Fr Carlos Luis SAC
Aquila Fernandes from Xeldem, Goa, is a landscape artist and interior designer. She holds a BFA in painting and has specialised in murals from the Goa College of Art. On 31st October 2022, Aquila opened her first solo exhibition titled Unhalleant-Xitollai (A Cool Breeze in Summer) at Quadro Art Gallery, Porvorim, Goa.
Painting on a variety of subjects, she is drawn towards landscape art. She takes an impressionist approach, using vivid colouring and focusing on the play of light. Inspired by the colour scheme and detailing of Mary Tonkin, an Australian landscape artist, the now Bambolim-based Aquila works mainly with acrylics, watercolours and different inks.
With an air of nostalgia, she states, “I was around 12 when I found my mom’s Fevicryl acrylic paints at home. My mom was working abroad, and I lived with my grandparents then. My grandmother told me how mom used to paint on glass, bedsheets, sarees, etc. She even showed me some of her work. I was so excited to see her work, and all I wanted was to be like her. I started painting on glass; I painted two bedsheets, and I even painted walls in Fevicryl acrylic paints. That was one hell of an experience. Imagine little Aquila using a pencil to draw on concrete (old textured) walls. Drawing and erasing a hundred times…I think I finished a box full of erasers. Whatever the case, that wall painting was a great achievement for me at that time…everyone would be shocked. Now there was no turning back. I painted almost everywhere and everything.”
Nature helps the young artist forget all her worries. She observes transient nature and says, “The clouds that are there today aren’t the same as yesterday. The flowers have bloomed. The birds seem a little more cheerful today. Yesterday was beautiful and so is today; but not the same beautiful as yesterday.”
Aquila prefers to paint in the early mornings and late evenings. She paints outdoors before 7 am and lazily at home after 9 pm. She paints how she feels and has fun doing it, and you can see it in her paintings at the exhibition.
When asked about the interesting title of the exhibition, Aquila elaborated, “Well, I wanted something unique. Something that hasn’t been used before, and something in Konkani that describes the Goan landscapes I have painted. I tried my best but couldn’t find one on my own, so asked mamma for help…After brainstorming for almost an hour or more, mamma came up with this title, and I loved it. The only question was would everyone understand? So, we thought of putting it with a small translated version. We loved the title so much that we just didn’t want to find another. It described my paintings perfectly and was exactly what I wanted.”
The process of painting is different for each artist, and for Aquila, it involves finding a pleasant place and taking a few pictures, because lighting and scenes can change. Then creating 3-4 sketches for composition and painting it on site or off site. She says without complaining, “Outdoor paintings are kind of tough: the sun shining over your head; people passing comments on your paintings, good and bad; the ants and mosquitoes; and the speed with which the sun sets. But I love it anyway.”
Art for her is an expression of life, a better explanation of history than words, a feeling, a thought and a friend who understands you and will never let you suffer alone. To young artists, she says, “Never, never doubt your ability. And know that there is no easy way to get there faster. Hard work is the only way. Don’t paint something you are not excited about or else you’ll give up eventually.”
Reminded of an incident that happened in the past when her grandfather purchased for her an easel and a stretched canvas of 24 x 36 inches. She says that she painted it with great excitement but found it horrible and tossed the canvas in one corner. She narrated the incident to her mother, stating that she would never paint again.
With a glow on her face, Aquila says, “But mamma held my hand, took me back to the canvas and painted it white and said, ‘See? If something goes wrong, we can paint it white again.’ And from then I was never scared to paint on canvases. Throughout this journey, there have been so many people who have appreciated me and encouraged me – my family, friends, Guardian Angel teachers, Goa College of Art teachers and everyone that has appreciated my paintings, even if it were just once. Thank you so much. I am here today only because of you.”
(Carlos Luis is a priest belonging to the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottine) and is currently the mission secretary of the ABVM Province, Bangalore. He comments on literature and films that mirror life.)
