The source of all things good

MAi AL ABRIA - For self-taught artist Tarini Agarwal, Oman has a way of creeping on you. With its idyllic charm, it can inspire you to grow and become who you dream to be. For her case, the Sultanate has inspired her to pursue art. A resident of Oman for the last 27 years, Tarini shared that the splendid Oman natural scenes and traditions has motivated her in her pursuit of art. “Oman has been the source of all things good for me. My family and my career as a teacher grew here. My growth as an artist, I also attribute to Oman. Oman is central to my work,” she shared. “When I painted realistically, I loved painting Omani people, landscapes and artifacts. As my art has changed towards abstract work, Oman continues to provide inspiration through the vivid color palette one sees around us every day,” she added. Tarini said that as a self-taught artist “my love for art was nurtured by growing up in the midst of Contemporary Indian Art. From a very young age I have liked to experiment with different mediums and taught myself to paint in oils, acrylics and watercolors, amongst others. Painting has all ways been a passion for me. In 2012, I decided to put in a concerted effort into learning and improving my art. So for the last five years I have moved from art being a hobby to a profession”. Tarini views art as organic, and she has taken every opportunity to paint and experiment with new techniques and styles. “There is complete fascination with the immense wealth of each medium and I like to try my hand at them. The last five years have been spent in learning all aspects of art. I started this journey with instructions in art from Sepide Shahsavar, who instilled confidence in me. This opened an array of opportunities. For me the Internet has provided a wealth of e-courses that have made it possible for me to grow and learn”. Reconciling the obligations of life and art wasn’t an issue for Tarini as she realised this forgone conclusion that time was never going to present itself, so she made an effort to make the time. “I have always tried to find time to paint between full-time jobs and family commitments,” she said. “I love to paint and sketch people and try to explore relationships, emotions and concepts. For me the miracle of painting is to see form and color gradually come to life with the movement of every brush stroke and fingers dipped in paint. Very recently I have tried my hand at abstract art and discovered the true organic nature of this art form. The cliché that ‘any child can do this’ does not hold ground any more, there has to be a great structure and knowledge of colors and composition to achieve a good abstract piece,” she shared Tarini started out as a realistic artist which is the place where most people start. But as her learning has grown, her style has also changed. “I find myself moving towards abstract art. When abstractifying my focus moves more towards the choice of colors and their placement. My purpose being: to evoke emotion, to connect with the viewer at a deeper level and move away from the obvious. Our knowledge of objects, things, faces and landscape predominates our understanding. This predominance takes one away from the emotion and joy that we first experience. So the same painting connects with people at an individual level”. Tarini’s second solo exhibition will take place on April 19, 2016 at City Seasons Hotel.