by Sowmya Ram
‘Summer Home’ is Sowmya’s attempt to evoke the feeling of a short and quiet period of time in the midst of the buzz in a front yard during a summer vacation. A book and the words within were the magical portal to an escape into a time and place far away from the scorching summer reality. The painting was Sowmya’s first as a mother and is special because it reflected her state of mind during her maternity leave; there was a momentary period of quiet when she could paint, but it was all gone when her child woke up!
Sowmya sells her paintings to raise funds for Isha Vidhya, a non-profit that is working to increase literacy and education levels in villages in Tamil Nadu, India. Talking about her association with the organization, Sowmya says “I am super possessive about my paintings. Even when I moved countries, the only things that I really cared to move were my paintings. At no point in time was any amount of money big enough for me to part with my work. However, the only other thing that seemed valuable enough was my paintings motivating people to help rural kids get quality education. So since 2013 I have been selling my paintings for Isha Vidhya. I ship the painting for free to anyone who sponsors the education of a child for 10K INR with Isha Vidhya; the person has to renew the scholarship every year till the child finishes 12 grade.”
You can find Sowmya’s paintings online here.
