Fine Art
From the moment I could clutch a pencil and draw, or even incomprehensibly scribble on scraps of paper, in my heart was the inimitable, almost startling clarity that art would always be my home, my expression, my source of tranquility – a distinctive and everlasting part of my soul.
Whether it is life-like pencil and charcoal illustrations, flowing watercolor paintings or vivid acrylics on canvas, visual arts have been an integral part of my being.
International Art Competitions & Environmental Advocacy through Art
The Titanic Problem of Climate Change
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Awarded Honorable mention, in the senior category of the 2022 International art competition conducted by the Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Program.
If the Titanic sailed today, in the same conditions it did the doomed night on which it sank, it would perhaps not even crash into an iceberg in the first place. Here, I have portrayed an iceberg gradually liquefying under the strong sun, influenced by the increase in atmospheric temperature due to climate change. In fact, the iceberg has melted to the extent that it has an immense hole – and the approaching Titanic can easily pass through without damage!
Tap of Toxicity
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Awarded for Notable submission, in the 2021 International art competition conducted by the Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Program.
The tap symbolises the toxicity that humankind brings to our planet, poisoning our water, and killing life nonchalantly. The most vulnerable among us are the first to die, but eventually, this venom will circle back, overwhelm, and kill us all. We have the power to shut off the tap, stop the abuse and re-energise the world with pure, clean water if we put our minds to it – otherwise, this powerful resource that we ‘tap’ into, will become our worst nightmare.
Magic of Mangroves
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Finalist, Science without Borders, in the 2021 International art challenge conducted by Living Oceans Foundation.
The Sundarbans, located in the Bay of Bengal area, are the largest mangrove forests in the world. They face numerous challenges as human excesses threaten the world. Bon Bibi Deity of the Sundarbans, selflessly sucks up smoke, purifying air and sustaining the circle of life. The Goddess’s rainbow hair represents mangroves’ multitude of benefits, and her fine, backwardly balanced stance represents the delicate harmony created by the mangroves between nature and humans, bringing succour to all life revelling in the sacred sanctuary.
Vivid Presentations Through Art
The Steampunk Decoupage Project – 2020
Inspired by the steampunk art movement which imagines a futuristic past, I created a vintage decoupage violin, blending scientific elements like clocks and gears with natural elements like flowers and dragonflies, complete with a Victorian-era woman with wings. These components conjured up a unique whole, tied together by a shabby aesthetic with a chalky blue and greyish colour scheme and striking, yet muted, coloured papers.
Gond Transformation Project – 2021
Combining elements of the surrealism art movement with the traditional Gond art of India, led to the creation of a canvas painting depicting life under the sea, albeit with a twist. The girl (symbolic of the sun) is one with the sea, evident from the scales on her neck and her octopus-tentacle strands of hair, and she nurtures all creatures in her ecosystem. These creatures also have surrealistic transformations, from the seahorses with tusks and squid-butterflies to the fish with wings.
Mad Hatter Mixed Media Project – 2021
This project imagines Alice dreaming up Wonderland and its fantastic creatures like the Mad Hatter, from the cauldron of her mind. I have depicted this Wonderland combining fantasy and technology, which have been portrayed through an assiduous compilation of various household items – carton cutouts, a photo frame, chipboard negatives, sewing machine spools, beads, a bulb, a buckle and various embellishments – brought to life by metallic waxes and paints.
The Macbeth Book Cover – 2021
Using acrylic paints and watercolours, I created my version for the book jacket of ‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare. The front cover depicts the ruthlessly manipulative Lady Macbeth, with blood on her hands and a sword reflecting her role in the brutal murder of King Duncan. Representing the three witches in the play and their fatal predictions, are the three ravens. The vintage scroll of the synopsis and gothic typography create a link to the Elizabethan era.
