Portrait of a Cover Artist Wahida Sultana Keya
Wahida Sultana Keya, a graduate student of the Faculty of Fine Art, University of Rajshahi, has been an avid reader since childhood. As a child, this bookworm was fascinated by the different colours on a book cover.
Her love for those colourful book covers stayed the same after all these years. Using mostly watercolour wash techniques, Keya now designs book-covers that spark the interest of many readers. She also uses acrylic paints and pencils for her work.
Josna Raat E Boney by Sadia Sultana Putul, Encyclopaedia of Science Experiment by Bushrana Siddiqque, and Bhut O Bhoyer Golpo by Radin Chowdhury are some of the books she designed. They are up for grabs at this year's Ekushey Boi Mela.
Ekushey Boi Mela, according to Keya, is a getaway from her mundane schedule. “Books should be everyone's best friend,” says Keya. “They can be great companions for those dealing with mental health issues. I believe that everyone should adapt a habit of reading and the book fair is a great place to start that.”
This young artist aspires to follow the footsteps of renowned cover artists like Dhruba Esh, Sabyasachi Hazra and Shohag Parvez, whose work she deeply admires. Keya also hopes to make her father proud, who encouraged her to study art.