Santosh Jain

A dexterous play of my original photographs of the everyday with art softwares as well as conventional inks, pastels, pen and charcoal. To ‘narrate’ a story on my canvas, I collect characters – through my photography, from archival works of Masters, my own drawings and varied expressions I find in my travels. The collection is emotional, subliminal and sometimes personal; like a ‘working library’, with characters appearing and reappearing in a number of my works. The carefully assimilated ‘cast’ comes together to role play and express my inner concerns. I spend a lot of time, over days and hours on end constantly reconstructing and building the layers—both digital and by hand with pastels, charcoal and pen, as I deep dive into the work. The process is intuitive; the truth often revealed in the final work. My creative process is intense and each creation is a unique edition

B.C Sanyal award for lifetime dedication to Art & Education by Delhi College of Art, 2017.