In conversation with…Ishika Guha

Hi, this weekend let me introduce to you my friend Ishika Guha who is an abstract artist based in London and her vibrant work has found many admirers. She is an art influencer so I invited her to be my guest and share her views. I am sure you will love this conversation

Hi ishika, welcome to my blog. Would you like to introduce yourself to my readers

Hi Pratik! It is my absolute pleasure,  thank you so much for having me. Oh yes, for your readers, I am Ishika,  self-taught visual artist. Living in London and painting my heart out every single day ! Loving it !

Wow looking at your work its hard to believe that you are self taught. So how did you start this journey

Thank you ! Yes, I absolutely love colours and from my very childhood I have been splashing colours all over, scribbling- painting what not. It was always there, with me. But I never took it too seriously only until very recently (last year) , when these lockdowns started and I had to be homebound for weeks. I had nothing left but to paint…and walaaa..I loved it ! It makes me happy, gives me wings to escape the harsh realities of life. So, yes, here I am- still playing with my colours!

Believe me Ishika I came across many people who found a new hobby in this pandemic and even we connected in that phase. I still remember we connected through twitter and the first thing I noticed was about your consistency. How do you stay so consistent with your art

Aww, thank you again Pratik. Yes, I remember, I met you on Twitter. I was blown away by your works , those incredible- powerful pieces of art!! ..And regarding the consistency,  well, I love what I do…I loveeee it ! I dont care if it’s perfect, if it’s pretty or if it’s good enough …I just do my thing- I splash colours around, they make me smile a mile wide, every single time! So I keep doing it ..just to bring it all out, right there.

I would call this as a passion. With your words I feel you want to express your emotions through your abstract work

Absolutely!

So what is your vision or emotions or what flows into you when you paint

Very good question,  wow ! Well, how can I describe the feelings Pratik..it’s all those experiences, all those memories- emotions- people..all of them…at once !

I think this is the reason why your work is so vibrant. I would love to know which colours you prefer for painting

Always the bright ones ! HahaThe brighter the merrier!Yellow is my mellow…and then comes Pink or Orange !

Your selection of colours is on a brighter side I must say. Do you just pick any colour while painting or premeditate any work

I sit with my whole bunches of colours,  keep staring at them…like a mad woman or something..haha..they call me rather than I pick them !

Haha…so I feel you paint as per the mood. Any specific brands of colour you prefer

Yes, all moods! And for brands, no, nothing specific as such !

Is there any method that that you use while painting. I mean how do you make those amazing texture in your art

Mixed media is my thing, mainly acrylic and oil. Sometimes I use watercolour tubes as well, but not always. I do wet on dry method and layers- it’s layers after layers, they create the texture for me.All very experimental,  as I am self-taught.  I do what I feel like, no plans, no rules whatsoever.

Wow, this must be so liberating

Absolutely! This world is so full of rules , so I find my own freedom through my painting!

And I would like to know about the size of your canvas, because its sometimes challenging for bigger size

I do small size Pratik. Never too large for me!  And I do mainly work on papers or cards, sometimes even cardboards.That is my comfort zone…though rarely I do some canvases.

That’s very interesting . I would really like to know about this card that you use

I have to choose heavyweight as I use a lot of paint. So, the minimum is 300 GSM ..

I have seen abstract artist scratching and doing wild things on their canvas with some crazy tools, so do you paint in that way or just squirt the colours and let them take the shape. How exactly it goes 

Oh trust me, it does get wild at times !

Hahaah

I use mainly palette knives and sometimes I do pick sticks from my garden to use them as my painting tools !

Incredible, I never thought that sticks from garden can be tools for art and what adds into that list

It’s more like a play…I feel like a little child when I’m painting! I use my fingers as well, sometimes..work better than any other tools…haha.

Which artist has influenced you the most

Wow! Gerhard Richter-  The Gerhard Richter …dream ! I love his abstracts, absolutely fairytales to me.

I think most of the artists today are inspired by the ‘influencers’ on social media. Do you think its good to create same art or find your own style

What is the point of making an art that is already there ?!!To me…it’s always to create sometime that doesn’t exist… It can be super wild, super crazy, and super fun ! That’s me.

I totally agree with you. We should have that originality and it takes courage to be original. I also love the way you present your  work on social media. Do you think this social media particularly instagram has influenced art

Well, in my case, Instagram has been amazing ! Since I first started uploading my works here, I was blown away by the love, support and encouragement …it is something that I have never imagined happening to me.I have met incredibly talented artists who support me day in day out…Including you Pratik 😃👍

But we met on twitter 😂😂😂

Let me share something to readers here. Guys, if you check ishika’s bio on twitter it clearly says ‘NO DM’ in those bold red letters but he work is so amazing that i could not resist myself to appreciate her

Ok lets be serious again ishika. Tell me do you sell your work

I do sell, yes.

I am not a professional artist, it is my passion. But yes, I do sell sometimes. I also did few book covers and a CD cover recently, loved it !

Most of the times beginners struggle to sell their art. Any tips for them. The basic question even for me is how to sell our art

I am no expert either Pratik. I know it is really hard- the marketing bit. My only suggestion is..put it out there, on your Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or any other social media account you have. Just put it out. And dont hide it, tell everyone, you are an artist. An amazing one! Tell your friends, your family, classmates- spread the word, show your works to everyone, you never know it might help selling your first piece !Some might even think you are crazy, don’t stop. Believe in yourself..no one is the boss of you, it’s you- who make it all !

The second dilemma is the price tag. Do you have any way to fix the price of your art

Gosh, that’s the hardest bit ! How can you price your art ! Well, what I do, I think about the amount of time I have put into it…and that gives me my answer, always !

Your professionalism while selling and presenting your work is very impressive. Would like to know your future plans in arts

Right now, I am painting as much as I possibly can. I want to make art – every single day, that’s for sure. Let’s see where they take me, I have no clue yet !

Any upcoming exhibitions?

Exhibitions not planned yet, everything is just on hold right now…

Would you like to say something to my readers.

Oh yes, if you are reading this, thank you ! And if you happen to be an artist, wow, have fun ! Let’s make more art, let’s splash it even more!

Thank you so much ishika for being my guest and sharing your thoughts here. My best wishes are always with you and keep inspiring

Thank YOU for this ! Loved it Pratik, see you !

Guys, i am sure you enjoyed this conversation. Dont forget to share your thoughts in the comment section below

Follow her on instagramIshika Guha: https://instagram.com/rainbowsnfireflies?igshid=1u00b311dozj3
You can follow me too : https://instagram.com/involutedesign?igshid=1ls2qmgnl7bnp