Alex Mathew, acclaimed sculptor and bas-relief artist, working on a wood relief panel in his exotic
studio cottage at the National Art Meet, hosted by Open Eyed Dreams at Stream Valley Cottages,
Vythiri, Wayanad.

more pictures »

Open Eyed Dreams brought together 20 artists – from various regions and stylistic schools in the country and of different age groups – in its first National Art Meet, held at Stream Valley Cottages Vythiri, Wayanad. The seven-day residential camp concluded on June 26, 2006 with an enviable collection of over 40 works.

Alex Mathew, Sosa Joseph, Rajan M. Krishnan, Zakir Hussain, Bhagyanath C, TR Sunil Lal, Anilkumar, Reji Arackal, Sujith SN, Sujith KS, Piyali Ghosh, Rupal Dave, Neha Turakhia, Urmila Naik K, Anasuya Prodhan, Vasavi Oza, Saptarshi Naskar, Mousmi Biswas and Nilesh Prakash Shaharkar were among the artists who worked in a unique artistic communion with Nature, revelling in the joys of monsoon rains pouring over the Sahyadri valleys, exchanging views and sharing the thrills of creative endeavours.

ALEX MATHEW, Reader in fine arts at Sarojini Naidu School of Performing Arts, Fine Arts and Communication, Central University Hyderabad, said: “Dilip Narayanan deserves kudos for bringing together such an interesting mixture – a select group of senior artists together with some promising ones from the younger fraternity. There is lot of energy here. It’s truly refreshing, rejuvenating.”

“For Kerala, this is something unusual. When Lalitkala Academies organise so-called national camps, they pick only certain type of ‘official’ artists – mostly of mediocre calibre. It’s heartening to see that Dilip is promoting young and upcoming talents, looking beyond regional boundaries,” Alex Mathew added.

Younger artists freely interacted with the internationally acclaimed sculptor-relief artist as he worked on a native “kumbil” wood panel in his exquisite studio cottage overlooking a swollen forest stream rushing past the foothills of a tea plantation.

More »