Watercolour Art Exhibition

The myriad shades of a sunset, the endless stretches of land, a purple sky, the reflection of clouds in a placid lake, a solitary building … These are some of the images reflected in Jigmet Angmo’s art. As she works her brush over paper, blending colours and revealing forms, she reminisces that through the landscapes reflected in her art she tries to bring the outside in, while making no attempt to realistically portray actual landscapes, ‘I try to make them look like they truly exist somewhere, in some corner of the world, most of which is captured in the spontaneous movement of the brush’.

Jigmet Angmo works in watercolour, intrigued by the medium's delicacy, transparency, suppleness and unpredictability. But also appreciates the medium for its unforgiving nature, how sometimes one has to be willing to go with the flow and let your brush (and the paint) follow its own course. She prefers to work in small format, perhaps restricting the size of her work in some way confines the energy her paintings exude, adding to their elusiveness.

The subject of much of Jigmet’s work has so far been landscapes, cloud formations and the endless sky. But she has also been inspired by local architecture in Ladakh. In 2018, for the first time, she worked on a graphic novel ‘Dungjonma and her innovative ride’ focusing on a story from Leh’s Old Town, the vernacular architecture and streetscapes with narrow cobbled lanes. ‘I celebrate and treasure the local architecture through my paintings and buildings that have been around long enough that they burst out with stories from every corner; this inspires me to explore and put them on paper.’

An avid climber and trekker, outdoor activities have always been a source of joy for her. They take her to places that influence her art, and as she engages with them her work conveys their character and relevance. This is Jigmet Angmo’s second exhibition at LAMO, using water colours she continues to explore the land and its built heritage. Inspired by it, but also attempting to recreate the magic it exudes.