By KARI MUTU

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Drishti Vohra is giving art enthusiasts a chance to exploit their talent with a series of master classes. Six world-famous artists are covered in hands-on sessions designed for both amateur and professional artists.

“I have called this the masters series because I am looking at art masters from all over the world,” she said. A trained and practising artist, Vohra has exhibited in solo and group shows in Kenya, Dubai and India. Her art is influenced by natural landscapes, wildlife and figurative works.

Paint Like Van Gogh was the first of the masters series, held last month focusing on the Dutch post-impressionist maestro, Vincent van Gogh who was known for his impasto style, bold brushstrokes and emotionally stirring images.

“He is one of the most important masters of all time and his style is easy to teach to a first-timer and to a person who has some knowledge of art,” said Vohra.

The two-hour sessions are taking place at The Bookworm, Gigiri, in Nairobi. The studio and library space she co-founded in 2021 is a converted shipping container. The classes are small, of just six people per session, and I found a few children among the adults. Having previously taught both young people and adults, Vohra says it is not difficult for her to “tailor my workshop to any level, whether people have experience or not.”

Prints of various Van Gogh paintings were provided to the students so they could select the image they wanted to paint. In the first part of the session they learned the basics of painting such as mixing base colours, sketching a composition and creating the background of the painting. In the second part they were shown how to bring in more details to their illustrations. Everybody got to keep their artwork.

Vohra says she has chosen this direction to let her students feel comfortable trying different styles. “Art is an investment event and if you are learning, it is better that you experiment and enjoy to see where that takes you,” she said.

She prefers acrylic paints for her workshops because of their fast-drying properties and less toxic components, although, she says, it means one needs to work faster.

Born and raised in India, Vohra studied art in high school and has a Commercial Arts degree from the Sophia Polytechnic in Mumbai. As far back as her university years she gave private art classes to interested people on weekends, and this is how she discovered a latent love for teaching.

After working in the advertising industry for some years, Vohra became an arts teacher at the American School of Bombay.

“I have always loved children but teaching was not something I expected to do full-time because I don’t have a teaching degree,” says Vohra adding that, “But I realised that it inspired me to see children working on their art ideas.”

She was also attracted to the American way of teaching art which she found gave learners more freedom to create.

“I feel that my studio is also a place where people can come and explore and see how different artists create their works.”

Vohra moved to Nairobi in 2015 with her Kenyan-born husband and has continued painting throughout.

Recently she decided to resume teaching because she feels that people are looking to do things they once liked and never got the opportunity to pursue. “I feel that art is one of those subjects that is never given its full due in many schools. And as a practicing artist, the class is a way for people to get in touch with somebody who actually does art as a living and who can teach them.”

For the March workshops she will be focusing on geometric shapes and patterns in art using mixed media. The chosen masters for these sessions are Wassily Kandinsky of Russia (1866-1944) and Sayed Haider Raza of India (1922-2016). Another style Vohra may explore in the future is pointillism art.

“I want people to try different techniques, develop their skills and see what they are good at,” she says. After the workshops, there will be opportunity for individuals to develop their talent further if they wish. “Instead of just copying a masterpiece a student can create what they want and in a style they like.”