I am a self-taught artist. I paint, make jewelry and wheel-thrown pottery. My art is inspired by the folk art and textile design traditions of India. I create stylized floral, animal and abstract designs using watercolor, oil pastel and pen.
Painting is meditative for me, it centers me and takes me away from the mundane. I aspire to create art that is vibrant yet peaceful. I am constantly inspired by my environment: the bright colors of summer, textures in drying fall grasses on a hike, the colors across the water while rowing on the Great Salt Lake, patterns from an old brick wall, all of these seep into my paintings.
And art happens! I get obsessed with certain themes, and can’t seem to stop working on them- elephants, anybody?!
My current work is strongly influenced by traditional Indian textiles, showing up in my paintings as tie-dyed designs or bandhni, block-prints or the rhythmic woven patterns of ikat. Recent works consist of stylized animals: elephants, snakes, bison, birds. Recent works also include a series of mandalas and other abstracts.
I currently work as a research scientist in neurobiology. I find that the combination of doing art and science enhances my creativity in both fields. Besides this, I enjoy doing yoga, gardening, rowing, and traveling to exotic places. |