Alcohol ink artist Jenaifer Daruwalla states that the art she pursues is new and upcoming and involves a combination of ink and alcohol. The inks she works with are brightly colored, dye-based ones used to create free flowing textures and fluid fades. "Alcohol ink art traditionally uses no brushes or other instruments, just a drop of ink on non-porous surface along with isopropyl alcohol and then maneuvering the surface or blowing on the ink to give it direction,” she told Parsiana on September 6, 2021. Daruwalla paints on synthetic paper, "however it can be done on acrylic, glass and tiles,” she stated. The reason her art is unique is "because you let the inks take course and direction without really intervening with any paint brush or air brush or hair dryer… Being a perfectionist, getting the fades just right has been a priority.” But this art form has also taught me to let loose, she stated. "The inks sometimes take their own path and create something unexpected but just as beautiful,” she told us, about her portfolio of 109 paintings.
Some practitioners of the art use air brushes or hair dryers to give direction to the inks and to make the inks dry faster. "Ninety-nine percent of the time I don’t use a hair dryer and let the inks dry on their own… I believe blowing by breath gives a more gradual smoother fade effect and outcome… The speed of air that the hair dryer or air brush lets out is a little more difficult to control compared to when blown by breath.” Allowing the inks to dry naturally tests one’s patience. "But that’s just how I like it as it also helps me to evolve as an artist,” stated Daruwalla who has branded her art as "Timeless by JD.”
Painting came naturally to the artist. "I owe my (art teacher) grandmother credit who cultivated an interest, taught me the basics and encouraged me,” she states in a brochure about herself and her work. The artist reconnected with her passion for art, which had taken a backseat when the lockdown was imposed. "It presented me with the opportunity to try something new and that is how my tryst with alcohol ink art began.”
Top row: Jenaifer Daruwalla’s paintings;
2nd row: the artist at work with her materials;
above, from l: Cherag, Jasmine, Homi, Jenaifer
Daruwalla has entered a painting of hers, Liberty, in an international competition organized by Copic, a Japanese ink manufacturer and was expecting the results shortly. "It was a free topic entry which has pulled in over 4,000 entries worldwide,” she told us. The painting has "laid emphasis on lips. Even if you view the painting upside-down the lips are symmetrically painted to portray an individual voice can turn situations around and the power of speech can influence minds in a positive manner… For the lips I used watercolors, which was very challenging to work with on non-porous paper as it required two opposite mediums coming together; but after a lot of practice the end result was exactly as I hoped.”
Heading the marketing division of the Zaka Group, a travel and aviation conglomerate, the 41-year-old artist considers her mother Jasmine as her strength "and the woman who keeps our family together and on toes.” Father Homi is a chartered accountant and retired a decade ago from a shipping company. "He is my guide, my mentor, my go-to advisor, kindest and most humble soul who I take daily inspiration from.” Brother Cherag, a pilot with Indigo Airlines is the artist’s "biggest critic, friend, travel partner and secrets keeper.” To Jenaifer, to follow Zoroastrianism is not to judge, it is to live and let live, she shared. "I practice Zoroastrianism by following the three-fold path of Asha.”