My Journey

My Journey

I was born in 1976 in Hyderabad, India and since childhood have lived in different states of India. I loved to draw and paint since childhood. I used to fill my home with my art where walls and floors became my first canvases.

I grew up in a very affectionate joint family. Living with parents, grandparents, brother, uncles, aunties, and cousins was a cherishing experience bringing greater joys even in smaller things. My mother is very loving and caring and my father is enthusiastic and adventurous. Both my parents were working in banks and due to their transfers, we stayed in Tiruchirappalli, Kochi, Chennai and then moved to Pune since my secondary school.

My parents are fond of travelling and our travels together across the country have developed my interest in learning about rich culture and heritage, various languages and traditions, and different people’s lifestyles. I have travelled to several parts of India and had adventurous and exciting experiences. I am inspired by the mesmerizing beauty of nature showering its grace unconditionally.

While growing up I listened to stories from my grandmother and mother, of great epics, life of great saints and philosophers. I feel blessed to have met great saints and yogis in person too. This developed my interest to study ancient literatures and poems which has been fruitful for my painting themes.

My travel to spiritual places made me curious to explore and discover the deep-rooted culture rich in values. Especially, our journey from Pune all the way to the Himalayas which spanned over 4,000 km (round trip) driving in our own car with my family and our spiritual guru in the summer of 1992. My father drove all the way and my mother was cooking delicious food for all of us throughout the journey. It was an enlightening experience which broadened my vision.

With my love for art, I successfully completed six years of study in Art college, graduating with ‘Art Teacher's Diploma’ in 1995 and ‘Diploma in Applied Art’ in 1998.

While studying in my college, I have enjoyed teaching and guiding children in art as my selfless Social service. I had conducted art workshops for small children to develop their love and appreciation and to understand the importance and awareness of Preserving and Respecting Art.

I had donated my paintings as social service to exhibitions aimed for raising funds to educate village school children, and to different organisations like ‘Concern India Foundation’ for supporting projects in education, healthcare, community development and environment. In 1999, I had participated in a group show and had donated my paintings to raise funds for soldiers, in the exhibition “Art for Kargil”, a Charity Show organised by ‘Mid-Day’ and hotel Holiday Inn, Pune.

With the passion for Teaching Art, I had also taught as a temporary Part-time Art Teacher at a primary school in 2000-01. Teaching Art was a beautiful and enriching experience.

After becoming a mother, myself I have been delighted to see my son grow up with innocence and playfulness. He is a born Artist. I have been amazed to see him beautifully evolve in his own art too. I feel immensely grateful and blessed to have a very sweet, loving, and caring son. The beauty of my child being in wonder was an enchanting experience for me. Recollecting those fond memories give me great joy. Those wonderful moments of family bonding are inspirational for my art.

I love Photography and like to capture the beauty of nature, architectural monuments, and sculptures with intricate carvings. I also like to capture the lovely moments and memorable occasions, festivals and celebrations through photos and videos. I enjoy listening to melodious music while painting.

Travels with my family have been inspiring for my drawings & paintings. I am delighted to explore new and beautiful places. My paintings have flown spontaneously since the exultant experience I had at Tirupati. It was a magical moment when I first saw the beautifully adorned ‘Utsav Murti’ (idol) of Lord Venkateshwara. That moment churned my imagination and there was a sudden outburst of great joy, love, and longing to know the inexplicable beauty of the Lord and his creation. The sublime love of his devotees left me in wonder and my journey began to explore the real treasures and glory in pure existence. What is it that brings millions of souls towards the divine incarnations with so much devotion; and how can one express this boundless joy; and how can this magnanimity of experiences be measured! Tirumala has always been a source of inspiration to me.

I feel there are so many varied and enriching experiences in my life, that even writing a novel will be insufficient for me to express them. Some are beyond words and expressions.

My art arises from intuition and my paintings manifest the flow of thoughts of the ever-blossoming creation. My paintings evolve through the journey of life lighting the divine path of love. My artistic journey has interestingly progressed with themes like “Banjaras”, “Character Sketches”, “Gopis”, “Yatra” and “Woven Dreams”. I began the series, ‘Weaving the Eternal Joy’ in 2005 which continues till now.

I have worked in different mediums of paintings like Watercolours, Oil colours, Acrylics, Charcoal sketches, Dry pastels, Gesso, and Mix-media on Papers, Canvas, and different textured Handmade papers too. I have experimented with these mediums and evolved in Paintings in my own individual themes uniquely. I have created figurative paintings, portraits, sketches, illustrations, calligraphy, landscapes, still life, paintings of flowers, murals and sculptures too. I like to study extensively for every theme and paint the details intricately in several layers of vibrant colours. It takes me around six months to complete a painting of 4 ft x 6 ft size. I pour my heart, mind, and soul in each one of my paintings.

My works are in collection of many art connoisseurs, art collectors and art lovers in India and abroad. They all have appreciated and loved my paintings. With aspirations to explore the world and share my art, I moved with my family to Canada in 2016.

Art is my devotion. I have faith in myself and I will love to contribute the best of my artistic creations to the present and future of this world. As an artist, I am devoted and dedicated to fly high with wings of confidence and achieve greater heights in my 'Journey of Life'.