“Children connect with my work because they are illustrative with clear cut lines. At the same time, there is a certain randomness and symmetry to them with clear shapes and forms,” says Nidhi Mariam Jacob.“There are no boundaries there either: in some of my paintings, the leaves are blue and the colours go beyond actual botanical forms. That is something I truly enjoy about my work.”Finding a garden where the unexpected grow, can be a delight not only for children, but also for adults. Shape of My Heart, the Bengaluru-based artist’s ongoing show, is just that — a magical place where flowers of all shapes and sizes grow in gay abandon.According to the artist, the exhibition is a tribute to her late mother Helen, who she remembers as always gardening, coaxing verdant life from even the most difficult terrain.“She was a great influence on my work where nature, gardening, flowers and plants, were concerned. I learned so much from her and she inspired me to do the work I do now. This show is my first solo after she passed and I wanted to dedicate it to her.”
From Shape of My Heart by Nidhi Mariam Jacob
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Special Arrangement
Nidhi says she came into this whimsical style of her own after years of constant painting and sketching. “I used to be a graphic designer but after a point, grew tired of sitting at a computer. I wanted work and create with my hands.”Initially usure of which creative path to take — sculpting and landscaping were contenders — Nidhi says she decided on taking up painting full time, something she had been doing since childhood.“I was always painting and had created quite a few watercolours and murals for homes. When I became a full-time artist, I told family and friends I would be happy to work on any surface — whether it was a chair, table, trunk or wall.”Till she found her groove, Nidhi used different styles, doing a lot of realistic work, most of which was botanical in nature. “About nine years ago, I started working towards finding a signature style that was unlike anybody else’s. Initially, I was painting flowers that were realistic. Slowly, I started mixing the features of different flowers such as a rose and a tulip to create something new or add stamen to flora that did not have them. That is how the fantasy gardens came about.”
