Saraswathi Arts & Crafts Academy

Our academy is at 8, 5th Main Road in Vijaya Nagar, Velachery. It's a place where there's usually paint on the floor or bits of paper everywhere. We do all kinds of arts and crafts here. Some people come for drawing, others want to learn how to make things with their hands. It’s not a polished studio. It’s more of a workshop where you don’t have to worry about making a mess. We’ve been in this Velachery location for a good bit of time. The shelves are packed with jars of brushes, old canvases, and half-finished projects that people left behind. We like it that way. It shows people are actually working. The lighting isn't always perfect, but we move the tables around to catch the sun from the windows. It’s just a few of us running the classes. We don’t follow a very strict schedule; if someone is really into a project, we let them stay a bit longer to finish it. We see a lot of kids and some adults too. It’s a nice break from the busy streets outside. Sometimes we run out of a certain color of paint and have to make do with what's left. That’s just part of being an artist, I guess. We aren't trying to be a famous gallery. We just like making things and showing others how to do it. It’s messy work but we enjoy the creative energy of the place.