LYNN ― Sunil Gulab has had a passion for art since he was young, but he credits his high school teacher in Zimbabwe for being a big part in his journey and passion by pushing him to live up to his full potential.
Now Gulab’s work will be shown at Galleries at Lynn Arts’ (GALA) Pop-Up @ GALA series.
As a scientist, art has been a way for Gulab to express himself and create images that represent messages and stories dear to his heart.
Gulab moved to the U.S. in 1992 to attend college in Alabama, arriving with only two bags of clothes and school supplies, and a book from Africa. During his first Christmas break in the U.S., as other students went home for the month, Gulab was not able to travel home to Zimbabwe. It was this circumstance that changed his life.
To find ways to pass the time while he was alone during the break, Gulab used what little money he had to purchase a canvas, paint,and some brushes to try his hand at painting animals from the book he brought to the states.
While Gulab had always loved to paint, this was the first time he had painted animals, creating a piece with elephants walking by the water and trees.
“This piece reminded me of home,” he said. “It helped pass the time and made me forget about being homesick.”
The piece also triggered Gulab’s love for creating art that not only represented his home in Africa, but his new home in New England.
He opened his pop-up gallery at LynnArts on Tuesday, displaying his work of African animals and the scenery in New England, from the ocean and boats to the lighthouses and sunsets.
“My heart is still in Africa, even though I have lived in New England for most of my life,” he said.
Before moving to the U.S., Gulab said his high school art teacher Mrs. Glenys Wilson ― whom he compared to the teacher in the movie Dead Poets Society ― was his inspiration to not give up on practicing art.
He, like many others, said he had been told that one cannot make a living as an artist, and that the phrase “starving artist” is all too common.
With this in mind, Gulab focused on science and math in school, minimizing the time he practiced art and attended Wilson’s classroom.
Wilson encouraged Gulab and other students interested in art to continue their studies in math and science, but told them to never quit their artistic practices.
“My passion was always in art, and she saw that,” Gulab said. “She would leave her classroom open late after school, so some of us could go in there and paint. She would stay late just so we could paint. That sacrifice was a huge influence.”
With about 50 pieces under his belt, Gulab said his art helped him get through COVID-19 and has brought him much joy.
He made it a goal to paint at least one piece a week when the pandemic started, saying it helped distract him from all of the negativity and scary things that were going on in the world around him.
His pieces at LynnArts are a mix of impressionism and realism, some telling stories about things he is passionate about, while others carry a message.
One of his pieces shows an elephant being killed by a hunter, but that image is painted as being seen through the reflection of another elephants’ eye, as it cries watching the death of one of its own. The hunter is painted in shaded black, which Gulab said represents his opinion of hunters, and the piece highlights the cruel reality of the ivory trade.
“This is an issue that is close to my heart and that really makes me mad, so the piece is a little dark but it carries a strong message,” Gulab said.
His goal for pieces like this, he said, is for a hunter, or someone who supports hunting, to second guess their practices and beliefs.
As an artist, Gulab said his work makes him feel good and he is never done with a painting until he loves it.
His work will be on display at the Gallery at LynnArts, on 25 Exchange St., until Friday.
