A brush with acrylic painting

At 11, Hannah Maria Pradeep, a Class VI student of Bhavan’s Rajaji Vidyashram in Kilpauk, is pursuing acrylic painting and portraiture while developing her artistic practice through formal training, exhibitions and participation in national and international art platforms. She is currently training at Dessin Academy partnered with The Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Music and Fine Arts University, where she is learning acrylic and oil painting, portrait drawing, pencil sketching and pen sketching.

Her interest in art has been influenced by her late grandfather, Jerome Augustes Thomas, a classical artist known for his acrylic and oil paintings during the 1980s and 1990s. Although she did not have the opportunity to learn from him directly, Hannah says his body of work continues to inspire her approach to painting. “Whenever I pick up a brush, I feel as though he is guiding my hand,” says Hannah.