Seshadri's  Introduction

My  Background.

Born in 1942, I am an engineer by profession. I hold a degree in electrical engineering and am also a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers in India. After my graduation in 1964, I joined the steel industry and worked in senior capacities in major steel plants in India and abroad for over 30 years. I live in Bombay with my family and am an independent consultant in the marketing of industrial products.


This background might seem entirely unconnected with the world of art, but for decades I have been wielding the brushes as a hobby. Although I am an entirely self-taught artist I have had a few one-man shows to my credit and been part of regional group exhibitions in Bombay, Bangalore, and Delhi in the 70's and 80's.


Caught up in the rat race, however, I had little time to devote to my canvasses and virtually gave up painting. But the new millennium brought with it a new phase of creativity, and I am again finding myself painting and capturing the evanescent moments of nature.

Recent Achievements:

1) Artmajeur Silver Award -Y2007

2) Artmajeur Silver Award-Y2009

3) ArtSlant March Showcase Winner -Y2009

4) Artslant  May  Showcase Winner-Y2009

5)ArtSlant July Showcase Winner-Y2009

My Philosophy And Statement.

Generally I consider my art a purely personal expression. . I consider it, also, a contribution to society. ... I consider my work an expression of the age. I am painting contemporary subjects and find them very interesting. ... I believe that art should be Universal in spirit, and therefore I do not consider my work an expression of the spirit of any national, racial, religious, political, social or economic group, body, background or attitude

I only adore beauty. No ugliness will find a place in my themes. No sad or cruelty that we see all around us. I want my viewers to feel happy looking at my paintings. Life is beautiful. And we have only one to live!

I started painting from a young age. Art is my passion. It is all consuming and is giving me immense pleasure and an alternate career. Through the arts we can reach out to our creative source. We can use our creativity to enrich our personal & professional lives.

Painting is a process of evolution.  For me, painting is a learning experience that finds me constantly evolving, Style is not the point. Artists always change to find something new.

There are hidden meanings and obtuse symbolisms in my paintings. I simply create images that I find to be pleasing. I try to provide an environment for thought - a playground for the mind.

My artwork is my interpretation of various topics.  I would invite the viewer to interact with the images and to develop his or her own meanings from them.

My advice to you when viewing my work?

Use your imagination!  Have fun!

Enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions.

1. What are your artistic strengths?

Colour is a progressive art. While my paintings draw much from the tradition, my effort has been to explore the new concepts in manipulation of colour. I try to interpret them in aesthetic terms which one might comprehend without difficulty.

The concept of flow and the application of color dominate my work...Since I have a tendency to be rather serious in my paintings; I try to create images that are pleasing to the eye, which hopefully also allows the soul to view the intended harmony.

•2. Which mediums do you work in?

Mostly in Oils, Acrylics, Watercolors, and some works in colour pencils, crayons etc. I paint on high quality canvas and  paper

•3. Where has your art been exhibited?

In India. I did exhibit some of my works in a private exhibition got up in New York (White Plains) in July 2006. In the last 3 years, I have held 3 one -man shows in Mumbai. In the 70's and 80's , I held one man shows in Bangalore sponsored by Alliance Francaise and Max Mueller Bhavan. I also participated in a number of Group exhibitions in South India, Mumbai and Delhi.

Due to pressure of my professional work (in Steel Plants), I could not devote any attention in the 80's and 90's.

•4. What are some of your artistic inspirations?

I try to keep my approach to painting very simple, relying principally on the design and value patterns to create exciting compositions. Rather than re-creating a subject on a canvas, I aim to express its essence. Many of my earlier paintings are loosely referential than specific.

I enjoy depicting abstractions, landscapes, figures and life situations in my own unique style. And the spiritual is portrayed using fluid planes of color that move and blend together as our own spirit does with the spiritual.

I believe that different forms have different meanings, but it is a meaning entirely its own, a personal and specific value that must not be confused with the attributes we impose upon it.

No ugliness will find a place in my themes. No sad or cruelty that we see all around us. I want my viewers to feel happy looking at my paintings. Life is beautiful. And we have only one to live!

March Showcase Winner--"Thinking outside the Box"

At home with my "Thinking outside the Box"

The phrase actually comes from Wittgenstein's picture theory- or The limits of my language are the limits of my world. What we know and how we related stuff to each other is bounded as if in a picture frame, a collage of experiences, exposure and so on. So, we just operate within those boundaries. We do make combinations and permutations but if there are finite objects within the frame, there are finite number of combinations even if we have unlimited capacity for processing information. (theoretically it can be infinite but from a practical perspective, it is finite).

So, it is escaping this frame that makes it Thinking outside the box.

BOX" is "MEMORY" from where old ideas, thoughts, concepts arise. While these old things can work as solutions to some or all technological problems, they are woefully inadequate when it comes to solving psychological problems. That is where thinking or perhaps at a profoundly deeper level of consciousness, NON-thinking must happen "OUT OF THE BOX".

The problem of anger, fear, jealousy, hatred cannot be solved IN THE BOX. One has to be totally free of old, stale ideas in order to look at psychological problems

I have tried to depict them through the medium of colours . For example ‘red' for anger etc.

May Showcase Winner--"Slumdog Millionaire"

At my one-man-show_Y2007

Slumdog Millionaire,set and filmed in India is a 2008 British film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It was nominated for ten Academy Awards in 2009 and won eight, the most for any film of 2008,

It is not a film about poverty. In its heart is the (slum) people's massive spirit and massive determination to overcome terrible troubles. ‘Slumdog Millionaire' is a fairytale. The title of the film is only a "metaphor"."

