Resin The Bar in Goa

Resin art fascinates one’s mind with its beautiful, swirly, and fluid designs making it an emerging trend in Goa. When resin is mixed with colouring, it develops beautiful patterns on its own making it hard replicate. So if you are looking at adding some interesting and colourful elements to your bar, entertainment area or your accessories, get your hands on some resin pieces.

The work by Resin Hive by Pankaj Naik has been making an impression in Goa. Once while browsing through Youtube, Pankaj came across beautiful Wood and Resin tables being made from natural wood in California; and that was where his love for the medium began. He expressed how he was completely captivated by the beauty of it and hoped to produce his own pieces one day. He began trying to lean and side-by-side acquire materials to pursue his dream, but he ran aground when most of what he was searching for was hard to find. Staying determined he made a lot of calls and visits to finally source the materials needed. 

After attending a workshop to know the basics of working with resin and wood, Pankaj began with his original techniques and designs which started gaining acclaim not only in Goa but all over the country as well. His Resin art is stylish, refined, versatile, and yet still experimental and evolving. His Resin creations have proven to be popular with his pieces getting sold within minutes.

At Goan Insider, we learned about the journey of Pankaj and his brand Resin Hive in a candid conversation. The excerpts of our conversation are below.

Tell us a little about yourself. What got you interested in art? Did you receive any formal training in resin art? 

I’m Pankaj Naik. I am a Fine Arts student who had been working as a Graphic Designer and Visualiser for about 5+ years. But, being in a job never gave me personal satisfaction. I wanted to create something for myself and then one fine day, I stumbled upon the videos of river tables being made on YouTube and that struck a chord in me. I attended a workshop to know the basics of working with resin and wood, right after. The COVID-19 lockdown made me experiment with the resources I had and that’s how my journey to Resinhive began.

When and how did you get the idea to start handmade wood and resin artifacts?

The Internet has been my constant source of inspiration when it comes to art. 2 years back, I saw these beautiful Wood and Resin tables being made from natural wood in California, that are ethically sourced. That struck a chord in me. I started my research right after. Looked online for workshops and courses. Started studying the different variants of resin, its quality, its finish and so much more. Once I did learn the basics and set the foundation right, I invested in all the equipment needed and got them set up at my house. 

Why artifacts of wood and resin only?

Well, my primary idea was to make tables and bigger furniture that add an oomph or some kind of luxe factor to any space. But that idea kind of capsized during COVID19 lockdown. Right before the pandemic hit the news, I found a perfect space to set up my studio and almost signed the contract for lease. The lockdown hit me and my dreams hard. 

But this lockdown also gave me the space to come up with a new thought process. The Internet helped me back again over here. I didn’t want to waste all those liters of resin I bought and equipment I invested in. So I started doing smaller stuff, right from my home. I started creating smaller sized trinkets. I was satisfied with my experiments because I was able to bring out the natural finish of wood in everything I did. That’s was enough for me. 

What sets your artifacts apart from other artifacts made from wood and resin?

One thing that sets us apart is that each piece we make is very unique by itself as each one is completely handmade. Right from shaping to sanding and polishing, everything is done by hand. There’s a common notion that resin jewelry is easy. All you need to do is pour the resin into the moods and voila! It’s actually the opposite. The more you want to stand out, the more you have to think outside the molds. 

What kind of artifacts do you make?

It all started with tiny little pendants and paperweights. We then started getting orders for customized keychains, gifts, bookmarks, earrings and so much more. So we started doing all of that. We also take up custom orders for any other types of accessories or  gifts, based on the requirements

Our dream is still to go big with River tables and furnishings. But we will not stop with the handmade jewelry line as I grew fond of it too much by now.

Where do you source the material from? Is it easy to source?

Resin, pigments, and sandpapers are sourced from Mumbai. The machinery is not easy to source in Goa or around. Good quality cutting and sanding tools are tough to find and order online. We had to do a lot of calls and visits to get that sorted. Wood blocks are sourced from Alnawar and Belgaum. 

What all goes into the making of these artifacts like what are the tools, etc?

There are lot of things involved. We start with resin and hardener with pigments that come in different variants. Then comes soft and hard wood with different grains. Liquid silicon to seal the wood blocks with acrylic sheets. To shape, we use 3 different sanding kits by FERM machinery. Then comes the Bosch drilling kit and cutting tools. All the other jewellery findings are sourced separately from around India. 

Who is your target audience? And what is the price range of these artifacts?

The target audience is anyone and everyone who is into handmade jewelry. Who loves the idea of being unique. The prices of our creations start from Rs.750 per piece onwards. 

How can one buy these artifacts? Where are they available?

At present, we have our shop set up on Instagram. Our Instagram username is Resin Hive. We accept orders from there over DMs and deliver all around India. 

How is the business going since it started and what kind of response have you received so far?

Surprisingly, even in this adverse time, we received an overwhelming response. Every time we post a picture of a product on our Instagram page, it gets sold within minutes. It’s difficult for us to keep an inventory with the quick sales that happen. Also, the kind of inquiries that we get gives us a reassurance that there are so many out there who value hand-made artifacts and love to buy custom made products. 

What is the easiest or basic artifact one can make at home? Could you give some instructions on how to start?

The easiest you can make are the coasters which is a current rage as you may see on Instagram. All you need to do is invest in a kit. A company named Bohriali, based in Mumbai, sells these starter kits which give you basic pigments + resin + hardener + basic molds for coasters. 

What advice would you give others who would want to try their hand at resin art? 

There’s a common notion that making anything out of resin is so easy. The more you want to stand out, the more you have to think outside these readymade molds you get in the market. Attend workshops, do in-depth research about the different types of pigments and tools that you can use. Try to take inspiration from things around you but do not copy other artists’ work. 

Anything exciting in the pipeline to share with us?

Our goal is to take our designs to the next step. We are launching our Underwater series of products soon where we will incorporate natural treasures from underwater into the resin part of our pendants. And this will be just a start

We are slowly expanding into furnishings like coffee tables and table lamps too, sooner. But nevertheless, we will not stop producing more wood and resin jewelry as that has won many hearts already. 

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