind them. Her latest
exhibition at Gallery Gitanjali, Fontainhas-Panjim, which is her second solo
exhibition, showcases so of her brilliant works. ‘Awakening to the Cosmos
Within’ follows her first exhibition, ‘Embracing the Beat of my Art’, which
took place last year. According to her, the secret behind such a quick encore
is that, every time she yearns for inner peace, it is the canvas calling her to
explore herself through the colours.
“For this exhibition, I have only used
fluid and spin paintings using acrylic colours which take nearly four hours to
set and at least two days to dry. I have come to realise that after running
behind materialistic gains, man has returned to finding peace within. That is
the reason for rise in meditation and yoga as we want to explore ourselves from
within. This inspired me to work on this collection,” says Clarice.
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Clarice works at her home studio in Saligao
and believes that the surrounding serene paddy fields make for the perfect
ambience for her paintings. She prefers complete silence with the phone off the
hook, and the television and music systems switched off. As she sits in her
studio, amidst an array of colours and huge canvases, it is always the workings
of her mind that help her build on her prospective subject matter. “Most of my
paintings are inspired by a hymn or a poetry verse or a few lines I read from a
book. I try to picture that image with the colours and then work on it.”
Pointing out to a painting, titled, ‘Living
Waters’, Clarice explains, “I was listening to a hymn ‘Living Waters’ which has
the lines ‘Living waters flow on, sweep away my pain. Bring your healing to my
heart, help me love once again’. As the lyrics seeped in, I started sweeping
drops of paint across the canvas using a fork to create the effect that all our
sorrows and pain can be swept away.”
Clarice signs each of her paintings with
her late son Craig’s name as it was the sudden demise of her son that lead her
to painting her sorrows away. She is one of the few Indian artists to use the
spin method for painting by making her own rotational device in her backyard.
Another method seen in the exhibition is the fluid painting which requires a
lot of patience. “As soon as I use the colours, I start talking to the
painting, imploring it not to move; catching my breath every time I think it
will. Using the fluid art technique, it is so enriching as I see the painting
come to life with the flow of colours,” says Clarice, who exclusively uses
Golden Artist Colors.
A special painting, titled, ‘Hope Floats’,
is up for auction with bidding starting at Rs 40,000. It is a painting that
uses golden acrylic satin glazing gel and retarder together with acrylic paints
and water. The painting has a delicate rainbow with hope-like tiny footprints
walking away from stress and problems in life. “This is a difficult painting as
each colour has to blend with the next but within a limit so that it doesn’t
overpower the next colour. I also had to maintain these tiny footprints in the
painting without smearing,” says Clarice, of the painting which will raise
funds to build a new building for Sethu Child Development Centre.
This exhibition has been different for
Clarice as she has gained popularity in the art circle in Goa and is being
appreciated for her work. “I’ve had great artists and writers visit my studio
to use my work; Alexyz has always supported me, Vivek Menezes has written the
foreword for my brochure and Anne Ketteringham, the author of ‘Vamona Navelcar,
An Artist of Three Continents’, has written about my works. I am encouraged to
work harder,” concludes Clarice, who is already working on her next exhibition.
(‘Awakening to the Cosmos Within’ will
be on view till August 10, 2015 at Gallery Gitanjali, Fontainhas)
