EXPLORING THE BUSINESS OF ART

After a lengthy career in the corporate world, artist Iti Das is making waves with her emotive and colour-led artwork. Stephen Penn caught up with her to find out more about her transition into the art world, her inspiration and goals for the future

Art is not just making something for people to look at, creating true art comes from inside. It’s also something which never disappears, and proof of that is businesswoman-turned-artist Iti Das.

A creative soul from a young age, Iti spent much of her youth drawing and letting her inspiration run wild, but when it came time to enter the working world, she turned her focus away from imagination, towards business.

But in 2013, after 25 years of working in the corporate world, she returned to her childhood passion - building her own studio, embarking on her dream career.

“My husband is risk averse and I’m a risk taker, so it was a bold move to step away from a career which kept me financially stable, but I felt it was the right time,” Iti says. “My work had taken me from working with larger corporate clients to small businesses, and I realised that setting up my own art business could actually be a possibility.”

After being immersed in a black and white world of suits and business transactions, Iti’s work, now centered on a vibrant use of colour, couldn’t be more different, demonstrating her new lease of life and her signature abstract style.

“Today’s world – full of filters and digital enhancement - actually gives painters license to play around and be more experimental with colour. It’s something I like to take full advantage of in my work,”she says. “I find myself being inspired by colour everywhere, whether I’m exploring a gallery or even shopping with my daughter.”

Her most popular pieces focus around the human face, not replicating like-for-like portraits, but using her unique use of colour and perspective to create bold, striking and emotive images.

“I think the portrait that has gained the most traction is Benjamin. His face can have a huge impact on any room. I have had incredible responses from people who talk with such passion when seeing my work, with many citing it as uplifting.”

This response comes in part from the work Iti puts in ahead of any commission, taking the time to do the due diligence up front and find out as much as can before starting.

“Nobody wants their work rejected, and I’ve heard stories of artists being commissioned for a piece, and ultimately when the work is done, no-one likes it,” she explains. “I never want to be in that position, so while I may have put the corporate world behind me, my business savvy side definitely still exists ensuring I stay organised and ahead of the game.”

Her work has also had a significant impact on her personal life too. “I’m a lot more relaxed than I used to be and in control of my own world,” she says.

“Lots of people have found my life transition quite unusual, as they were so used to me in a smart suit.  I was never that ‘free-flowing’ person you would associate with art. I definitely feel more alive expressing my work in the way that I want.”

And although it’s still early days, her new-found career is going from strength to strength, securing new commissions, joining the Ealing Art Trail for the second year, and keeping her creative juices flowing.

“Throughout my art career I’ve learned that I need to trust my intuition, but if something doesn’t work, what is the worst that can happen? Not all artists make it overnight, but as long as I stay true to my vision, I know I’m making the right choice in my career.”

To find out more about Iti’s work, upcoming shows and to commission a piece of your own, visit www.itidas.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/itidasabstractart/