Chennai-based artist Silviya Jasy J’s journey of passion and perseverance through textured art

CHENNAI: Silviya Jasy J’s story is a reminder that the canvas of life is best painted with perseverance and passion. Art was an early love for her, and the artist in her blossomed watching her father, a talented painter, work on her school projects with great gusto.

“I used to spend the entire day at school waiting for art class,” she recalls. Her notebooks brimmed with doodles, and her enthusiasm for extracurricular activities was unmistakable. However, life, as it often does, got in the way.

After school, Silviya’s passion for painting faded into the background during her college years. It wasn’t until her senior year that she picked up her brushes again.

Then came 2020’s ‘global pause’ which reignited her passion for art. “I had a lot of free time and started creating art and posting it on Instagram,” she says. The response was phenomenal.

“People started appreciating my work. I painted practically every day, using various mediums such as watercolours, acrylics, and gouache on various surfaces like bottles, tables, walls, wine glasses, wooden logs and quite literally, everything I could lay my hands on,” she recalls.

Playing with textures

One day, Silviya happened to watch an Instagram reel of an artist flaunting skills in textured paintings and found it quite gratifying. She narrates, “As someone who enjoys exploring art and loves experimenting with new mediums, I decided to give it a chance and began trying out textures.”

Her first few attempts were terrible failures, and she began researching how to make the paste and achieve the proper consistency.

Textured art is more like 3D art, where we can touch and feel the work, unlike other mediums. It can be created using various materials, including acrylic paint, modelling paste, gesso, collage materials, sand, salt, or grit. Using palette knives, one can make multiple patterns, such as floral art, landscapes, and abstracts. Textured art can also be implemented in interior design works to give them a modern touch.

“Textured art differs from other art genres in that it emphasises the physical quality of the surface and the feel of the artwork over the colour and subject. It can produce a three-dimensional appearance that extends beyond the canvas, making the artwork more realistic, immersive, and fascinating,” Silviya explains.

It focuses on the feel of the artwork, while traditional paintings focus on colour and subject.

Chennai’s burgeoning art workshops

Silviya has a vivid imagination and enjoys exploring and experiencing the world through art. This led her way to the birth of The Malgudi Studio, where she hosts her art workshops. She credits the pandemic with transforming Chennai’s art culture. As people sought solace from the challenges of daily life, workshops emerged as a popular escape. “Participants tell me they attend to take a break from their hectic grind, improve mental health, or cope with loss,” she shares.

The vibrant art scene in Chennai, coupled with social media exposure, has fuelled this trend. Workshops now cater to diverse groups, from families and friends to couples and individuals aged 5 to 65. She highlights, “There are many wonderful artists in Chennai whose distinctive works are admired by the public now. And everything is now freely accessible.”

A journey of a lifetime

“One day in February last year, my niece approached me about hosting a textured art session at her college. That was how the workshop journey began. That’s when I knew art is my calling,” Silviya recounts.

From quitting her job to becoming a full-time artist, Silviya is truly on a path of pure contentment. Having conducted more than 50 workshops in schools and colleges in Chennai, Coimbatore, Kochi, and Bengaluru, and with a supportive husband, her journey is a testament to her belief in the power of art to heal, inspire, and unite.