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- 1. OCTOBER 2016 www.TheLuxeSignature.com LUXEWHEELS OURTOPPICKS CONVERSATIONS REJIJOSEPH LUXE JEWELS OURANNUALBLINGEDIT
- 2. 14 PASSIONS Mayank Singh meets Reji Joseph, CEO of Al Anwar Holdings, and delves into his world filled with imagination, creation and dreams artist of life Lifewithout artislikea bodywithout asoul,like aFerrari withoutagas pedal’ R eji Joseph, CEO, Al Anwar Holdings Company was creative even as a little child. His mother was intrigued by his artistic genius and encouraged him to draw, paint and play with art. Today all that childhood playfulness has taken shape and moulded his passion for art. He still plays with colours, with concepts, with techniques and his playground is his art studio at home. He works are displayed at his website www.reji7000. com. He usually spends most of his time with his family, busy with his kids - “they take up 80 per cent of my free time” he says. He spends his time with them cycling, swimming, painting, snorkeling or takes time off to go to the beach with his family. The rest of his time goes into art, cycling, scuba diving, photography and golf. “I get time to do different things only by discipline. As Jocko Willink said, ‘Discipline Equals Freedom.’ Work keeps me busy and my hobbies help me unwind from the pressures of a corporate environment and recharge. It provides me the cognitive clarity” adds Joseph. How do you approach your art work? Please take us through the process of your art work and its rationale? I spend a lot of time planning out my work. I have several ideas and many are documented in my books. Some of the ideas have been in my mind for years; hence when I finally set to do it, a lot of thinking and planning has already been applied. We must allow our ideas to develop and flourish. I use the classical methods while also crafting my own techniques. Art is the flow of my energy to my artwork, so it’s very personal. At times it is a reflection of my mood, a reflection of my mind and I get united with the work of art and there is this oneness, a kind of calmness. I am not an impulsive artist, I plan, decide and set out. I do not have the ability to just add colours and be guided by where the work takes you. Some of the best artists have this ability. Art is a form of expression. Words and actions can be used to communicate or express a feeling. Art is just another form of expression. It is your inner self coming out. You are at times surprised with what you are doing with your art. Art is a conduit to connect your inner being with the reality of daily life. I have so much more to learn, so much to experiment and so much to look forward to. It is a wonderful adventure. Art is very important to me – it helps me relax, gives me my boost, gets me closer to the creator and keeps my spirits high. Once you begin to appreciate art, you see beauty in everything. Simple images have a lot more meaning. You learn art by observation. When you work on your projects you understand the magic that is nature. You become more aware of the world around you and the way lights and shadows flow. I run the risk of sounding arrogant and I do not attempt to be modest. I paint well and I admire my own work.
- 3. 16 What is your secret in art? I never give up on a single project. Some of my works start out very wrong. I toil and toil until it turns out to be something I am proud of. When I look back at some of my works, I remember the times when they were going nowhere. So I am happy that I did not give up. Art is meditation. I enjoy it and have no problems in overdoing it. Sometimes I do not touch my brush for long periods of time and there are times when you cannot separate me from it. How does a CEO manage to maintain such a hobby? It does not matter who you are, what really matters is your inspiration. I am fully tuned on when I work and I keep inducing efficiencies into my time management. I plan, prioritise and execute. When I am at office, I work with high intensity and remain completely focused. Painting de-stresses me. This helps me become more efficient at work. Art does take some of my time but I always find time for it. I have been extremely tired and exhausted on certain days but once I pick up my brush I feel refreshed with renewed energy. No one is too busy in this world. It’s all about priorities. George Joseph (my father) taught me that with discipline and setting your priorities you can achieve a lot more. I do not waste time watching endless TV or engage in any wasteful activities. I plan in advance and this frees up a lot of time. At work I know precisely what I want to achieve each week and set my goals. I am not a “take it as it comes” person, but set a path to take. This way my day has a lot of hours and every hour is packed. Do you always know how you paintings will come out? I always want to surprise myself and all of my works have done that. I always want to surprise myself by pushing the limits and all of my works have done that. I make so many corrections and keep altering the tones till I get what I want. That’s the reason my work takes much longer. On an average it’s about six months. But I keep too many projects running at the same time so it’s not too bad. Sometimes an idea might come to you when you least expect it. I let it play itself out and allow my thoughts to form around the contours of the idea, till it gets into a workable dimension. I enjoy completely the process of creation. What sort of an artist are you? All my original works and prints are only for charity so far. Art help me to explore my inner conciseness and captures my imagination. I am not a temperamental artist. But I know that several of the great artists are. My kids play around me in my studio when I paint. These are two young boys and it could get very active and busy with balls, toys and different objects going around like missiles or they could be watching a movie. I am okay with distraction and enjoy it. This way I find more time for my art and my family. What inspires you to keep painting? I see a collection of several styles on your website. What accounts for this? Art is an adventure, a journey and an experience. It gives you a sense of achievement when you place some coloured pigments over a canvas cloth and ‘create’ an image which you connect with. I draw a lot of inspiration from nature and its abundant originality. For instance when I scuba dive I realise that life underwater is so much more beautiful than it is on land. I constantly experiment and keep learning in the process. There is so much back and forth. You have to deal with failures. One must always remember, ‘Mastery lives quietly atop a mountain of mistakes,” ― Eric Greitens (Resilience). This is true with all artists. We all keep learning and working out with what we learn. It’s so much more fun this way. I used to draw and paint well as a child. My beautiful mother (Omana) still keeps a file of my discarded drawings, which I did as a child. When I look at it now I am amazed with what I had done. She has been my real inspiration. She often says that ‘Reji has always been a dreamer and can be lost in his thoughts. When he is concentrating he would not notice if there was a storm raging around him.’ Life without art is like a body without a soul, like having a Ferrari without the gas pedal. Would you recommend others to do art? Definitely. Many artists did not know their ability until they tried. It’s a hobby for some and an occupation for others. Those for whom art is an occupation, art is also their hobby. Not many careers offer this luxury. Everyone is an artist in some form. Pablo Picasso famously said ‘All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.’ Your website www.reji7000.com is themed as ‘CREATION’? What does this signify? All great paintings are the same – just some pigments over cloth or paper and then the value to you is completely different just by the way the colours are placed. I have the ability to alter what I see around me and reflect what I see in my mind. This is the strength I have and I use it. I believe that an artist’s ultimate satisfaction is the ability to create. To create an expression, create a mood, create healing and to create joy. In life we must only be restricted by limits of our imagination. The process of creation gets you close to the creator who is the ultimate artist. Who is your art teacher? Nature is my teacher. I have not been to a formal art institute to learn art but I can hardly claim to be self-taught. I was trained by so many people. From the tutors in school, to many of my artist friends have also helped me. I have also been trained by the great masters; Van Gogh, Matisse, Cezanne, Modigliani, Jamal Abdul Raheem, Leonardo da Vinci, Yousuf al Nahwi, Picasso, Hussain, Yuri Yamashita - for I have observed their techniques and styles which have inspired me and I have been drawn to the manner in which they brought out their creative genius. PASSIONS