My work consists of a set of paintings done in oil paints on canvas. For this set of paintings, I have derived my inspiration from my travels. The work represents my experiences during my travels with my family. We have had the fortune of visiting countries that have a great past reflected in geography, man-made structures both old and new and above all, natural assets. From the Great Wall of China to Big Ben in the United Kingdom, from the waters of the Mediterranean to fall in Virginia, I have observed and absorbed the picturesque scenes and have allowed my imagination and thoughts to repackage Nature in a unique representation and presentation. Hence the influence on my artwork, first and foremost, is from everything I see, feel and experience, during my travels and at home.
The world we live in is filled with vast variations and a multitude of shades of colors. The colors and the numerous geographical renditions of the countries of the world make our planet perfect for visual inspiration. During my visits to different parts of the world, as an artist, I absorb the surroundings through my sight or the lens of my camera. Later I convert these impressions into artwork with stylistics and colors depicting my personal memory of that particular place. The personal memory of that place is also used as the substrate which also acts as a catalyst to transform my artwork into an emission of my own persona.
The various colors in my works are a product of the various stimuli my senses receive during these visits. Whether it is the blue of the Mediterranean or the red of a contemporary structure in Europe, my art is the culmination of a process that provides a seamless transition and transformation of reality to imagination and then abstraction reflected in the colors of my paintwork. Nature is my inspiration that leads to the creation of an abstract simulation of the same that my mind, at a later date, can see and feel. The amalgamation of earth, water and the sun provides a unique gel that creates a perfect sculpture. The elements in Nature are the ingredients that mix well together to form the basis of form and figure. The colors in Nature have the visual impact that is exquisitely unique that leads to the formation of art work that is creative and natural.
My work is often referred to as surrealist in nature which Andre Breton in his Surrealist manifesto, published in 1924, describes as “Dictated by the thought in the absence of all control exercised by reason, outside of all aesthetic and moral preoccupation”. My inspiration is derived from natural elements and my philosophical inclinations then are superimposed on renderings with a worldly backdrop. The natural elements provide the building blocks but are molded into and arranged according to my imagination and philosophy.
