Buddha on a chip that’s fallen away

Sandeep Mashalji paints gods and flowers on waste timber

BENGALURU: Among the many artists and canvases at the 14th Chitra Santhe, organised by Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat, Sandeep Mashalji and his  works stood out. The 31-year-old artist from Haveri, north Karnataka, paints on waste pieces of Acacia wood.

Sandeep Mashalji at the annual Chitra
Santhe with his artwork made from
timber waste, on Sunday

He collects the timber waste from saw mills and polishes the plainer, inside of the wood. Sandeep then coats it with white and paints over that using acrylic paints. All of this usually takes around one and half hours. Sandeep was selling the pieces for `2,500 to `5,000, and people stopped to pick them for their offices and homes.

Sandeep, an MFA graduate from Karnataka Folklore University in Haveri, works as a graphic designer with a private firm and uses his free time to paint. “I have been doing this for the past 10 years,” he said, “I love this because it is converting waste into art... people seem to love it too.”

What Sells
His pieces were mostly on Buddha, Lord Shiva and flowers. “Flowers and Buddha have been selling like hot cakes,” he said. He had also on display paintings done on paper cups.
Many of the art lovers rushed to his stall because they found it unique and interesting. Madhubala M, a software professional from Hebbal, said, “I found this stall the most interesting because the artist converts a leftover chip of wood into a beautiful piece of art.” Mohan Kumar, a chartered accountant from Sankey Tank, found the cost “slightly high” but added that he loved Sandeep’s work and “had never seen anything like that before”.

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