“The hero of my tale, whom I love with all the strength of my soul, whom I have tried to set forth in all his beauty, and who has always been, is, and always will be most beautiful, is—the truth”
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy from ‘Tales of Sevastapol’
My approach to depicting anything has been to emphasize and acknowledge the physicality and spirit of the subject. I believe that things exist beyond my sensory perceptions. Subjects many-times have stood longer than me on this earth and have lived a life far richer/poorer than my own. It is important to me to see the truth. I prefer to work from observation and memory. This distorts things more along a human axis than a camera. I relish the layers of life and change that cohere to form the final observed work.
I am of the opinion that European classicism through its roots in greco roman art has provided humanity with some of the finest tools of expression in sculpture and consequently painting.
Understanding and articulating color using the Munsell standard has been a turning point in my study. It led to the founding of Grackle studio where along with my teacher Graydon Parrish we custom mixed subtly differentiated hues based on the Munsell scale.
b. 1984, Hyderabad ( Central India)
Nationality : American, Indian
Lives : Austin, TX.
I was fortunate to grow up in a city rich in its medieval history. But amongst people that never bothered to understand its past nor present. The defaced sculptures / architecture of the temples, tombs, mosques and dusty museums coupled with abundance of books in literature and poetry triggered in me a love for art and antiquity. The idea of study in art was fortunately never an alternative. I wallowed in the physical sciences until I found some latitude in life.
Education:
2009 MS. Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineer, Purdue University, W.Lafayette IN.
2006 BS Mechanical Engineering & Minor in Applied Math, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
