Catheters to Canvas: How Hyderabad doctor took up palette knife painting to de-stress

Hyderabad: For many people, Covid-19 and the resultant lockdown offered time to get back to hobbies. But for a doctor stuck it was business as usual and offered little time to pursue hobbies or passion.

Dr. Muna Ather Ali, however, is an exception. Working at the critical care unit in Apollo Health City hospital in Jubilee Hills, the post-Covid-19 stress took her back to painting which she used to do before joining the medical profession.

"During the pandemic, little pleasures like dressing up, meeting friends and family, going on holidays, and so on were denied to us. Even after the pandemic, due to the relatively unchanged fast-paced work life that continues today, I was rarely able to dedicate time to myself. In this atmosphere of a skewed work-life balance, what better way to express my inner thoughts and feelings than paint on a canvas?" asks Dr. Muna.

Dr. Muna is the eldest of three siblings and comes from a family of doctors. She was brought up in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and later, she moved to Hyderabad for work.

Dr. Muna says that hers is a 9-5 job but there are days when she gets stuck in the hospital till 7 or 8 pm. "After I return home, I sit back and think about what comes to my mind, then I paint it on a canvas. My artwork is generally a reflection of my state of mind at that particular moment," says the 28-year-old doctor.

"There might be sophisticated thoughts behind each painting, but it all starts with just seeking to create an imaginative piece. I attempt to explore various methods and color palettes to draw and then, bring life to my artwork."

Palette knife painting

Palette knife painting is the impasto method of applying paint on the canvas using a palette knife. World-famous artists like Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Cezanne used to do palette knife painting. It is a unique concept that is not so popular in India.

Dr. Muna was introduced to palette knife painting in a workshop in March 2022, where various similar rare painting techniques were being taught. "Palette knife is a multi-purpose tool, used for mixing colors and scraping away layers to create alluring works of art," explains Dr. Muna.

Representative Image: Palette Knife Painting

"Palette knives can produce an illusion of texture and even the texture itself. It can highlight the lushness and physicality of the painting. It gives a 3D texture. It can produce effects that a standard brush cannot. They are a worthwhile addition to any painter's armory."

She promotes her painting through her Instagram page where she shares photos of some of her paintings and also reels showing the work behind those paintings.

Dr. Muna is one of the founding members of Doc Care Welfare, an NGO dedicated to helping poor people get access to quality medical care at subsidized rates. She uses the money that she gets from her paintings towards Doc Care Welfare.

Her artwork can be seen on her Instagram page and it can be purchased here.