Neha Nagpal

Kolour Theory Artist

"My mother was an artist, spending weeks and months on her oil paintings, ceramic paintings, canvases. Her passion really showed in her artform. She is my role model and although art was all around me, it never occurred to me that art would be my calling, at some point in life.

2015 is the year I lost my mother. I was probably trying to fathom losing someone so monumental in my life and I wanted to pour my feelings into something and I stumbled upon my own form of Art. It could be my beautiful mother’s genes perhaps. I do feel that her work was way superior to mine but I cherish the connection that I feel with her when I paint something of my own.

Art is everywhere, color is everywhere. How I want to have my work be unique was something I realised while I discovered my own self. I like looking at ordinary things and often wonder how they would look, revamped with a burst of colour. My art speaks to people in 3 ways; happy, special and heartfelt.

I now paint on all sorts of artisanal souvenirs, upcycled items like vintage rotary phones and teapots - that seem to be a major hit with the clients! Jewellery boxes and coasters are my very own versions of tiny canvases that have me creating the most unique murals.

The different surfaces I like to cover have no end, today it’s an old letterbox, tomorrow, they’re cow heads. There’s no telling to how extraordinary an otherwise ordinary object will look once I start working on them. Being able to take that risk, to visualise and the spontaneity of how it all comes together excites me. My favourite pieces are the ones that are born out of sheer instinct - the first rotary phone I had painted and the response I received for them. Or the fruit tart candles are a reminder of how perfect the imperfections of a handmade artwork feel. It’s all in the fine details!

Art has been a way to express my vulnerability, imagination and emotions in the most colourful way possible. I am grateful for where I have reached with my brand Kolour Theory and I enjoy every part of the process. To be able to bring colour into someone else’s life is a blessing and this keeps me grounded and wanting to do more. I realise that my work is an embodiment of the person that I am and the best part about it is that I feel connected to my mother with this gift that we share.”

Interviewed and transcribed by Maryam Syed