Senneil Gomes, Artist

Dusky, in a world of fair is pretty, my skin colour was often a topic of discussion, with nasty and unpleasant comments always coming my way. Imagine a little girl growing up in unacceptance with the thought that she’ll never be beautiful, horrific isn’t it? Well, that was my whole life in a nutshell. Thus, ‘’Stay focused to be on the top, or else you’ll never be noticed’’, was what I clogged my mind with as I grew up, to shield myself from the negativity. Having to be the best at everything I did and standing out soon became a compulsion, and fierce competition was something I began to thrive on.

Hence,

Top of the class, check. Best in taekwondo, check. Excellent in music, check. Ending up in top order of everything I do, check.

However, life always has a way of catching up to you, doesn’t it? Mentally and physically exhausted with all the hard work and effort I had been putting in to stay persistently at the top, including my struggle of getting into medical school and further more coping up with it, I realised I never gave myself time to breathe. I never stopped and asked myself if this was what I really wanted, and as I peeked into the world outside the bubble I lived in, I realised I had never truly lived.

From then on, taking one baby step at a time, I began to look at the world through a new prospective, expanding my boundaries and setting foot into new territory where I could truly help define myself with my life in Bangalore away from home.

One fine summer day, while cleaning my room I stumbled upon a whole suitcase of art supplies I had not touched in two whole years. A brush in one hand, a palette filled with colour in the other I was instantly transported to another world. After three hours what I saw made me proud, mostly because I had created it. Fitting in wasn’t a problem anymore. I felt strong and empowered. The heightened expectations, the misunderstandings, the communication gaps all burnt down to ashes. The stress was no longer there. The more I painted, the happier I felt.

That’s when the thought of, why fit in, when I was born to stand out came to my mind. To me, art was a magic portal that instantly transported me into a world of bliss.

I believe that a healthy body is a result of a healthy mind. And so, along with my partner Victor, I wanted to share the power of art to rejuvenate the mind and body, and thus ‘The Crimson Canvas’ was born.

The Crimson Canvas is a home grown business that lets ordinary people find their true artistic potential. We organise guided group painting sessions headed by our lively and talented instructors at local pubs and restaurants. The idea is to create a fun stress-free environment where you can sip wine to eliminate inhibitions, make plenty of forever friends and create an artwork you are proud of. The Crimson Canvas is for everyone. You don’t need to have any prior experience to be a part of it. Even if you have never held a brush in your hand before it is completely cool!