An Artist's Place of Work and Play

Satish and Amita Gupta have made an artist's dream house - a space that nurtures creativity and imagination.

An artist isn't defined just by the work that the public gets to see but sometimes by what the world at large doesn't see, his studio and home. Satish Gupta, a man of many talents""painter, sculptor, sometime author""and his equally talented wife Amita, who specialises in textiles, have put together a space that has their stamp on its every nook and cranny and yet is also a place of inspiration for the artist.

A studio for an artist isn't the exact equvivalent of what an office is for an executive, but a space to connect with the creative process that will lead, hopefully, to great art. And Satish, aware of that connect, has built a studio to match few others.

He says, "The place has been divided into two parts. The left side is the work space, with the studio, the storage space and a viewing space. The other side is where there are bedrooms and other rooms that one needs for living. And the library is the bridge between these two worlds."

Located in Gurgoan, this half an acre property was designed from the beginning as a place where creativity flourishes. Says Satish, "The idea to have living and working space in the same place was to have probably an annual event where people from different walks of life could gather for a week and brainstorm. For instance if one were to discuss colour, the way a mathematician would see it would be different from the way a scientist would interpret it."

Satish also wanted to have a space available to him where he could showcase his work in a living space where he feels it "comes alive". People, he says live with their art and need to see it that way.

"Musems are all very well..." his voice trails off making it clear in what he leaves unsaid. No doubt he wants his creations to be housed in homes more than anywhere else.

Though the place may seem to be an overwhelming amalgam of many influences on first impression, there is a definite method to the madness of colour and artefacts. The Guptas on their regular travels picked up pieces with no particular purpose. Yet it all falls into a happy pattern.

There is a Jade room which has pieces from the Far Eastern region. The verandah on the other hand has pieces from all over. Satish quaintly calls this coming together of so many cultures an "assembly of friends".

Amita's contribution to this is with textiles that she created for her collections. But for Satish his love of textiles isn't limited to what his wife creates but he also has immense appreciation for old textiles. I notice an old lama's robe from Tibet which hangs proudly on one of the walls.

For Satish, the studio/house is also like a catalouge of his different phases. The Rajasthan phase in his paintings even has a physical embodiment in the various jharokas and facades that dot the place.

This, he says, is a result of him travelling extensively to Rajasthan. On one such trip he spotted a haveli being dismantled to be replaced by a concrete monstrosity.

Apalled he brought the entire haveli and carted it back to Delhi. If the house is the catalouge, the studio is like a blank canvas. Vast and entirely neutral it serves as a perfect space to work and let one's creative juices flow uninhindered.

Says Satish, "For my forthcoming exhibition I have just done a work which is 20 feet by 10 feet and if I didn't have the space that I do I wouldn't be able to do it." A 12-foot tall Shiva was possible due the same space.

This then is a space to create and then enjoy in a relaxed sort of way, a place to put your feet up and contemplate the navel, for who knows what can spark an idea. For art's sake, this is a place that inspires as well as puts you to work.