Archana Pereira - A Pen & Ink Artist and Entrepreneur

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hi I am Archana Pereria. I am an architect turned professional pen and ink artist. My work is mostly inspired by travel, architecture and history. I love narrating tales of lesser known places and culture and bringing them out on pen and ink drawings.

What was your ambition as a Child?

My ambition as a child...I wouldn’t say there wasn't anything specific. There was a time where I wanted to be a dentist; there was a time where I wanted to be a traffic police. I remember I always was fascinated by theaters....but it is a good thing that i didn’t get into theater.

From architect to artist - what inspired that transition, and how did you find your voice in pen and ink?

The Transition from art to architecture happened during my masters at the Glasgow School of Arts. I had taken this elective called Drawing Research, which was a very exploratory form of sketching. And I really enjoyed the process of using sketching as a tool for research, and I think that’s when I got back to actually drawing and working with pen again! And that’s when it all began.

How does being an architect help you in your artistic journey?

Being an architect has helped me observe the little details a little more, I feel! I appreciate the details a little more, even when it comes to streetscapes, architecture, or construction techniques. And I like bringing them out in my artwork as well - be it flooring, roof details, or the little elements that would go unnoticed otherwise!

Your drawings are incredibly detailed and nostalgic - what’s your process like when you begin a new piece?

Every artwork begins with a lot of documentation, studying history, taking little notes. And when it comes to a commissioned piece, it’s all about understanding how the client connects to the place, or the subject, the nostalgic factor and that’s all brought to life with this detailed pen and ink drawing!

What challenges do you face when trying to capture a memory, place, or story through just black and white ink?

When it comes to pen and ink, the challenges that I faced weren’t really challenges - but with this medium, to add every little detail, every little character or shade is all done with pen strokes. So it involves that many lines - even when it comes to landscapes or greenery, the feature is highlighted with more hatching, more rendering, more pen strokes! So, it is a very time-consuming process, which I enjoy, but that would be the only challenge in the medium. But what I absolutely love about it is its versatility! You can use pen strokes to capture something extremely dynamic like a stormy night, a stormy scene and also get into the finest details of temples, pillars, the details in architecture and that’s why I really enjoy it!

You weave travel, architecture, and history so seamlessly - how do you decide what story to tell next?

I find inspiration, whenever I travel, I find inspiration where I live, I live in the heritage city of Mysore and there is so much all around! And I feel like there’s so many stories to be told of culture, of communities, lesser-known heritage buildings, the constructions!

What does a typical day in your studio look like?

A typical day in my studio begins with my favourite cup of coffee. Early mornings are the best because there’s a lot of eastern light filtering in, and that’s when I get a lot of my art done. Through the day, I love putting on my favourite music and being surrounded by my plants - which I try to keep alive! I work a lot on my art research - I find it very peaceful and inspiring here when I work on my concepts. But throughout the day, there are a lot of other things that happen like answering emails, getting back to customers, finalising concepts and proposals, processing orders, and also occasionally dealing with my 5-year-old assistant in the studio. But I would say it’s my favourite time of the day where I get all my work done!

Tell us about a drawing or project that’s especially close to your heart - and why.

A project close to my heart would definitely be canopies and heritage. It’s been a passion project for years now. Began with a little commission project a few years back! And I recently finished a series of 18 pieces for Taj Bangalore at Terminal 2, where it covered various Canopies around Karnataka near heritage structures. It was a fun project to work on as it involved travelling around alot and also during different times of the year to capture the different glimpse. And it’s been a truly special one!

How would you describe your personal style?

My personal style would definitely be something comfortable, breathable! I love black and white but I also love playing with pop of colours, accessorising with colours!

How do you resonate with Teejh?

Teejh. I would say, is rooted in tradition yet so versatile! There’s something for everybody and that’s what I love about the brand!