Say cheese with paint

The first thing the eye sees on entering the Live Indian Painter studio in Dadar East is a panorama of wedding paintings with happy couples smiling twirling and dancing The 24x36 inch frames feature snapshots of ritualmdashat the mandap surrounded by blooming flowers or with the happy faces of friends and family ldquoCapturing a wedding scene live is a different experience both for the couple and their guests It creates an interactive atmosphererdquo says Mitali Salunke onehalf of the artist couple behind the studioThe Sir JJ School of Art alumni have since 2018 painted over a thousand works for weddings across countries But the demand they say began picking up after the COVID19 induced lockdown ldquoCouples and families wished to celebrate with pomp and go all outrdquo says Chetan Advirkar who began his career with caricatures and wedding invitesGoabased selftaught artist Smriti Goswami says that live wedding paintings require one to play around with the imagination like this live painting she did for a Goan Hindu weddingLive wedding paintings originally a trend in the West is now common at Indian shaadis thinks Keerthana Adepu a Hyderabadbased artist She thinks that the demand signifies a shift in the knowledge of art especially at a time when digital paintings are big ldquoIrsquom glad that people are appreciating the value of handmade artrdquoThe first time Goabased artist Smriti Goswami painted a live wedding work was at a friendrsquos Goan wedding The setting was a picturesque garden the guests streamed in and out while the artist painted the moment when the newlymarried couple exited the church ldquoIt took about five hoursrdquo the selftaught artist recalls ldquoThe painting wasnrsquot completed because it was my first time I took three more days to add the finishing detailsrdquoEach wedding is a learning experience for the artists For one there is the pressure of guests looking over their shoulder Sometimes weather plays truant ldquoWersquove painted weddings in Jaipur in freezing temperaturesmdashour hands were shaking so much we could hardly hold the brushrdquo Advirkar recallsCost is also a consideration Live wedding painting is something of a luxury and to have an artist adds to status Goswamirsquos rates start at Rs 20000 for a canvas of 12x18 inches while Adepu prices hers between Rs 20000 to Rs 30000 16x20 inch Salunke and Advirkar charge anywhere between Rs 60000 and Rs 1000000 for their paintings ldquoWhether you choose a small frame or a larger one the details are just as intricaterdquo Advirkar explains ldquoItrsquos more difficult doing the compact works especially when capturing human features and emotionsMitali Salunke and Chetan Advirkar have painted over a thousand wedding paintings for weddings in the country and abroad since 2018 PicsNimesh DaveSanjana Bhosale a Bengalurubased muralist who painted her first wedding painting earlier this year says that the price point is often the issue She conducted negotiations with a client for a week before settling on a price ldquoA live painting is a luxury and often the cost doesnrsquot sit right with couplesrdquo At this point itrsquos still a question of affordability and not trendiness she feelsGoswami who is known by the name Art by Simmo on social media says that capturing the intricacies of an Indian wedding is challenging ldquoThere is much movement and activity The scene is vibrant and brimming with coloursrdquo she notes And then therersquos the time restriction While a regular painting could take the artist days to complete sometimes even weeks here itrsquos a matter of hours ldquoOne Goan Hindu bride told me she wanted me to capture the moment when her husband lines her hairline with sindoor Itrsquos one of the final steps in the wedding ritual I couldnrsquot for it to unfold to start to paint I had to gauge how theyrsquod look in that moment while watching them during the early part of the ceremony and then improviserdquo Goswami used her imagination and painted the scene and added a surprise elementmdasha panditArtist Keerthana Adepu says that itrsquos a joy to transform a wedding into a memory for the coupleScouting for the right location to park your easel and soaking in the atmosphere is a big part of the process While Goswami prefers to meet the couple a day or two prior to get a sense of the colour themes Salunke and Advirkar request the couple to share their profile pictures They take four to five hours to complete a painting and hand it over to the couple at the end of the daymdashthis is possible only if the background is out of the way before the ceremony even beginsIn the end however the reactions of the couple make it all worth it For Salunke and Advirkar couples have hugged them after seeing the final take Adepu says that half the joy is the awe the guests and kids especially display when seeing the artwork painted live ldquoItrsquos all about creating a beautiful memory for the couplerdquo