I wonder... a tribute to my dad and my aunt; two people I loved and lost to Cancer

My childhood was spent in a happy little lane that lay nestled in the bustling city of Bombay (now Mumbai). Summer holidays were spent at my aunt's place where we babysat our two young cousins and walked down to Snowman's for ice-cream. College life was spent in a beautiful building, still used as a prop for many Bollywood films...but the glossy magazines of the West with their coke ads and fancy technology got to us and we moved on, out of the city and our country. Leaving behind wonderful memories of a happy childhood, chasing the American dream. The visit to my aunt's (masi's) place no longer just a bus ride in the big double decker BEST buses, it was a two and half hour flight!...and we moved further away, from the Middle East to North America...now I live in Toronto, a beautiful city I call home, where the air is clean and fresh and I don't have to worry about power shortages or wake up early to fill the water tank. But...I am not home when a loved one suffers. I am not there to sit by their side and relive all those memories spent together with them, hold their hand or tell them "I love you and will miss you when you are gone" So I wonder, why do we go out looking for happiness, leaving behind everything that gave us that in the first place? I wonder when people say, "thanks to technology the world is shrinking" I disagree, because we rely on technology, we have created such a vast distance amongst ourselves. I never got to say goodbye to my dad; I was fourteen hours away on a transatlantic flight. Yesterday, I never got to say bye to my aunt before she passed away; once again I was too far away...So, I wonder, what is the definition of 'home' and where is home? My husband, kids, mom and siblings are here in Toronto with me. My grandmother, uncles, aunts and cousins thousands of miles away...do we really need to scatter around the world? Can we not find what we need right on our doorstep? I wonder...

Several layers - steps to building a body of work

It isn't just about starting from a blank canvas...art should be inspired from what you see around you. Use it to tell a message. They say the pen is a powerful instrument, I say, so is the brush...remember, 'A picture is worth a thousand words!'

Even writers say, 'Show, don't tell!'

An expat once again!

So I am now back in Toronto after a 10 year stint in Dubai...wonderful memories, friends and favorite cafes left behind. I am back home but it doesn't yet feel like home..settling in is like living an expat life for the first one year. The new collection reflects my mood..."The Unconscious Mind" the work is titled 'Two of me'

The day I met a Prince!

It has been a very long and inexplicable absence....but for what its worth I spent the time travelling, exhibiting and presenting my painting to the Prince of Oman!
It was an honour to be one of the two artists invited from Dubai to attend the show, Creative Canvases, a collection of paintings by Omani and Indian artists, hosted by the Consul General, Mr. Anil Wadhwa at the Indian Embassy in Muscat, Oman.

Whats the use of an expired credit card?

"Break out of the conventional way of painting!" This is my mantra in every class I teach. I have walked the path of realism and loved it. Now my art is experimental and my only advice to aspiring artists is, "look around you and see what can be used to bring your painting to life."

My current favorite is an expired credit card. I prefer it to the conventional palette knife. The card covers more surface on the canvas and creates the most amazing forms and textures. This painting called 'Rendezvous' and has been executed with the use of a credit card. There has been minimal use of a paint brush. So the next time you plan to cut up your old credit card, deposit into your paint box instead.

Whats the use of an expired credit card?

"Break out of the conventional way of painting!" This is my mantra in every class I teach. I have walked the path of realism and loved it. Now my art is experimental and my only advice to aspiring artists is, "look around you and see what can be used to bring your painting to life."
My current favorite is an expired credit card. I prefer it to the conventional palette knife. The card covers more surface on the canvas and creates the most amazing textures without using any sort of texture medium. So the next time you plan to cut up your old credit card, deposit into your paint box instead.

Words vs Brush Strokes!

I pondered long and hard on what my identity really was. I started writing my book way before I picked up a blank canvas. Eight years ago to be precise. After all these years, my unfinished manuscript still works its way on the table right next to my cappucino, meanwhile, the artist in me has explored many realms of colour and style. With several international solo exhibitions filling up my once bleak 'Artist's Resume' my dream to be a published author remains unfulfilled.Words flow with increasing ease when jotting down thoughts and visions for my next exhibition, yet words elude me when I look down at the seventh marked up copy of my manuscript.I know it will happen sooner than later and hence it is a Writer's Canvas and not an Artist's Notebook. For if I can continue to believe that I can communicate just as easily with words as I do with brushstrokes I will soon be holding my first published book in my hands.