Instead of thinking about my artwork as one still image, I think of it as a movie. Just the way you can start your favourite movie from anywhere, I believe that my viewer should be able to enter my artwork from anywhere and then wander about towards the focal point, discovering something new each time. I achieve this sense of depth both visually and emotionally by adding layers not just in color, but also in thought.

During my early years in art class, I was only exposed to color pencils, practicing with them for nearly four years. This influenced my style to be detailed and precise. In recent years, I have managed to translate this style into unpredictable mediums like watercolor and charcoal. While color pencils help me achieve the precision I want, watercolor resonates with me at a more subliminal level. I am at my creative best when I let my thoughts flow. Watercolor has taught me to let go of the illusion of control and glide through the process. I enjoy its fluidity, the way I twirl my brush to sharpen its tip and the way I vary the pressure with my hands to create a range of strokes. The entire painting process is like a waltz with my paint brush.

My ideation process is where I am like an effervescent seven-year-old. Ideas come to me like the myriad sparkling flashes of a firecracker. And occasionally when I look up at the sky and think, “Hmm, that just might work” I go with my intuition. I let that thought sink in and develop till it is ripe enough to sketch out. After several iterations of composition ideas and details drawn over multiple scans of my initial sketch, I arrive at a design which I am happy with, and then trace it onto my final paper. A lot of research goes into this process as I believe every element should have a purpose and its own story.  

Color can elicit emotions that even words can’t and that is why it is an integral part of my artwork, my movie. I am inspired by Indian folk-art forms like Pichwai, Kangra and Madhubani which are resplendent with color, pattern and texture often depicting local folklores. When I paint, I feel calm, yet alive, and through my use of vibrant colors I hope to ignite similar feelings in my viewer’s heart.