Even though he started out the “expected” way, Wing Commander S K Sharma (Retd) knew that some day in the future he would have time for art. While 24 years in the Indian Air Force left little time for him to pursue this talent, the electronic engineer from Punjab Engineering College (PEC) decided to make the most of the hours he had after hanging up his boots.

Working as a technical consultant with ITS Corporation at present, Sharma made sure he spent his hours after work holding a brush, a palette and some times a camera as well!

“Art comes naturally to me. In fact, I always managed to impress teachers in school, but never thought of making a profession of it,” reminisces the officer who keeps regular work hours even now. “But I make sure I indulge my passion,” he smiles gently as you take notice of the canvases framing the walls of his house in Panchkula’s Sector 2.

“This one, for example, is in water colours. I must have been in Class VIII or IX when I completed it,” says Sharma. And it seems like he’s biased towards nature. “Yes, I do like the theme. But I like painting trees even more,” he says as we view a recent addition near the entrance — a square canvas depicting tall trees and the play of light, colour and shadows.

A quick walk through his aesthetically designed house and you notice Sharma’s work is everywhere. “Yes, I have been busy,” he smiles as we notice an unfinished work on the easel. “That’s courtesy my son who brought home some blank canvases for me to fill,” laughs the artist who finds full support on the home front.

What’s more, when he’s not working or painting, Wg Cdr Sharma is looking at the world through the lens of his camera. “Photography, too, is an art and just like painting, I was drawn to the camera ever since my father brought one home when I was a child,” says Sharma.