Finely etched imprints

KOCHI: The prints by Sapna Sharma, with their archaic motifs, are new to us. Be it the dry point or etching technique, the figurines have a certain distinctive feel. Incidentally, dry point, etching and collography are the techniques used for print making.In dry point, prints are made on metal plates like copper, while in etching, zinc is the base metal. Hard needles are used to make lines in the metal. Over that, printing ink is applied and an impression is made. In the case of collography, cardboard replaces the metal. Sapna's exhibition of prints, titled 'Chapa,' is going on at the Chaithanya Art Gallery.Motifs in circular and triangular forms are the recurrent themes. The artist, who hails from Rajasthan, says, “I have drawn inspiration from 'devra', a Rajasthani form associated with the deities  which can be seen on the roadsides there."Meanwhile, there is a series of circular images, titled 'Energy'. “We can get energy from circular figures,” she says. “This concept is attributed to the power of the sun.”Sapna brushes aside the tendency to associate print making with craftsmanship. “It is an art form by itself,” she says. “Print making is far more strenuous than painting which is usually done on the canvas. Once it is done with finesse, the result is overwhelming.”Faces, etched in dry point, appear like pencil sketches. There are girls and women with varying emotions. One of the striking ones is the 'Woman seeing Moon.' “I have always been fascinated by the moon,” says the artist, who is also a teacher in a girl's school in Delhi. “So, I have portrayed the changing nuances in the behavioural pattern of women.” Some of the other exhibits include monoprints, mixed medium compositions, and paintings with manuscripts. There are very few artists who do print making in Kerala, and the number of women artists is even less. “The main reason is the difficulty in maintaining a studio and a print machine,” she says. Sapna is married to P G Dinesh, an artist from Thrissur. This is her second exhibition in Kerala. The first was held at the Lalit Kala Akademi, Thrissur, last year. She says that her works are getting a good response and the people are showing enthusiasm to know about the techniques of print making.The exhibition continues till January 27.