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TEENAGER Ipshita Singh has gone wild with her paintbrush and captured an amazing array of images for lovers of the natural world.
Her work was inspired by her father Ajay Kumar’s collection of photographs of birds, gazelles and other animals taken on his travels, as well as during family vacations.
The 18-year-old Indian School graduate’s 27 vibrant acrylic and oil paintings have been placed on display at Harbour Gate to much critical acclaim.
“I’ve always been very interested in wildlife,” said Ipshita, pictured painting left, who lives in Hoora. “My father was the one who introduced me to it and these paintings are all based on his photographs that he has taken from his time in Bahrain and during our trips to India and Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve.
“My dad travels quite a bit and he comes home with tons of pictures. Sometimes I get to travel with him and that has really inspired me too.
Ipshita’s paintings, priced from BD25 onwards, featured colourful birds in mid-flight, perched on a branch or in the sea. Her tiger looked life like as well as her herd of bison called The Migration. Those two paintings are not for sale as they hold a special place in her heart. Other paintings that impressed included a sunset safari ride and a crane hunting for fish.
Ipshita, a still and wildlife painter, has been passionate about art since she was a child.
Her parents, Ajay, who is a Geographical Information Systems specialist at the Ministry of Interior, and his wife, Puspita Roy Choudhury, spotted her artistic talent at a young age.
Ipshita started art classes at the age of six with abstract artist Ella Prakash who is renowned for her expressive paintings focusing on feminism, female empowerment and self-discovery.
The youngster started off with pencil work and shading before tackling various art techniques using different mediums such as water colours, acrylic, oil and charcoal.
“Ipshita is very talented and she has worked so hard for this exhibition,” said proud Ella, who has 14 years of experience in abstract expressionism and figurative art. “She was always a dedicated student and would come to class twice a week. I have seen her grow over time and I believe she has something truly special. I love her work and I believe she has a bright future ahead of her.”
Ipshita will soon be attending university in India with the aim of studying graphic design and is hoping to explore more artistic techniques. When she returns to Bahrain she hopes to continue having lessons with her ‘amazing teacher’.
Aside from her solo exhibition, Ipshita also displayed her work at the Al Ali Art Festival Bahrain in 2014.
It took her almost a year to compile all her works needed for the latest Colours of Wildlife Exhibition and it will stay on display until June 13 at the south ground floor entrance within the Bahrain Financial Harbour, as part of the popular Art at the Harbour series. This is her first solo exhibition and she sends a ‘huge thank you’ to Financial Centre Development Company and CEO Angus Campbell for allowing her to exhibit in the space. “I can’t even imagine that I am getting this chance to exhibit my work here and I can’t thank them enough,” Ipshita added.
