Art beyond canvas

New Indian Express

24-04-2025

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
These final lines of the poem The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost could easily describe the journey of Sreeja Kalappurakkal, a self-taught artist from Thrissur.
While most artists stick to traditional canvases, Sreeja sees art in the everyday. Over the years, she's painted on feathers, stones, and even seashells. But recently, she chose an even harder surface to create art, something most people throw away without a second thought — coconut shells.
In her new exhibition titled 'Shararanthal' at David Hall Art Gallery, Sreeja brings life into these discarded coconut shells. Using acrylic paints, she carefully polishes and transforms each one into a memory capsule of nostalgic scenes of the state. Including the canvas paintings, around 500 artworks were on display at the exhibition, which was held from April 9 to 17.
'I tried to paint the warm memories of the past and everyday scenes from Kerala — between the 1960s and 1990s — on the inside of the coconut shells. From a child being born and rocked in the cradle to growing up and engaging in various activities, everything that directly and indirectly shapes our lives is portrayed in my paintings. The toys, the pond, the river, the fields, the tea shops, the fishermen, the rain, cartoon characters from old children's publications, school days, college, love — I have covered almost every minute memory through this,' says Sreeja.
In addition to this, there are artworks displayed on plywood, where coconut shells have been cracked, ground into powder using a machine, and spread on the surface with glue. One such work, standing at five feet, depicts India and another, also five and a half feet tall, depicts Kerala.
The distinct features of each state, along with indigenous and tribal art forms, are marked through the artwork. Besides that, handcrafted items using coconut shells and art pieces created on canvas using different materials obtained from the coconut tree were also part of the exhibition.
'There are so many hidden canvases around us in nature — things we see daily without noticing their potential. All my works begin with the thought of bringing different themes to life using such materials. After working with stones and feathers, I realised that people had started expecting something different from me. That's when I moved on to seashells, and now, coconut shells,' Sreeja says.
It's not an easy process at all. According to her, this isn't like picking up a canvas from a shop and painting on it. From collecting the raw material to preparing the surface so it's fit for painting, every step takes time.
Developing the method to work with coconut shells alone took her nearly four years. 'It takes a lot of effort, too. I even developed conditions like tennis elbow from the physical strain. But despite all that, art is still something that brings me real joy,' she smiles.
The 44-year-old is currently teaching painting online. Since her first exhibition in 2014, she has held 16 solo exhibitions across Kerala. Her work has earned 23 national and international recognitions, including listings in the Limca Book of Records, Best of India Records, India Book of Records, and Asia Book of Records.
'Art was always a part of me,' says Sreeja. From school days, she had this urge to create. However, because of circumstances, she couldn't pursue it properly or study it formally. 'Later, when I became financially independent and had more time to experiment, I dusted off that old dream. That's how I started painting,' she explains.
She began with oil painting. 'And when I first exhibited my work, many people criticised it, not knowing that I had never studied art professionally.'
Later, many approached her with advice — to travel more, to read. She took all of it to heart, improved and kept going.
'But again, the hurdle is financial,' she adds. 'Conducting exhibitions is expensive, and right now, I'm stuck because of that. If I can get more support, maybe I will be able to share my art with more people,' she concludes.