DzynStudio2011 Art & Design Blog

Hello, first of all, thanks for allowing me to interview you.

Can you please tell about yourselves, for ex. Your education, your profession, where are you from & about the place of work / profession.

Ans. : My Name is Sudeep Sudhir Deshpande. I am an architect, a painter and a metal sculptor by profession. An Indian by Nationality, I have my own design firm here in Bahrain and am based here for the past 14 years. My native place is Nasik, Maharashtra State, India. I have been fortunate to have born and brought up in the family of artists. My father, Dr. Sudhir Deshpande was a self-taught sculptor and a painter. My mother, Mrs. Chitra Deshpande is a musician by profession and teaches Indian Classical Music & my younger sister Mrs. Sukhada Abhijeet Khandkekar is an Indian classical dancer and a theatre artist/actor.
I did Graduation in Architecture and passed out in the year 2003.

How did you turn towards art? Was it a kind of born-artist in you? Or did you by intention turn towards art?

Ans. : My father Dr. Sudhir Deshpande, being a sculptor and a painter, has always been my greatest inspiration. A self-taught artist himself, his contribution to art spans 40 years of his working career, till 2017. He passed away in 2017.
He has been enlisted into the Guinness book of Records for the World’s Tallest and heaviest metal Sculptures from the year 1989-1999.
For a self-taught artist who devoted his entire life to art, strongly influenced me. I don’t recall him, taking tuitions, on how to draw, in the first place. But his most important teachings have been that he taught me, on how to ‘draw’ our thoughts.
Just as we do our daily activities, such as fitness etc., he would advise me to draw one sketch every day. No matter how occupied or engaged I may get into my routine. This gradual conditioning led me towards art as a way of living.

Do you have hobbies? Which ones?

Ans. : My Hobbies are reading, writing, traveling.

Did you have any art-related background in family? Can you please share about your family’s support in your art-journey?
Ans. : As mentioned above.

Can you please share some insights about the way you decided to undertake the art journey?

Ans. : Another aspect that has strongly influenced me is the 5 years of Architectural Design School. During, my graduation in the field of Architecture, I realized that, in the process of conceiving a thought, one needs to understand the medium of its execution.
Some thoughts need to be expressed on canvas, where as some need multiple dimensions, and are best expressed, into sculptures. Some ideas emerge as utilitive with aesthetics and so are needed to be transformed into an architectural space. And that made a big impact, on my journey of Art.
Fortunate enough, to have realized it earlier, I was and have been, able to manage, in keeping and equilibrium in my art career as a painter & a sculptor & architectural side of my profession.

Some of the sculptures created & installed by Artist Sudeep Deshpande –

Coming back to the interview, do you have your own art studio / office / home-office ? If you don’t have a art studio, how do you manage to have your own space while creating art? Or do you work from home? (since Covid pandemic or even before that)?

Ans.: I have my Art Studio at my home in Bahrain.

If you have worked from home during the Covid pandemic & lockdown which was throughout the world, how did you manage to continue with your art journey? Was it difficult to get art materials?

Ans.: Working from home during pandemic has been a life transforming experience for those who are still breathing, who are alive and can therefore realise the gift of life is living itself.
It has created a big impact in my art journey, my approach towards art and its execution. These two years of calamity has been an ‘education of life’ in the real sense and it has got inculcated in my subject matter.
My colors are new now, my hues talk more of the times of survival during this phase, my lines speak of value for relationships and my forms are an expression of gratitude towards survival.

Coming to the topic of art materials, which type of art materials do you use? Do you use them individually or in combination? Can you please share some insights about your techniques?

Ans. : Mostly I work In acrylics on canvas as painting medium. My works one can see sharp lines, background washes, and drip paints. I use various tools such as knifes, cards, or sponges for my color applications.

How do you find your inspiration for art? Is it an inward journey or from external sources? How do you find your voice in your artworks?

Ans. : I find inspiration from my daily living. I feel there is so much within and in your daily living itself that one may not need to look around externally.

Some wonderful artworks by Artist Sudeep Deshpande –

Do you face peer pressure? How do you deal with it?

Ans. : I don’t face peer pressure, because I don’t think about it. 😊

How do you deal with the artist’s block phases?

Ans. : I do not identify with this very idea that artists go through creative blocks…it is just an idea / illusion that some artists have derived out of their non productive times. There is no such thing as an Artist Block, is what I believe.

Most of your artworks are kind of abstract figurative or expressive abstract so far. Some of your artworks seem to be made with dripping method. These days, you have been exploring new styles it seems, for ex. Abstract Cityscapes. So, how has the change been overall? Can you please tell more about the comparison between previous style & techniques & the current one?

Ans.: My works have been a reflection of my daily living as I mentioned earlier. An artist can always maintain its identity with his styles derived in time, if he / she is true to her living situations. This creates a great impact on the working methodologies of any artist and subsequently it reflects in his/ her style of painting or creating.
This is my second decade of paintng. And looking back in time I see that my subjects have changed. The first 10 years of my painting show subjects of my then life, living so to speak. And with subjects, I believe the tools also change. So yes, to be able to execute a subject, one needs to understand the medium of its execution. Some thoughts need to be expressed on canvas, where as some need multiple dimensions, and are best expressed, into sculptures. Some ideas emerge as utilitive with aesthetics and so are needed to be transformed into an Architectural Space.

You have been exhibiting your works frequently at various places. Can you please tell us more about it?

Ans. : Its good . One should keep on exhibiting, not just in the art galleries but also in NON ART CENTRIC SPACES. I have exhibited in the entrance of a church, in banks, in financial hubs and where such places where the audience does not come with a mindset of going through art. And that is where an incidental interaction about your art can happen. That is where an artist gets an opportunity to be vocal about his / her art.
I feel just VISUAL ART needs to be SEEN… it also needs to be HEARD..

Any new dream-aim plans to be undertaken in near future or in long terms in your art journey?

Ans. : To keep painting and exploring.

Any tips or suggestions for amateurs?

Ans. : Considering today social media age where everyone gets a direct response to his / her work, product, art etc. in this age one can see the impatience of posting works which need some serious introspection. The amateurs need to understand the process of self analysis while working on their respective art and not hurry in posting it for some external validations.

Do you mentor amateurs? If yes, how’s your experience about mentoring?

Ans. : not yet

Do you sell your artworks? How? Through exhibitions? Through your online store / offline art studio?

Ans. : Yes. Through exhibitions, walk-ins, online, offline.

How does social media play a role in your art journey? Does it affect the originality of your artworks?

Ans. : Social media does play an important role but it all depends on how you use it, is what I feel. To be able to be original can be a constant effort or a subconscious process. In my case I believe it is both. As an artist , in time you understand that you may get inspired from artists you follow but you can not paint like those you are inspired from. That is because painting as process in itself is about self reflection.

Can you please share the link of your profiles / fan pages on social media like Facebook, Instagram to view more of your artworks?

Ans. : https://www.facebook.com/sudeepisforart?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Thanks for sharing so much information about your art journey in depth & also, for giving your valuable time. Wishing you all the best for your future plans ! May you always keep creating beautiful artworks !
Have a great day ahead !