What medium do you prefer for painting? Acrylics, watercolour or oil paints? Whichever, why?
I teach extensively, work with and prefer Acrylics because they keep up with my speed and suit my style. I am currently creating many artworks in different styles in a short time and acrylics work best for most of these experiments.
What genres do you generally paint? Have you experimented with different genres?
Portraits and Figure! I specialise in and love to paint many different faces and constantly experiment with almost every other genre, medium and style.
If colours and paints did not exist, what would your world be like? World is and always will be full of art. You take away my brushes I will sculpt, you take away my clay I will sing, you take away my voice I will act, you take away my stage I will teach the art of silence, I will find some way to create and add beauty to the world.
Was it difficult to establish yourself as an artist when you just started off?
I did not have a goal or ambition to establish myself when I started, I don't have one even now. I was just creating, having fun, talking to people when one thing led to another and before I could realise I was doing shows, selling works and conducting workshops. In retrospect all I can say is that I was doing what I loved. And here I am sketching something and you call me with for an interview.
What are your pet peeves?
Mobile data not connecting while travelling.
What are your other interests?
I love teaching! I also have a deep interest in Vedanta, Vipassana and Yoga.
What's your favourite cuisine and dish?
Fruit salad! I have been a vegan and on a plant based whole food diet for the last three years so I eat a variety of fruits daily.
When did you start painting? When did you realise that this is where your passion lies and that you want to make it your career?
I started sculpting as a child and started to paint around 13 and it possessed me when I was 17. After the end of four years, two years working for a bank and two years in a banking software company I decide that I wanted to make a living as an artist and designer.
How do you handle criticism?
I feel no need to handle it, I just accept it, it has always helped me fix and improve. Especially when you are a self-taught artist you need criticism to blossom.
One trait of yours that you truly hate and truly love?
I truly hate my inability to make a decision on whether to grow a beard or not! I truly love my hair.
