News India Times

News India Times January 07, 2022 Arts &Books 13 Introducing ‘From The Easel Of’: Monthly Column By Ela Shah W elcome to “From the Easel of” a new monthly col- umn written by acclaimed Indian-American artist Ela Shah. Shah was born in Bombay, India, where she earned her B.A in Psychology and Sociology with distinction from SNDT Women’s University along with a diploma in fine arts. Shah moved to the US in 1973 with husband Bipin Shah, MD, children, and mother-in-law. The young family settled in Mont- clair, New Jersey where she subsequently received an M.A in sculpture from Montclair State Univer- sity. Shah is the subject of the award-winning film documentary “ela: break- ing boundaries” and is the author of a companion book of the same name. An American citizen, Ela’s art reflects the two cultures that have shaped her life. “Hers is a hybrid universe of the imagination where comic book heroes may mix with the gods of Hinduism and transport may be offered by an elephant or a yellow school bus” said art curator Jeffry Weschler. Her extensive oeuvre includes painting, sculpture in bronze, wood and ceramic, video, and installa- tions. In today’s inaugural column we talk with Ela about her artistic journey, the challenges of being a woman artist and how her work reflects the integration of her Female-Indian-American experi- ence. Q: Welcome Ela. How did you first get interested in art? “I think my mother influenced me when I was young because she was very artistic. She always decorated the house and created beautiful rangoli on the floor for occasions like Diwali and my sisters and I always got involved and would help her…. When I started going to school, art was always my favorite subject and I learned by sketching what I saw around me. I studied and copied the work of Indian masters… and was inspired by festivals, Indian mythology and the seasons.” Q: Did your parents and family en- courage you? “Being an artist wasn’t considered a proper path for a girl. But my family saw that whenever I was sad or confused, I’d turn to my art to find answers. Eventu- ally my family realized how important art was for me…My sisters are now my biggest supporters!” Q: I learned that you married rela- tively young and that your marriage was a love marriage. Tell us about that time in your life. “My husband, Bipin, was a neighbor of ours when I was growing up. He had the same dream as me—to do some- thing meaningful with his life…We went ahead and married even though he was Jain and I was Hindu. It wasn’t easy at first, but we are still together after many years.” Q: You and your husband moved to a small village in India after he finished his medical training in Bombay. What motivated the move? “Since our dream was to have a meaningful life and help people, we moved to a small rural village (Cambay.) We lived there for seven years. Bipin was the only doctor with advanced train- ing in internal medicine and people lined up for hours from all around to see him…We got a lot of love from the people there and many of them and the doctors who joined us are still good friends.” Q: And what led you to leave India for the US? “We began our fam- ily in Cambay, but our first daughter died there when she was an infant. After our second daugh- ter was bitten by a snake and came close to death, Bipin began to think seri- ously about continuing his studies and coming to the US…and we arrived in the early ‘70s.” Q: Were you able to continue your art in America? “No…not for a long time. Bipin was busy building his career and I was in charge of running the home with two small children and my widowed mother- in-law. It was a difficult time for me without friends and my family. The way I usually describe it is to say the colors left me.” Q: You eventually received an ad- vanced arts degree fromMontclair State University. What changed? “As the years passed, I grew more confident living here, being a wife and mother, and managing our home. I realized that I had never lost my desire to make things beautiful and meaning- ful. I needed my art and so with Bipin’s encouragement I began my studies and eventually, the colors returned to me.” Q: Much of your work is clearly informed by female, Indian and Ameri- can motifs. How do you balance those elements in your work? “I wouldn’t say that I consciously balance different elements…more that my work reveals what I’m thinking and feeling. Because I was born, raised, and married in India, I suppose you could say that my work is inherently Indian. But as a contemporary artist living and working in America, I am obviously in- tegrating my experiences here as a wife and mother…I am a proud housewife and mature artist, and I tell my stories through my art.” Q: You work in everything from paint to bronze and multimedia. What drives you to expand your artistic language into new areas? ” I love to learn and I especially love learning new ways of telling my stories. But no matter what technique I learn, I don’t sacrifice my artistic vision by trying to learn each to perfection. That’s what I see as the difference between being an artist and being a craftsman…I keep learning because people are com- municating in so many new and differ- ent ways and if I want to stay current and reach new people, I always have to keep learning.” If you would like to learn more about Ela Shah, her life and artistic journey, visit www.elashah.com www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know By Ela Shah, Special to News India Times/Desi Talk Ela Shah