Serendipity in Ellora Drawing

Caress the detail, the divine detail I am an ex-marketing professional turned self-taught artist. My artistic journey is informed by my deep interest in history, culture and all things classical. The beauty of the commonplace is forefront in my art - in glorious photo-realistic detail. In a world that places a premium on 'instant, digital and virtual'; my art is 'slow, hand-made and purist'. It focuses on the pure joy of being, of the need to pause and to reflect, and to undertake an inward journey into the infinitesimal. My world of slow art is an opportunity to appreciate the divine and seek meaning in the commonplace. Three primary influences define my art: The trademark fusion of European realism with Indian symbolism of the 'father of modern indian art - Raja Ravi Varma; the polished still life of the master Dutch artist - Willem Heda and the photo-realistic chroniclings of the American master Ralph Goings. A large part of my work in oils focuses on still life. Through my choice of objects and settings, my still life paintings stage an alternate reality – a silent representative of culture, people and symbology. For it is the hidden language of human artifacts that I seek to focus on and uncover in each of my still life paintings. ​ My oil paintings are as much influenced by the art and time-honored techniques of the European masters as by my heritage and outlook. Each of my oil paintings are built over a minimum of seven detailed layers in a contemplative immersion that can consume anywhere upwards of 200 work hours. Each oil painting is thus a labour of love and adoration - a contemporary tribute to the knowledge passed down ​by the great masters. Whether in oils or in my charcoal-graphite drawings, I think of myself as a chronicler of our lives and times. And I remain ultimately a deep observer - a painter of life. Contact: sripriyamozumdar@gmail.com