| Interview with Atul Bakshi by Srishti |
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ATUL BAKSHI is a retired officer of the navy. After quitting sea at 40,
he decided to pursue his ten year old hobby and passion for stained glass and glass sculpture.
He tells me about how he had a dream to do 'high tech farming' after retirement."But somewhere along
the road my passion for stained glass just took the front seat..." he says.
Associated with the British Society of Master Glass Painters, he proudly states that he never deviates
from the authentic European style of stained glass art.
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| Q WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR ABOUT THIS CAREER ?? |
| Well, I don't know why, but I was never scared about getting into this.
I guess when you have a passion for something and believe in yourself, there isn't really anything to be afraid of. |
| Q HOW LONG HAVE YOU PURSUED STAINED GLASS AS A CAREER ?? |
| As a career, 10 years now. |
| Q HAVE YOU EVER REGRETTED GETTING INTO THIS FIELD ?? |
| No. |
| Q WAS IT A STRUGGLE INITIALLY, MASTERING THE ART? HAVE YOU PRODUCED ANY REALLY BAD PIECES ?? |
| Hmm...I still don't think I've mastered it ! Although, since I've worked in the navy, I'm confident about large expanses of glass.
I'm not scared of anything that requires engineering skills. And yes... I still create bad pieces ! |
| Q HOW COME YOU DIDN'T JUST DO IT AS A HOBBY BUT DECIDED TO MAKE A CAREER OUT OF IT ?? |
| Well to tell you the truth, I still think of it as a passion and a hobby and not as a profession. And when you love something so
much you just stay motivated. After I quit sea, somewhere along the road, this just took the front seat... |
| Q WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION ?? |
| Well I've always been intrigued and inspired by the churches of Himachal Pradesh. |
| Q DO YOU THINK DELHI HAS GOOD BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES ?? |
| Yes definitely. Fortunately people are flashier in Delhi. They want their flashy cars and their flashy clothes etc.
But one thing that should be kept in mind is that it is MUST to have individual expression. There are far too many businessmen who've hired artists who create pieces using designs from books. |
| Q IF SOMEONE WANTS TO PURSUE STAINED GLASS, WHAT SHOULD BE HIS ON HER FOCUS IN SCHOOL AND COLLEGE ?? |
| Well you should definitely have a background in sketching and such in Fine arts. Also there is sometimes a lot of engineering skills required while creating big stained glass pieces, so a background
in science definitely helps. It's helped me... |
| Q WHICH OF YOUR WORKS WOULD YOU CALL YOUR MASTERPIECE ?? |
| "Rise up singing" in Noida. It's funny, I just scribbled the design out in a matter of minutes. but it turned out to be really grand. |
| Q IS THERE ANY DIFFERENCE IN HOW STAINED GLASS IS PRODUCED HERE AND ABORAD ?? |
| Well i guess the process would be easier abroad. For example the tools and machinery will be more advanced since there is a tool for everything you can think of. |
| Q HAS THE POPULARITY OF STAINED GLASS CHANGED A LOT IN THE LAST 10 YEARS ?? |
| Yes. It has become much more popular. People are just more aware about it than they used to be. Not many people knew about it before. |
| Q DID YOU EVER LOSE FAITH IN YOUR WORK ?? |
| No. Like i said, it's a passion. I don't just create designs on order, I'm always creating new designs. So eventually someone is bound to walk in and like a design... |
| Q IS STAINED GLASS ACTUALLY STAINED? HOW DOES IT WORK ?? |
Well there is stained glass, and there is glass painting. Glass painting is when paint is applied onto the glass.
The original 'stained glass' on the other hand, refers to coloured glass, which has been coloured from before using silver nitrates and oxides and has then been fired so that it preserves its colour.
These pieces of coloured glass are then put together in assorted shapes and colours, by inserting them into a web of lead. This is then soldered into a composite unit. |
| Q WHAT IS THE MOST BOOMING MARKET IN INDIA FOR STAINED GLASS ?? |
| Delhi is definitely the best place in India. |
| Q ARE THERE ANY INSTITUTIONS THAT OFFER A FORMAL COURSE IN STAINED GLASS ?? |
| Unfortunately in India there aren't any formal courses as yet. Though many people teach courses privately, in their homes and studios. U'll even find shopkeepers in delhi teaching! |
| Q EVER THOUGHT ABOUT TEACHING, YOURSELF ?? |
| I don't actually believe that can or should be done. 'Give me this much money and I'll make you a stained glass artist in 6 months.' It doesn't work that way at all. If the passion is in you,
and you come to me, then sure I'll teach you. There is no money involved. |
| Q ALRIGHT THANKS FOR YOUR TIME, ANY ADVICE FOR YOUNG ARTISTS ?? |
| Again, passion is the underlying thing. If you don't have the passion there is no point. It's extremely design oriented and it takes a lot of hard work and practice, but if you have the passion
you'll never really get tired. |
| You can view Atul Bakshi's work at www.stainedglass-india.com |
