“Cities tell me stories, I listen to them with my eyes and express them with my hands”

I am an artist and an experimentalist at heart. I love to experiment with art style, medium, and the tools I use. I have worked in traditional oils on canvas, acrylics on canvas and my own unique mediums- photographic chemicals on bromides (which I call photo-paintings) and oil and acrylic on x-ray films. My work includes hundreds of painting in different mediums and styles with themes ranging from nature to different art forms to ancient Hindu Gods and Goddesses.

Having lived in rustic Himalayan regions for forty years, one of my most recurring painting themes is Himalayan landscapes and nature in both impressionistic and abstract styles. However, now I propose to exhibit my more recent love towards cities, through my cityscapes. In the last decade or so, I have been traveling around the world, living substantial times in cities in the US and India with my children, and that’s when my companionship with cities started. Cities make me feel awed with tall buildings, colorful billboards, traffic, and busy people. To me, both Himalayas and buildings are trying to reach the skies, while one does it in the cool solitude, the other is vibrant societies. Cities show me stories in every person’s face and every building’s skin- sometimes happy, sometimes sad, sometimes funny, sometimes silly, but none of them stop or stare. Looking at them, I keep thinking if cities are places to make life or if they are places that are missing LIFE.

I try and find answers to such thoughts through my paintings. Integrating nature- rain, birds into places with no space for nature, and adding warm colors to the otherwise neutral tones of the buildings, are some of my favorite ways of bringing life and character to my city paintings.

The style of my paintings is a mixture of both traditional and modern approaches. I used many types of tools and techniques that I have developed over the years to give expressiveness to my paintings. Most of these are oil on canvas that are made using traditional tools like palette knife and some of my own unique tools such as coconut leaves, single edge blades, hair combs, broomsticks, etc. This use of different tools gives an explosive texture to these impasto paintings. I feel, my cityscapes are fusions of my experiences with the Himalayas and expectations of cities. All these cityscapes are my personal visions and I am looking forward to the opportunity to express these feelings and experiences through showcasing my artwork in a solo show.

Resume:
Bio
I have close to half a century of experience as a professional artist with over 3000 paintings on traditional mediums like oil on canvas, acrylic on canvas. I have also pioneered in many experimental mediums. I am the only one who makes paintings using Photo Chemicals on bromide paper- I call it photo-paintings and using oil on disposed X-Ray sheets. Living close to the Himalayan Mountains, I was inspired by the splendors of nature and nature often is the centerpiece of my work. In the recent past, having traveled around the world visiting my children in cities, city abstracts are also a recurrent theme.
Profile:
* Artist by birth, photographer by profession, and sculptor by practice.
* More than 30 exhibitions all over India in a career spanning close to 50 years
* Work covered by print and TV media extensively.
* Represented by many prestigious galleries in India.
* Pioneered in many experimental mediums- first to use photochemical on bromide paper (called it photo-painting), oil on disposed X-Ray sheets
* Over 3000 paintings on traditional medium- oil on canvas, acrylic on canvas

Positions held:
President, Andhra academy of Arts, Vijayawada 1999 – Present
Heading the art academy that is dedicated to promoting art and artists by organizing annual exhibitions, seminars, artist camps, and workshops.

Education:
* Diploma in Photography Govt.College of Fine Arts & Arch. J.N.T.U Hyderabad
* Certificate course in Color Photo Technology, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun

Solo Exhibitions:
Conducted various painting and photo-painting exhibitions in prominent art galleries across India. The exhibitions received critical applause from the press & T.V as well as enthusiastic responses from art lovers. Some significant shows include:

o Icon Art, Hyderabad, 2017
o State Academy of Fine Arts, Hyderabad – 2016, 2011
o Muse Art Gallery, Hyderabad 2012
o Andhra Academy Of Arts, Vijayawada – 2010
o Siddhartha College, Vijayawada – 2007
o Indraprasth Art Gallery,Delhi-2005
o Bajaj Art Gallery, Mumbai – 2003, 1993
o Nehru Centre, Worli, Mumbai – 1999
o Lalit Kala Academy, N.Delhi – 1999, 1995, 1991
o Jahanhgir Art Gallery, Mumbai – 1997, 1992
o Triveni Gallery, New Delhi – 1993
o India international Center, Lodi Road, N.Delhi. – 1992
o Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta – 1992
o Lalit Kala academy, Regional Center, Madras – 1991, 1990
o Kirti Art gallery FORE, B-18, Qutub Institutional area, N.Delhi – 1991
o Lalit kala Academy, Lucknow – 1989
o Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi. – 1978
o Andhra Academy of Arts, Vijayawada – 1974
o Raj Bhawan, Hyderabad – 1968

Juried Group Exhibitions/awards:
* The Honorable prize awardee and online exhibition in competition “Awesome Art Prizes Spring Edition 2020”, https://sidearts.com/ -an independent online curatorial platform.
* View Points 2020, Studio Montclair, Montclair, NJ
* 4th Annual Black & White Exhibition , 2020, Online Art Exhibition, Fusion Art, Palm Springs, CA
* 5th Annual Animal Kingdom Exhibition, 2020, Online Art Exhibition, Fusion Art, Palm Springs, CA
* All Cityscape art competition, Online Art Exhibition,2020, The Contemporary Art Gallery Online
* Special Recognition Award Certificate, and online exhibition “Botanicals”, 2020, Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery
* Special Recognition Award Certificate, and online exhibition “Created in Isolation” 2020, Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery
* Abstract Art exhibition, 2020, Sacramento Fine Arts Center, Carmichael, CA
* Windows Into The World, 2020, Chico Art�Center, Chico, CA�
* International Art Exhibition, Indian Artist Network, Jakarta, Singapore, Dubai – 2007
* National Kala Mela, LKA, New Delhi – 1994, 1986, 1978
* Indian Biennially of Photography Exhibition, LKA New Delhi – 1993
* Artist camps, Andhra Academy of Arts, Vijayawada – 1996, 1994, 1991, 1987

Prominent Collections:
o National Lalit Kala Academy- New Delhi
o State Academy of Fine Arts, Hyderabad
o Andhra Academy of Arts, Vijayawada
o South Zone Cultural Center- Madras
o Indian School of Business, Hyderabad
o Mr.J.R.D.Tata, Ex CEO, Chairman, TATA Group of Companies, Bombay
o IDPL-Rishikesh
o Austrian Embassy- New Delhi
o Bayer India Ltd.- Mumbai
o Blue Star Ltd.- Mumbai

Awards
o Several state awards in painting and photography during 1961, 1965, 1969, 1976, 1981, 1982 & 1987.
o Awarded by Government of Andhra Pradesh in 1964, 1969 & 1976.