We recently connected with Violet Bea and have shared our conversation below.

Violet, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

In 2021 I worked with my mentor Nimish Vohra on a project that illustrated the Gita Govinda, a 12th century poem by Jayadeva that depicts the erotic love of Radha and Krishna. This involved understanding the poetry in various language translations and learning the symbolism in the Pattachitra art style. I created 13 folios depicting the song and story. We collaborated with artisans at Collective Craft in Orissa and they developed painted folios based off of our layouts. It was really meaningful to develop my connection to the character of Krishna. Krishna who is loved by all, the protector, but who has endless mischief and playfulness. The song moves through emotions of anger, love, forgiveness and has an overarching sensuality that permeates spring time. It’s a project that taught me consistency and design that draws from ancient practices. It helped me connect with artists who practice this ancient artform and learn from them. And it tells an everlasting story – of love, of its intensity, of its beauty. Even in rage, in sadness, love persists with her flowered bow.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Violet. I grew up in Qatar, and I am from Bangalore, India where I pursued an undergrad in Architecture before moving to the bay to complete my MFA in Comics. I have been making art since before I can remember. In India, I was obsessed with live music and started hanging out with friends in the music industry who connected me to album art projects. Through social media and meeting folks in person I freelanced for fabric brands, bars, event producers etc. I create visual art and illustration in the realm of logos, cover art and brand design. My passion is in bringing storytelling and elements of spatial design aesthetics into my process. I also have skills in crochet, chainmaille and lino carving. I believe people’s stories shine in details, and I try to support my clients in achieving that specificity in the artwork they need, be it an inside joke, their favorite memory or an aspect of their culture. I am always learning more about myself and others and try to bring in folk traditions I learn about into my art making practice. I am really proud of the diversity of work I create, my attention to detail and my connection to lived traditions across the world. I enjoy working with traditional media like pencils, dip pens and inks. I also work with digital media and am proficient in Adobe and Autodesk software. My work echoes styles from the psychedelic 60s and 70s, and I’ve been inspired by punk, metal and rock aesthetics through the years. My favorite color is purple and my favorite building is the chennakesava temple in Halebeedu.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I had just graduated architecture school in the midst of a pandemic. I had worked in an internship for a few months and knew even before that it was not a career I wanted to pursue. I felt disconnected from the monotonous reality of postmodern design, cookie cutter replicas and designing a functional toilet in a world where most people cannot access basic needs. An industry that had turned every aspect of life into a buzz word. I honestly just wanted to do what I love most, drawing and telling stories. And then my mentor hired me to work on a project illustrating an ancient story of love. It combined skills I had learnt in school, but was almost a prophecy of the work I would do later, which was to move to the bay to study comics. I moved from telling stories through the abstract space of measured drawing to the ever-expansive space of gutters and panels. It’s astonishing how many similarities there are between these very different art forms. One, a style of deep precision, the other evoking the most meaning from the fewest lines, but both with windows into people’s lives and how they move through it. It was exciting to open the door on its pivot and slip into surreal joy. It’s been great to be able to apply my understanding of different artforms into my work.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I believe artists should learn in guilds and through apprenticeship. As someone who has been through a very traditional academic route I see the difficulty in developing one’s practice in spaces that gatekeep art based on financial access. Artists should be able to work while they learn. I benefitted a lot from working with Queer Ancestors Project. We learnt how to work in the studio and created art together. Community spaces that provide resources to artists and support their practice are crucial for artists to connect with each other and build practices based on mutual support. It is also really important to have spaces emphasize strong values around artmaking. The sacredness of space and material, values of liberation and uplifting marginalized voices in the vision for one’s art and strong practices of self care. Society must move away from the idea that fast paced minimal design is the ideal solution. There is far more merit in taking the time to hone one’s craft and learn from different traditions by diving deep into them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://violet97697.artstation.com/

Image Credits

Violet Alexis Bea