My First Show

The duo Show was held between 17th August 2006 to 27th August 2006. The paintings exhibited were on Lord Ganesha. Mixed Media Paintings drawn by me from the age of 3 to 6 were exhibited during the show. Veteran Danseuse and Actress Ms. Vaijayanthi Mala Bali and Mr. Suchin Bali inaugurated the show.

Six-year-old holds her first painting exhibition - Deccan Chronicle, 26th August, 2006

When two and a half year old S. Varuna first took a brush to create a few strokes, little did her parents A.P. Sreethar and Nirmala realise that they were witnessing a budding young talent at work. Today, six-years-old Varuna, a class one student of A.M.M. Matriculation, is holding her first exhibit on — a series of paintings on Lord Ganesha at Ayya Art Galleries, Royapettah.

Recalls Nirmala, “When she first scribbled a few strokes, we thought that it was just her way of trying out something new. And as time went by Varuna became more and more fascinated by painting and that is when we decided to seriously encourage her.” These days Varuna can handle medium like acrylic, watercolours, oils pastels and pencil shading, but votes watercolours as her favourite out of them all. And creating artworks with Ganesha on them is what she does best, “I like painting Ganesha because he is so friendly and beautiful,” chirps Varuna.

While talking about her favourite colours, pat comes the reply, “Blue, pink and orange; these are main colours that I have used in my paintings.” Her artistic streak extends to activities like clay modelling, sand art and tile painting as well. This little girl has been captured by the magic of painting to such an extent that once during a fancy dress competition in school she dressed up as M.F. Hussain and drew a Ganesha in a couple of quick strokes, just like the famous painter’s trademark.

According to her parents, the main reason why Varuna has taken such a serious liking to painting is because of the ambience at home — her father A.P. Shreethar is an artist and it is with him that she is holding this exhibition. “Varuna had been painting Ganeshas ever since she was in L-KG and we have been collecting all her paintings. Since her father was also going to hold an exhibition, we thought that it would be a good idea to display her work as well,” explain her parents.

Varuna declares that she is quite happy that people are coming to see her paintings and adds, “When I grow up I want to be an artist so that more people will come to see my work.”

My Early Days

I am drawing since the age of 2 1/2 and my parents did not think of them as just scribbles, but scribbles with balanced color schemes, fearless strokes, expression of her zeal for art. That striked them to posses each scribble of mine very carefully. I slowly inherited the mechanism of assimilating color & composition, from my father. Now I have specialized in drawing Abstract form of Ganesha, Landscapes, Mother and Child, Cartoon Characters, Landscape & Sceneries, and recently dress designing for my imaginary characters . My favorite artists are Piccasso, Van Gogh, M.F. Hussain, Anjoli Ela Menon, Dhiraj Chowdry and the list goes on… as I get to know about more and more artists.

















I handle all media – Acrylic, Watercolors on board, canvass, Oil pastels, pencil and recently digital too. Apart from painting I also engages herself in other forms of art like – clay modeling, sand art, tile painting, glitter art, tube painting, digital art, Carnatic Vocal and keyboard playing.
I am an active participant in any painting competitions and in all school events. My Painting titled “Women” was published in the “Kaleidoscope” column of Hindu Young World on 14th July 2006. I won prizes among Top 5 winners during Mylapore Festival Painting Competition, in which one was live sketching of the Mylapore tank at the age of 6.

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Précis about me

I am 8 ½ years old and I have held nine exhibitions. My 4th show was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Governor Shri Surjit Singh Barnala on the occasion of World Peace day. I have won International award for my peace drawing for two consecutive years. I am the “Youngest Corel Certified Designer” certified by Corel Corporation (International).

I am is a recipient of ‘Youngest Achiever Award’ awarded by The District Youth Service Team, Rotary International District 3230 for the year 2008. It was followed by a live painting performance in BIG F.M. I also received “BIG CHUTTY KUTTY” award on Children’s day awarded by BIG F.M, following a live chat show talking about my achievements. My work of art was selected by the renowned playschool in Chennai and was auctioned for Charity.

(my mummy is hosting this blog as I am below 13 years of age)

Media Coverage

Published on May 13, 2009

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Metro Plus Chennai

Virtual canvases

Eight-year-old Varuna showcases her digital art works

“Her works say a lot of things. It’s a whole new philosophy”. After asking S.Varuna about her influences, cinematographer P. C. Sreeram acknowledged that he has learnt a lot from the eight-year-old.

He inaugurated Varuna’s ninth exhibition (incidentally, on National Technology Day, May 11) “Tiny Pixel” at the Adyar Boat Club. Varuna showcased her skill in digital art as mediapersons and personalities from the film industry watched.

The young artist has used the techniques she applies in manual arts in these digital works.

Ask her about her works ‘Swimming butterfly’ or ‘House in the sky’ and she replies that “artists are dreamers. Everything that is impossible, we will make possible.”

She grew up with her father’s paintings and then committed herself artistically and even socially, to spread the message of peace.

CELINE LEMAIRE

Published in Chennai Times, Times Now on 18th May, 2009

Published in Indian Express on 14th May, 2009

Eight-and-a-half year old Varuna’s exhibition is a series of digital art pieces by the young artist SHE began at the age of two and a half and is now 8 exhibitions and 8 and a half years old; Varuna clearly has it in her genes. With an artist for a father and an encouraging mother, it is not so much surprise that the kid’s artistic streak has been honed and directed at a stage so early. Tiny Pixels, her latest solo exhibition was inaugurated at Boat Club on Monday by cinematographer P C Shriram.

The exhibition was a series of digital art pieces by the young artist. Also on display were the artists’ tools, a Mac, a graphics tablet and the Coral Paint software. Varuna took her seat and demonstrated the tools and let out the secrets of her trade. “She began painting early in her father’s studio and ever since we realised she needed the encouragement. She paints both manually and digitally”, says Kamala, Varuna’s mother.

“She also wants to try other technologies for the purpose of art”, she adds. The work is imaginative and to say the least, representative of a child’s world, where no real boundaries are kept to, where everything can be given wings and dreams don’t see a stop. There are also pieces with mosaic work and a few sketches using simple strokes like a Ganesha.

Varuna herself seemed quite delighted and proud of the collection she held for the display. Art it appears is close to her heart. “I paint whatever I am thinking. I usually spend at least an hour painting everyday”, she tells us. Sridhar, her father, himself says, “I have taught her the basic techniques, but I leave the rest to her and her imagination”.