Dreams do come true! Don’t believe me?Shuchi Muley, a Bhopal engineer turned painter wanted to be a part of the world’s first painted animation on Vincent Van Gogh, the moment she saw the trailer. And this dream of hers did come true! She is now a part of the team of international artists working on the movie ‘Loving Vincent’ produced by the Academy Award winner, Hugh Welchman.

In a brief telephonic chat, Shuchi took me to her world of paints and brushes.

Me: What exactly were you doing just before you got the news of your selection in the movie ‘Loving Vincent?’

Shuchi: When I got to know that I actually got selected to be a part of the movie, I just couldn’t believe it! I thought it was a joke or spam. *laughs*

Me: What relationship do you share with your co-workers on the sets?

Shuchi: All the artists there are extremely talented. They all come from different places and are experts in different techniques. We all stayed together for 24 hrs. So, I made a lot of friends and learned a lot from them as well.

Me: Since, you were not trained in painting from the beginning, how did you develop yourself as an artist and an animator?

Shuchi: Earlier I was a software engineer. I practiced art as a hobby. I had never thought of making it a profession. But when I did, I started painting a lot on my own and joined some hobby classes to learn new styles and techniques.

Time to get it perfect #colors #oilpainting #painting #artist #vangogh #lovingvincent

A photo posted by Shuchi Muley (@shuchimuleyart) on Aug 30, 2016 at 10:35am PDT

 

Me: How did it feel to work with an Oscar-winning producer, Hugh Welchman?

Shuchi: In the beginning, I didn’t understand how to approach him. He was always around us, looking at our work. I was always frantic about how he would react to my paintings….But one thing I love about Hugh is that he is extremely focused. He knows what he wants, and he does everything to get it.

Each of the film’s 56,800 frames is an oil painting on canvas, using the same technique as van Gogh, created by a team of 60 painters.

Me: Apart from impressionism, what other styles you’d like to explore?

Shuchi: On the sets of the film, there were various interesting things the artists worked with. Out of all of them, sculpture and puppets interested me the most. So, I would love to do something with these two.

Me:  Can you share with us any funny incident from the sets?

Shuchi: Hmm… I will have to think about it a bit. Yeah! The director had kept an academy award in a room for good luck or something. So, one day this random person went into the room and clicked a selfie with it. And so out of a sudden, our entire social media was filled with people’s selfies with the award, and we were like where the hell is it?!

And one day one of the male actors of the movie visited us. That day, none of the girls worked! And all the guys were ‘Why doesn’t any female actor visit us? This is so unfair!’ *laughs*

When actor Douglas Booth visited our studio #gdansk #lovingvincent #armandroulin

A photo posted by Shuchi Muley (@shuchimuleyart) on Sep 22, 2016 at 8:52am PDT

Me: What’s the canvas of your life painted with?

Shuchi: Bright bold colors and confident strokes!

Me: As a travel lover, if you have to spend an entire year at one place, where would it be?

Shuchi: It has to be Easter Island in Chile! It’s a beautiful lush green place with turquoise blue waters and wild horses…

Me: Out of all the paintings you’ve made, which one is your favorite?

Shuchi: There’s a composition with a vase, cherries and a shell I’ve made. It’s my favorite because it has a lot of details and I love details!

Some still life work I did using Flemish technique #drawing #artist #art #stilllife #flemish

A photo posted by Shuchi Muley (@shuchimuleyart) on Apr 14, 2016 at 6:53pm PDT

 

Me: Is there any painting of yours with which you share a deeper connection?

Shuchi: I’ve made a portrait of my husband’s grandfather, and while I was doing it I got to know that my grandfather was the teacher of my husband’s grandfather. So, I got to know various interesting things about both of them.

Me: Is your husband an art lover too?

Shuchi: My husband and in fact my entire family is very curious about artworks and all because no one is an artist. But his true love is technology!

Me: Do you have any odd demands while you’re painting?

Shuchi: I don’t have any odd demands as such. It’s just that I am very particular about the brands I use. My colors, brushes, palette, etc. all of them have to be of good quality.

Me: Are you a fan of Van Gogh’s work?

Shuchi: Definitely! Earlier I wasn’t because I didn’t know much about him. But now I definitely am! He had written a number of letters to his brother in his lifetime, and when you’ll read them and look at his paintings, you’ll get the strong connection between them. Also, he used many techniques in one single painting. He was extremely talented.

Me: If you could ask one question to Van Gogh, what would it be?

Shuchi: Whhhhyyyy did you kill yourself??!!

By the way, it was Hugh Welchman‘s wife, the Polish animator Dorota Kobiela, who first came up with the idea for the film. Kobiela had been interested in Van Gogh since her college days studying painting in Warsaw, and was particularly curious about the many conflicting accounts of the Dutchman’s last days. We can’t wait to see the movie! And you?