Dubai resident charms with handiwork and art

'Handmade jewellery has a certain sentimental value and making something for yourself, your friend or a loved one is the best feeling.'

Dubai resident Sumitha Satish is a postgraduate in English literature who is passionate about her hobbies, the ones that give her satisfaction at the end of the day. She is always on the lookout for inspiring ideas, loves learning, researching and developing new skills. "It's fun to stay busy with stuff that makes you happy. Hobbies keep changing over the years," she says in an interview with Khaleej Times.
Living in Dubai for the last 18 years, Sumitha loves making costume jewellery, dabbling with paint, making candles, cushion covers and more. "I love making jewellery. Handmade jewellery has a certain sentimental value and making something for yourself, your friend or a loved one is the best feeling. I get the raw materials from the U.S. or India. Right now I am working on beaded and thread jewellery - statement pieces or the fun variety. I've been using glass, agate and German silver beads. A simple beaded necklace has so many colour possibilities," she adds.
The jewellery consists of necklaces, bracelets and earrings, a combination of cool and fancy. She makes it mostly as gifts for friends. Some of them get it from her to gift their friends. "Handmade gifts are rare these days," she notes.
As for her paintings, as a child she dabbled in water colour and mixed media but it is in Dubai that she learnt the art of oil painting. She prefers to replicate oriental paintings especially those of the extremely gifted French painter Jean Discart who is well known for his paintings of markets in Turkey.
Sumitha has two children, son Sushant, 17, who is studying in India and daughter Suchetha, 12, studying in grade 7 in Dubai. Suchetha is talented in that she can sing in 60 different languages. Satish, her better half, is a well-known dermatologist in Dubai.
-suchitra@khaleejtimes.com