Jain Spirit 2000 03 No 03

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 36

Temple view
recognisable as a landscape you would see in a photograph, for example. The colours are very much influenced by Matisse and Howard Hodgkin, both very strong colourists. The colours I used are earthy colours - ochres from the ground, which are actually mined from the ground. That produces the very warm glow of the paintings. I do tend to use very warm, evocative
colours.
A lot of our readers are interested in art, have painted as a child, but stopped doing it when they became adults. What would you say to them to help them reconnect with their own creativity?
I think it's very difficult to reconnect, and I have moments like that when I'm working very hard on other things. What I would say to them is: believe in yourself, don't be put off by the competition, and if you want to create, then create. Go and look at other pictures in galleries, look at other artist's work, if you can, talk to other artists, but be confident in yourself and the confidence will show through in the work as you grow as a person. It takes time, and you get a lot of knockbacks. You can feel very sad and unhappy if things don't work out, but you've got to stick with it and it'll come. Always try to reconnect, because art is life. Without it, the world is dead. What would you say to parents whose children are interested in art and showing potential, but who are experiencing the pressure to conform to the school curriculum?
Well, that is a problem. There is always the pressure to go into business, make money - it's very difficult to make a lot of money with art. If your child is creative, and they want to create art, but you stifle that, there could be problems later on. Let them work alongside, keep it there, don't let them lose iteven if it has to take second place, and is not necessarily a priority, allow them space to do it. I have to do that myselfput a bit of time aside, and have that space for myself, when I can do what I love to do. You have to be practical about it - it's very difficult to make a lot of money out of art, and to be successful. However, there's no reason why you still couldn't do it and get a lot of pleasure out of it, and give other people a lot of pleasure.
What kind of values do you express through your art? I express love, humanity and spirituality, not of a particular faith, but a universal spirituality.
Nalini Cook lives and works near Liverpool. She can be contacted at 76, Ashton Road, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 OAJ, UK. Tel: 01925 224243. E-mail: nalini.cook@fefc.ac.uk
Art is Life Life is Art
Of orange light
March May 2000 Jain Spirit
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