The local artist-illustrator worked jointly with her late mother, Shireen Mody, at ‘Studio Arpora’
Gomantak Times
Bugs, beetles, and every other thing that makes it to nature, is what finds its way to Saffron Wielh’s designs. Highly inspired by nature and its beauty, she uses them as part of her illustrations and artworks. The local artist-illustrator, born and brought up in Goa, worked jointly with her late mother, Shireen Mody, at ‘Studio Arpora’, in North Goa's Arpora. The artist continues to credit her mother for all she is.
Here’s more about the artist and her work.
What made you decide to move from fashion designing to illustration and then painting?
The idea of fashion design faded very fast for me, as soon as I started pattern-making and sewing classes during my university days in Australia. I guess, it was always more about the love of drawing and sketching, and I realized that fashion wasn’t really the path for me to do that. So, I decided to change to an illustration course, instead, and everything fell into place.
Goan images are constantly seen in your mother's works. Does your mother's painting influence your work?
My mother 100 per cent influences my work! She is the reason I am where I am, doing what I do. She was always so supportive of my dream to become an artist, since I was basically following in her footsteps. She always took me to the big art galleries all over the world when we went on our travels. Seeing these beautiful paintings, by all the greatest artists in the world, has also influenced me. And, my themes are somewhat similar to my mum’s as well. She painted only Goan village scenes, and you will definitely see that in my work, and I plan to do a lot more of that in future.
What are the other kinds of products that you work with?
I have been trying to design and create other products and home wares that are an easy sell at the store. I started by designing sets of artsy tea towels, and now I have a whole range of products like silk scarves, cushion covers, wrapping paper etc, and all of it has my art printed on it. I find these sorts of things very soothing to create as well because it’s such a nice feeling seeing one’s art on actual products. I plan to have a lot more of them in future.
Do you prefer product design or just painting?
I can’t say that I really prefer one over the other. They, both, bring joy to me and give me a sense of achievement. It works great because say some days I’m not really in the space to create a new painting; I can go ahead and start making a design out of my older works, which I can then perhaps one day print onto another product.
What items are available in your studio? What has the response to it been like?
I am very happy with the response to my studio. It’s been great to see it grow in every way. And, I love to hear about everyone’s first experience of visiting my gallery and exploring all the various products that are there. I only hope to keep making it more and more interesting for everyone to visit.
Saffron Wielh at her Studio in Arpora
Where do you see yourself as an artist? Are you satisfied as an artist?
As an artist, we all live in constant doubt about our own creativity. Sometimes, we feel good enough sometimes we simply don’t! But, those are just the ups and downs of being a creative person with so much energy in our fingertips. So yes, I have my days where I feel extremely satisfied with what I do and create, and those days keep me thriving.