Ritesh Singla

SHORT PROFILE

Name: Ritesh Singla

DOB: 1973

Occupation: Banker, Resin Artist

Currently Residing: Gurgaon, India

Favorite Quotes: "Failing to plan is planning to fail" and "Samay se pehle aur kismat se ziyada kisi ko kuch nahi milta"

You eventually end up doing in life what you got passionate about in the first place. Meet the Gurgaon based Resin Artist ‘Ritesh Singla’ whose life journey fits aptly to the above quote.

He loved to paint in his younger days. But his love for art was soon overshadowed by the ‘education-for-profession’ syndrome. Sooner than he realized he lost base with his creative side. And then, life happened!

He charted his career graph with over 20 years of experience in the corporate sector of automobiles and banking. Apart from enjoying being a resin artist now, he loves to spend time with his lovely wife and 7 years old son.

Ritesh Singla's Love for Art

Being born the youngest in the family of highly qualified lawyers and doctors, he marked his place by securing a position in the top three in Mechanical Engineering. Though books were never his best friend yet the mechanical engineering degree came in as a bonus.

But as the saying goes ‘once an artist always an artist’! There came a time in life when Ritesh could not stop the urge to Google what was new in the art world. He learned about fluid art. Fluid painting is a fun art technique that uses thin paints to create utterly unique artworks without the use of traditional brushwork.

He found it the best option to start experimenting again after a gap of 20 years, as fluid art is a quick process and seemed a perfect match for Ritesh’s dropped patience level over the years. Sitting for hours at a place to draw and paint did not seem to be his choice anymore.

Experimenting with New Forms of Art - From Acrylic Pour To Resin Geode

While working with dirty pours, flip cups, and varied techniques of fluid art, Ritesh found himself drawn to another medium which was ‘Epoxy Resin’. Digging deeper about the medium he realized that it is a chemical-based art that involves health risks too. So he decided to stay happy experimenting with fluid paintings or commonly known as acrylic pouring.

Well, for any artist, it is unavoidable to not venture into the unknown realms of new art forms, especially after knowing it exists out there. Because that’s where the real creative adventure lies.

A month later, with the help of YouTube tutorials began his quest of resin art projects. After some failures and learning through trials and errors, Ritesh was able to get a hold of the medium. And boom the artist in him was alive again.

Know Your Artist

Did you incline to art before or this was a trigger by some incident/experience?

I am inclined towards art. sketching, character, and artwork were mainstream. But I was never good with brush, watercolors or paint landscapes. In other words, I was good at drawing but not great with a paintbrush. Abstract art was never my thing till the last few years. I guess I was drawn to this art form by the sheer excitement of flowing liquid, imaginative output, the suspense of what will be the outcome, and the time-ticking working span to finish the art piece.

Are you able to manage to be a resin artist with your current profession?

Yes, I can manage to be a resin artist on weekends since I am still taking this as a hobby and as an element in pursuing my passion. I call Resin Art my second profession till now since I am happy being a banker. But who knows if art can take over banking soon. I am leaving the future options open as of now.

Why did you choose resin art to make a comeback as an artist?

Resin art is always unrepeated and has something new and innovative to offer to the artist and the admirer. Since it is a very versatile art it depends on the artist to figure out the scope and usage of the medium. The wide compatibility of resin with other mediums opens up the pandora box of immense possibilities and challenges. There are remote chances that the artist will ever get over with this art form. I firmly believe the artist can only mature along the journey of practicing and pursuing this art.

Moreover, resin art can be instrumental in making real-life usable functional art pieces as well that further adds value to the proposition as a whole.

What do you think about Geode Art?

Geode art is a subset of Resin art and needs a lot of patience, perseverance, and planning to execute. It is more tedious and takes more time due to the complexities involved. But the sheer bling of a geode art piece is so mesmerizing that it is worth the effort all the way.

Do you enjoy doing Resin Art?

Yes, I love it! I discern my work as very peculiar and inspiring as this art has something new and innovative to offer every time. I feel just like other art forms resin art also is a reflection of the thoughts and views of the creator. It is so pleasing to see the shine and clear finish of the cured artwork after 24 to 72 hours.

Do you pursue any theme? Do you research what your next piece is going to be? What research do you do?

Yes, I do a lot of research for every art piece I wish to make. Research, planning, and theme are critical in this art form too like any other. Resin art, unlike other art forms, does not give you the luxury and liberty of thinking and planning amidst working on a particular piece once you have started pouring resin. It is executed with a lot of thinking and preparation.

At times I feel being an engineer is an additional advantage to foresee the challenges and solutions to the behavior of the medium.

Resin has its brain, and the artist has to work around what it does to visualize the art piece. The artist is guided by resin and not the other way around. You cannot force the resin to work against its natural behavior. Since the work time with this medium is limited one has to ensure that pouring is completed within the time frame with the desired results.

So if you do not do enough research and the practice you might find it difficult to handle this medium or in other words, failing to plan is planning to fail!

Which is your favorite artwork that you would not want to part with?

A tough question since for an artist all his creations are close to his heart. But if I have to choose one or let’s say two, my red/blue geode with real abalone shells and my signature piece ‘Twilight in the Woods’ (trees in woods: mixed media resin art piece) are my favorites.

Was there any scary experience while learning or teaching Resin Art?

Yes, there were quite a few. When I searched for side effects of using resin I discovered its adverse effects on health if precautions, like wearing gloves and respiratory mask while working with resin were not adhered to. It is also important to note that the room you work in should be properly ventilated.

Resin is a chemical and can be risky if one is careless. I also had my bad times in the initial days like skin allergy, headaches and the least critical one was spoiling a lot of my favorite clothes.

Over a while, with the experience and usage of resin, I have come to know that however risky resin art may be, taking all necessary precautions it can be fun to work with this medium.

What is your artistic outlook on life?

Art is a channel to express your feelings. It simplifies the chaos in your mind. I think that everyone should do what he or she enjoys doing, and should be able to make a happy life out of it. Life is short and unpredictable so why not add a splash of colors to it.

Plus, you don’t have to be an artist to master resin art. All you need is to find your creative bend.

What is your dream project?

My dream project is to make large murals, wall art pieces, and life-size furniture for use at homes and in the hospitality industry.

Where do you drive inspiration from?

I drive inspiration from the things I see around me. I also surf on Instagram of established artists to learn what’s new that they are doing with resin. But I wait to kick start a piece till I feel the pull and challenged enough from within. I also keep collecting a lot of interesting and intriguing elements.

All my work will always have a focus point which acts as an anchor to the art while creating and working around it.