There say a picture is worth a thousand words. When it comes to
the illustrations of Billytoons Goa, it is worth a thousand shares. Through his
illustrations, artist Billy Joe Fernandes gives his take on society and trends,
resonating with audiences who share the sentiments expressed via his works.
Moreover, his caricatures that focus on issues that concern Goa,
be it the kind that have messages urging Goans to do more or illustrations that
offer a reflection to the problems plaguing the state, have left strong
impressions.
The same have often been used in songs, anthems, protest
movements and activities that have symbolic themes like Protect Goa, Save Goa.
Through his satire, he sums up the angst of the public.
“My inspiration is Goan ethos and without this, I have nothing
much to create to give something back to Goa – the place where I belong. Can my
art really save Goa? The answer is probably no. But what my art can do is
remind us that it’s possible to save Goa, it can shock us and spur us into
action. It’s important for people to see that it’s not too late or people won’t
see the point in doing anything,” says Billy, when asked about the reason
behind such themes.
In fact, his first illustration was on the subject of ‘Saving
Old Goan Houses’ and the response he received motivated him to do more. Besides
these strong themes, he also depicts local traditions and festivals and tries
to capture the lighter side of Goa and the spirit of ‘Goemkarponn’.
“I draw mostly from my Goan background and when people
incorporate this art of mine in any of their art/ cultural displays to showcase
and promote my beautiful land, it pumps me up,” adds Billy.
Billy, who works in Dubai, hails from the village of Sirsaim. He
points out that his art started out as a hobby. He pursued this passion of his
to develop his skills especially on a technical level to help him come out with
the kind of illustrations we can see today. He also has a knack for knowing
what will work in the day of social media.
“The technical side of creating digital art has not come easily
to me. I have been drawing and painting for years, but I felt like most of the
work was virtually invisible and not all that noteworthy. So I set out on a path
of artistic rediscovery and in the process, two things began to happen: my
illustration career began to take off and my artistic voice became much more
evident. In other words, my artistic style emerged and became more prominent in
my work. At this point, I’m fairly certain that any success I’ve seen can be
credited to my style and my visual identity,” he adds.
Lately, it has been his caricatures on all the latest
developments at the FIFA World Cup 2018 that are making the rounds. “Like any
decent artist, I’m very versatile and I’m willing to flex my style and even
work outside of it when a situation calls for it, adds Billy about his trending
World Cup caricatures.
Billy feels that it is important that illustrators, cartoonists,
artists and people from the creative field should get the respect and space
they deserve. “There are many misconceptions about the cartooning world and
cartoonists are not taken seriously. Moreover, Mario Miranda has set the
standards of cartooning very high. So there is no perceived middle ground;
there are simply those who make it, and those who don’t,” says Billy.
When asked if he has any message to share to fellow Goan
youngsters who wished to get into this field, Billy speaks about the need to
have an individualistic style. “Versatility is an asset, an incredibly
important one, but sometimes it’s difficult to demonstrate your voice and your
artistic confidence if you can’t separate yourself from the crowd. So now and
then, step back and evaluate your strengths and hone in on what you feel you
are best at,” he advises.
On
a concluding note, Billy reveals details about his future plans, saying that he
is currently working on some Goan themes. “We had a group exhibition in 2017
comprising cartoonists and illustrators of Goa at Kala Academy; we will be
having the second group exhibition in 2019,” says Billy.
