Hubballi :
Rarely do you come across a young painter who is also a business administrator. Priya Ostwal, 22, is one such person.
Being the daughter of Gautam Ostwal, CEO of Ostwal Group and president of The Indus Entrepreneurs, Hubballi chapter, Priyal could have easily led a luxurious life. But she has chosen to become an incubatee of Sandbox Startup of Hubballi to nurture her firm Art Street. It is not easy to sell painting in tier-2 cities like Hubballi, but Priyal she is committed to working hard to get value paintings — not only her own, but also that of other artists.
Priyal is planning to launch www.artstreetinternational.com, an e-commerce website, in a month to help artists from across the world upload and sell their paintings. “This website is aimed at helping poor artists. Artists from smaller cities and rural areas don’t get opportunities to sell their paintings. There is still a myth in semi-urban and rural India that painting is just a hobby that cannot bring financial value. I also had the same opinion five years ago before turning my passion into profession,” she says.
Priyal wants to promote artists from the North Karnataka region. She has approached about 200 artists, taking consent to upload their works.
Sharing her business plan, Priyal says there will be a theme every month. “They (artists) have to make paintings on the said theme. Apart from the theme, artists can upload any paintings of their choice. At the other end, buyers will also be given an option of customizing their orders. They can approach us via email, describing their idea and requirement and even insist on a particular artist’s works,” she explains.
Priyal’s tryst with painting started even before she joined nursery classes. “She was drawing some sketches on the wall and floor whenever she used to get pencil, wax crayons or sketch pens,” recalls her mother Manju.
Priyal, is pursuing MBA from Sikkim Manipal University. She has been successful in getting a one-year collaboration with The Gateway Hotel, Hubballi, to display her paintings.
Hotel manager Dharmesh Kariyappa says customers have appreciated Priyal’s paintings. “Considering visitors’ response, we are thinking of expanding the display in the hotel’s corridor,” he says.
Her paintings have found place in a Chennai art gallery and been exhibited at about 10 exhibitions in various cities of the nation.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hubballi / by Sangamesh Menasinakai, TNN / May 28th, 2015