BY FR CARLOS LUIS SAC
Rithika Gomes is a printmaker, mixed media artist and occasionally a muralist. An alumna of Goa College of Art, Rithika graduated with a bachelor's degree in painting last year.
Ever since a short teaching stint at her alma mater Sharada Mandir, Miramar, by her teachers’ side gave her a surreal and eye-opening experience, she has been freelancing and hosting linocut workshops.
Shubhaangi Thakur, one of the participants spoke highly about one of Rithika’s recent workshops hosted by Carpe Diem in Majorda, saying, “Rithika’s workshop on linocut was a blend of learning and fun. Her guidance throughout the workshop was hands-on and immersive. We easily went above the two-hour duration of the workshop and didn’t even realise it.”
Rithika came across linocut in her second year of college and initially had a love-hate relationship with it.
She said, “Printmaking in general is a very time-consuming and tedious process, which I hated. It took me forever to get the hang of the technicalities, and I didn’t enjoy it, though I suspect my dislike for the medium had more to do with the pressure of assignments being completed and being short on time, than anything else. It wasn’t until my fourth year when I started experimenting with the medium on my terms that I started to enjoy the process.”
As clichéd as it may sound, speaking of where she draws her inspiration for lino designs and prints, she said, “Everything truly does inspire me: nature, music, my loved ones, other artists – the list is endless. Though I think the most constant inspiration so far has been the universe and the way it works.”
The themes in her prints, therefore, are those of natural and organic forms.
Speaking of the procedure of making lino prints, Rithika said that her creative process is erratic and spontaneous. She also explained that the exercise varies with the kind of print that one is looking to make.
Speaking about the basic process, Rithika stated, “First you carve an image into a block of linoleum, then the ink is rolled onto the uncut surface of the block and, finally, paper is laid on top and pressure is applied to produce a lino print. It is important to keep in mind that your print will be the inverse of your design. This can sometimes get confusing, depending on how complicated the design is.
She further explained, “My favourite part of the process is usually the carving. It’s a repetitive procedure that I find very calming. A close second would be the unveiling of the end product.”
A good playlist or podcast always helps create the required environment, according to Rithika. She revealed, “I will forever go back to Modern Family or Brooklyn Nine-Nine! It doesn’t matter that I know every episode off the top of my head. They’re my comfort shows and always put me in a good mood.”
When asked to describe herself as an artist and the development of her style, she said, “Oh dear! Chaotic? Messy and colourful? I don’t know... Bold maybe? As a printmaker, I think I’m still learning, so I wouldn’t say I have a style, more so a characteristic running theme in most of my work.”
“As a painter, a lot of things have contributed to the way I work right now, it's messy and colourful, and work that’s often made to stand out, the kind of work you may not understand, but at least will make you can stop to appreciate the colours,” she clarified.
Rithika loves lino for how rustic and simple the result looks. She ventured, “There’s something very rough and unique about the finished prints that I adore. Lino is also a lot more accessible. You don’t need a studio or a press, so I can work from wherever I please.”
The only difficulty she faces, Rithika specified, “For starters, oil-based inks take forever to dry, especially in this weather. And I often overestimate how long it’ll take me to carve, in my excitement to see the whole print. It takes a lot longer, and is a lot more painful than you realise!”
Though hesitant to say what art is for her, she agrees with Tolstoy and articulated, “It’s discovery, it’s the most intense mode of individualism. Tolstoy says it’s a means of union among men, joining them together in the same feelings, and indispensable for life and the progress towards the well-being of individuals and humanity.”
Rithika, apart from being a printmaker, is a painter. Painting is where her creative journey started, and she feels that she can get lost in it for hours.
Her favourite lino print artist is Elizabeth Catlett of the 20th century. Elizabeth Catlett is an African American sculptor and graphic artist.
Her favourite lino print artist is Elizabeth Catlett of the 20th century. Elizabeth Catlett is an African American sculptor and graphic artist.
Rithika stated, “I love her work. A lot of her work showcases the life of African American women in the south, drawing attention to tenant farming and other terrible practices.”
One of her professors once told her, she recollects, that art is supposed to make you feel things, and that is something she always strives to accomplish. She loves it when people tell her that they resonate with her work. It indeed encourages her to create more and share more of her work.
One of her professors once told her, she recollects, that art is supposed to make you feel things, and that is something she always strives to accomplish. She loves it when people tell her that they resonate with her work. It indeed encourages her to create more and share more of her work.
She plans on hosting a few more workshops of a different sort. She said, “I’m also currently working on creating a community space for creatives to come together to learn from one another. Fingers crossed.”
Speaking through her experience, she advises young lino print artists, saying, “It’s a complete process of trial and error, and there are days on which you’re going to want to tear your hair out, but do it anyway! I promise it's worth it. It also helps to do your research, visit your local library and reach out to other artists for advice or help. And, ta-da, the lino print is ready,” she signs off excitedly.
(Carlos Luis is a priest belonging to the Society of the Catholic
Apostolate (Pallottine) and is currently studying for a licentiate
degree in Moral Theology. He comments on social and moral issues.)