Pencil Sketch & Oil Painting

I’ve been sitting at this desk on Thiruvalluvar Salai for a long time now. My fingers are usually stained with graphite or some kind of oil paint by noon. The studio is on the first floor, room 112. It’s a bit cramped because I keep too many old canvases stacked against the walls. People come by when they want a drawing of their kids or maybe a landscape they remember from back home. I don't use any fancy machines, just my eyes and some brushes. Sometimes a painting takes way longer than I told the person it would, but I can't really rush it. The lighting in here is okay in the morning but gets a bit dim when the sun goes down. I have a few students who come in and out, making a mess with charcoal. We usually have the window open so the smell of turpentine doesn't get too strong. It’s a quiet life mostly. I don’t do much advertising, just the name on the door and people telling their friends. It's not a gallery where you have to whisper. It's a workshop. There are scraps of paper everywhere. I’ve lived around this area my whole life, so I know most of the people who walk past the building. If you climb up to the first floor, you'll find me there among the mess and the half-finished projects. It's a good place to be for an artist.