From furniture to pendants to tiles to trays to now paintings, resin is being used to create beautiful pieces of art. Shalini Saksena tells you more about this craft  that everyone wants to own

Have you ever seen a pendant that has an intricate pattern incased? Or a table top that has a sheen to it with myriad colours splashed? Have you ever wondered how it is made? Welcome to the world or resin art that almost everyone wants to own. So much so that there are DIY videos that teach beginners on how to own a piece of this art.

Abhigna Kedia a blooming resin artist based out of Bengaluru who draws motivation from Nature tells you this art form has been in India since for over a decade, but it is only now that paintings with resin are trending. This is due to several reasons. First, the painting will last for centuries without turning yellow. Second, the painting has a shine to it that attracts buyers.

She tells you that resin is a chemical that is extracted from plant. The liquid is used to layer the painting to give it a shine. While it is a difficult medium to use, once it is used to create art pieces, the end product is electric after it dries. Originally, resin was used to coat the outside of ships and boats since it is indestructible and therefore lasts for decades.

A painting with resin starts taking shape once a painting has been completed. Kedia uses wood to create her art pieces since resin tends to collect in the centre. She used a round or a semi circular piece. If painting has to be square or rectangular, canvas is used. Also the process used while working in wood and canvas is different.

“While I am painting, there are multiple layers. I use my fingers to paint. It could be just start by using resin and then use colour or use colour and then put resin. This can involve seven to eight layers of resin is used by the end of the painting,” Kedia says who works with ink, oils, acrylic and even pigments. However, care has to be taken when using oils since the resin doesn’t stick well and hence it needs to dry before the next paint is used.

She tells you that each painting takes nine to 12 days. But as Kedia uses seven to eight layers, it takes time. Time also has to be given for resin to dry which in turn depends on the weather.

While resin is not a medium that is widely used in paintings, the product itself has been in use in the country in fibreglass. It’s popularity in paintings is now being extensively used.

“There are many people especially those who are looking for colour therapy courses and experimenting with colours. A lot of workshops are now being held where resin is used,” Kedia says whose paintings though abstract have a lot emotions that she is going through at that point in time but that mean much more personal as she sees emotions in colours.

Her latest collection — Heaven on Earth — which is about everything between heaven and earth literally. There are paintings that talk about her feelings and experiences. Interestingly, the colours that she uses doesn’t depend on theme that she is working on but on the emotions that she going through. Colours like bronze, gold, silver and metallic are her favourite.

Kedia’s journey began when she spent seven years in learning art. After she completed her BBA she went on to do her advanced diploma. “I always knew that I wanted to be an artist but not clear what medium to use. She experimented with digital illustrations before she started using resin. But it was difficult and took time to perfect it. But in the process fell in love with the medium and love working with it,” Kedia explains and says that there is good news for resin artists in India since there are several takes for this art form especially in cities like Delhi and Mumbai.

However, working with resin comes with several challenges. First, the room has to be dust free. The room where she paints has no ventilation, no fan and no air conditioning. This is because any dust that settles on the surface will show the minute it dries. “One would be able to see the dust particles clearly once resin cures. A small piece of art work is easy to work with but larger ones need a lot more care. A room with no ventilation can get uncomfortable at times. Second, one has to wear and gloves at all times,” Kedia says whose resin art costs Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000 per sq foot.