THE heartbreak caused by the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 and the fact that family members of the passengers and crew of that ill-fated flight do not know whether their loved ones are alive or what caused it to mysteriously vanish is at the heart of a painting called The Flight.
The tragic incident moved artist Parameswary Velautham so much that she decided to pay tribute to those on board the flight by dedicating the painting to them.
Speaking to Streets at her Solace Arts art gallery located at her friend Angel's home in Bangsar, Parameswary said: "Just like everyone else, the MH370 tragedy saddens me so much that I decide to pay tribute to the victims by painting The Flight which is part of my second series of abstract artworks called Immerse Yourself.
"We all hope and pray that the victims of flight MH370 are still alive and that they will be found. Even if they have passed on, finding the bodies will at least provide closure for their loved ones and surviving relatives."
"Many people might mistake my abstract painting to resemble a 'butterfly' and that is fine as art is subjective and my artworks are open to interpretation from the viewers," she said.
The brightly coloured painting with its wide mix of bright rainbow colours as well as darker shades is fascinating.
Explaining the painting further, Parameswary said: "The red colour symbolises the pain and suffering that the families of those on board flight MH370 would have endured and continue to go through as they wait for the plane and their loved ones to be found.
"The blue dots on the painting depict a trail which is meant to symbolise the frantic search that is taking place to locate the missing airline while the pink colour signifies the love and prayers that people from all around the globe extended to the missing passengers, crew and to all the other affected surviving family members of the victims.
"The white colour that you see in the painting is meant to show 'innocence'. The missing people were all innocent victims who were somebody's husband, wife, son, daughter, grandparent, grandchildren, relatives or friends.
"The yellow colour, on the other hand, shows that there is still a ray of hope for the missing airline and the passengers and crew members to be found.
"The black colour depicts the unknown dangers that they were facing onboard that flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing which caused the plane to go missing."
"The blue waves in the paintings symbolised the ocean and the suspected areas in which the plane might have crashed into while red colours were meant to show the tribulations that the surviving family members of the victims had to go through."
"As a global caring and loving community, we must continue to pray that MH370, its crew and passengers are found. We must also pray for those waiting for them that they will be able to cope with this tragedy," she said.
All in all, The Flight is a symbol of hope in this time of sorrow and grief.
Born in Sentul, the artist grew up at the Sentul Railway Quarters with her father Velautham Sundram, mother Meenakshi Vinagayar and seven older siblings, including two brothers and five sisters.
She studied at SK Convent Sentul before pursuing her studies at the Convent Infant Jesus Klang secondary school.
"In 1977, my family moved to Klang's Taman Goodwood which is now known as Klang Jaya," said Parameswary who always has a keen interest in art.
"I remember scoring top marks in school for an art piece I did about a mother and her kid.
"While painting always made me happy, I had to drop my pursuit of art when I got married after graduating with a diploma in professional secretaryship," said the mother of two boys, Roshan Kumar and Sayshan Kumar.
Though she continued to work as a secretary for various companies before becoming the general manager for advertising company Climaxx Ads from 2008 to 2012, she never abandoned her love of painting.
The Flight is one of her several abstract paintings on display at Solace Arts at 64, Jalan Cenderai 2, Lucky Gardens.