The Theme "Slumdog Millionaire" is a constant challenge because its infinite variety invites infinitude of interpretations. I have tried to balance the painting, although it may seem uncomfortable at times, permeates my works; soft colors and symmetrical compositions are opposed by harsh manipulation of colours .  In a large scale sense, these pieces are metaphors of the relationship between haves and have-nots.  They reflect the balance / out of balance dilemma of contemporary survival.  Balancing the discordant themes of chaos against order creates a kind of visual melody.  I have obtusely shown the (8) Oscar winners flying to grab the ever enchanting Oscar casting its magical spell in the Land of opportunities! They start from the slums, fly over the high rises, over the fields, oceans for reaching the dreamland! Against all odds!!

I have painted  images which are symbolic and at different planes-horizontal, vertical etc. These are meant to be different levels of existance. It may be applicable to India or to anywhere in the world.The basic human emotions are the same to whichever race one belongs  to, same ambitions, same aspirations. But at different levels or planes. Oscar is shown in a bubble. And bubbles burst sooner than later! And many dreams are shattered.And many dreams become realty!

Just close your eyes and let go your imagination fly high!!

Enjoy.!

July Showcase Winner: Echo Of Eco

A Clean, Green Environment is our Birth Right.

Our planet is in great danger. For the last one hundred or so years, the people of earth have wasted and misused the natural recourses of earth.·

The process of heat absorption, which maintains the surface temperature enough so we can survive, is what is known as the greenhouse effect. Now if the natural barrier of greenhouse gases were to just disappear, the Earth's average surface temperature would·be far too cold for much of life including us.

I just wanted to share my thoughts and insights with others so that we can spread awareness around the world, bring more into the movement, and eventually bring back mother Earth so that future generations may share in our beliefs of preservation. ·Our economic security is intricately linked to ecological security

In the Juried 3 Showcase I have tried to express the main elements in a meaningful progression of an idea. The excitement for me is to allow this flow of energy of what I see and hear to be translated into a visual image.· Atmospheric Environment, Oceanic Environment, Greenfield Environment.

My painting is the result of a lot of introspection of the world around me. My paintings are not randomly conceived. Creating a concept takes a lot of time.

I have defined this composition as meaningful abstract art, that is, the design elements are based on a meaningful progression of ideas. The forms and patterns are meaningful and yet the painting as a whole is abstract. My style has changed a bit over the years, but mostly it is rooted in an earthy, organic impressionism with a touch of abstract.· A sort-of abstract impressionism in landscape

"We join with the earth and with each other,
To bring life to the land,
To care for plants,
To protect the creature
We join with the earth ,
To renew the forests,
To celebrate the seas,
To restore the waters and at last............
To save our life"

Source(s):Oxford Broadway Series- Class 8th course book

"When the last tree is cut down, the last river poisoned, and the last fish caught, will we realize that we can't eat money?"

"You've only got one planet. Don't trash it."

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September Showcase Entry

"Remember the Time"

"Remember the Time" is a popular recording by Michael Jackson  in March of 1992. The song hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart. “Remember The Time” received the Soul Train Award for Best Male R&B Single.

On the 25^th June, I was giving finishing touches to my painting for the Juried 4 competition when the tragic news of Michael Jackson’s death broke out.

MJ’s death affected me profoundly, as it did millions of others across the world. I belong to the older generation brought up on Frank Sinatra, Elvis and Beatles to some extent. MJ was a total stranger---nobody to me. Yet I used to be filled with joy watching his colourful performances which were so overwhelming, so overpowering. No doubt he has been declared “the greatest entertainer the world has ever known”. It was then and there I decided to do a painting as a tribute to his dynamism, lively music, colourful performances and share it with my fellow artists.

 I watched the Memorial Service with mixed emotions. It looked phony and looked like a stage act. There were fake expressions of sorrow all around by a shameless, exploitative lot. MJ deserved better treatment during his life time and in his death. He wasn't just a man trying to make millions He gave more to charity than all the entertainers put together. That was truly divine.

 I have tried to capture an essence of MJ. I painted him in black and white, taking a last bow right on top of the world and heading towards Heaven!! Yes, MJ was unique; Michael Jackson was a legend; his music will always stay with me.

 Jai Ho! Michael!    Rest in peace. You have gone to a place where you truly belong. Heaven.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Conflict resolution is a range of processes aimed at alleviating or eliminating sources of conflict. Processes of conflict resolution generally include negotiation, mediation and diplomacy. Processes of mediation and arbitration are often referred to as alternative dispute resolution.

I painted this subject in Y2007 when 2 states of India, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were at loggerheads with each other regarding sharing of the river water passing through both the states. The long-standing conflict reached a law and order flash-point and the Central Government at Delhi had to intervene to cool the tempers of people in both the states. It saddened my heart because I was born and brought up in both these states and never in my younger years had such incidents happened. Now a days even small issues are getting politicized for the benefit of few. Such conflicts keep happening in my country all the time. Sad reflection of the days of intolerance.

In the Twenty-First Century violent conflict seems never far from the headlines.  Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East, Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Africa Chechnya and Lebanon form a chain of instability across strategically vital regions. Major International powers can contribute to the promotion of peace and engage themselves to conflict resolution and prevention. 

But conflict has clearly not gone away.  In place of interstate war, ‘new’ wars have emerged.  These conflicts are characterized by confrontations between violent non-state actors, including groups employing terrorism, and state-backed agents.  Modern conflicts are fluid, dynamic and chaotic.

Elements of impressionism appear as ghosts in the background of this abstract painting. There are faces and issues made to conflict with each other are shown in organic and inorganic shapes and colours. But ultimately, this is an abstract expressionist work of art. As we know, canvas is canvas and paint is paint. They have a life of their own … and something to say.

Enjoy!

Seshadri.