Jain Spirit 2001 12 No 09

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

Page 39

Natural Colour
SHANTY PANCHAL
factory dedicated to making paints, and located within walking distance of his studio. As a young artist in India Shanti Panchal used Winsor & Newton paint. Never did he think that one day he would become their artist in residence, and win a prestigious watercolour award with a picture inspired by the residency.
Shanti was to become their first artist in residence since 1832. The residency gave him the opportunity to respond to an entirely new environment. In contrast to the isolation of the studio, in the factory he was surrounded by the noise, the smell and above all the images of industry. The workers' interaction with the machines particularly fascinated him. It was the production of a pink pigment called rose madder that inspired Shanti to paint The Madder and the Ink Grinding. As Shanti describes the process by which rose madder is extracted from brown roots imported from the Middle East, his eyes light up. His pleasure at seeing his beloved pigments being created is obvious, as he says: "I never believed that I would be able to see the place where all these great colours come from."
Rose madder is extracted from the roots of an herbaceous plant named rubia tictorum. Initially the roots are broken down physically to extract maximum colour. The dye is then precipitated and fixed to a base which is then chemically stabilised to make a pigment. The process is one careful step after another to end up with the final product, the pink pigment in a tube. From ordinary roots the most vibrant pink pigment is created.
Rose Madder production at the Winsor & Newton factory in London.
SHANTI PANCHAL
Just as Shanti had not been familiar with the production of pigment, so the factory workers were not familiar with how a picture is created. Perhaps they thought of a picture as an image behind glass hanging on a wall. Being the artist in residence, Shanti had, in effect, brought his studio to the factory. Through his art, Shanti was able to reveal the creative process. The workers could see their products being used to create on-the-spot sketches. They could peer over his shoulder as the sketches were worked into a composition.
Shanti uses thick, handmade paper, which has a leather like quality and the strength to endure the demands of his process. His technique, which he describes as "injecting colour into the
paper", involves mixing the colour directly on to the surface, then hammering and scraping in order to build up the layers of colour to create the luminosity and strength of colour he desires. The process is lengthy; he might apply up to twenty layers of pigment. Producing any one picture can take weeks, even months of work.
For Shanti the prize was a bonus. The real joy was experiencing the interest that his presence in the factory created. The importance of the residency was the exchange of knowledge and ideas. The true value of the picture is that it represents the joining of two worlds, that of the artist and the paint factory.
Shanti Panchal has been an artist all his life, and has exhibited his paintings widely. He can be contacted on (UK) 0208 930 1087. A detailed article about his life and work was published in issue 5, which can be ordered from Jain Spirit.
The Ink Grinding, study, 2000, dry pastels on paper.
December 2001 - February 2002. Jain Spirit
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