I believe that creating art is my soul’s purpose—my raison d’être. Nature is my greatest inspiration, offering endless opportunities for contemplation, grounding, and healing of the body, mind, and soul. Through creating art, meditating, and immersing myself in nature, I am drawn into the present moment—an experience that deeply shapes my identity as an artist.

My recent artworks based on the ideas of Oneness and Living in Harmony with Nature reflect my views about mankind’s interrelationship with nature—views that are based on the ancient Indian philosophy of Advaita, meaning “without duality” or “not two,” which asserts that repeating the phrase Tat Tvam Asi, or “I Am That,” helps one realize the unseen truth of life, that of oneness.

Sure, not all of us are capable of “seeing” that “truth”, that we are all deeply interconnected with all that is, at a very basic, atomic level. Hence, my art serves as a mnemonic and a talisman of this underlying reality. While Nature itself is my greatest source of inspiration, my love for meditation and spending time in Nature have shaped the art that I am called to make, art that is as much a personal statement as a global call to self-realization.

I hope that these art works will not just add beauty to a space, but serve in some central way in reminding the viewer about the truth of Oneness and of the urgency of Living in Harmony with Nature.

Towards this, I see myself as a “Warrior with a Brush”—or a Warrior of the Rainbow—using art to raise awareness of this critical issue.

Oneness

We are all connected. One. This idea of oneness, I found to my surprise, is resonated in Quantum Physics, which affirms that the world is really a swarm of atoms in constant flux, and that all forms are illusions.

To honor this “unseen” truth of our Universe, I have therefore filled my recent canvases—my landscapes with their flowers, mountains, clouds, grass, and infinite spaces—with “painterly atoms,” or dots.

By using dots or “atoms,” the landscape is broken into countless units that simultaneously assert individuality and collective unity. Seen up close, the surface appears fragmented; from a distance, coherence emerges—mirroring the Advaitic understanding that multiplicity and unity coexist.

This series brings together my enduring engagement with nature—particularly landscapes—and a philosophical inquiry into interconnectedness. The paintings reimagine the landscape not as a distant view to be possessed, but as a shared field of being, offering a contemporary meditation on Oneness.

The process of perfecting each dot is time consuming and meditative. Each painting requires great patience and a sublimation of the artistic ego. This style, a contemporary take on the timeless genre of landscapes, calls for controlled passion. Contrary to Vincent van Gogh’s energetic and prolific portrayal of scenes plein air, I use technology as my resource to search for panoramic views with mountains and flowers. I pick the images that resonate with me, then I use them as a starting point to create each painting. It’s a beautiful journey, and I am grateful to have been given this idea by the Universe.

Fragile

The series Fragile is a colorful and decorative reflection on the delicate balance between humanity and nature. Here I have chosen to equate nature to stained glass, creating a powerful visual metaphor—something that is intricate, precious, and requires gentleness, but also something that can be easily shattered if not treated with care. The symbolism of stained glass captures both the complexity and the vulnerability of the natural world, and the choice to use abstract expressionism amplifies the emotional intensity of my message.

In keeping with my central theme of climate crisis and our interconnection with nature, these paintings seem to act as both a celebration of nature’s beauty and a cautionary reminder of how fragile our connection to it truly is. The use of familiar natural forms like leaves and flowers, juxtaposed with irregular negative spaces, creates a compelling visual contrast that emphasizes both the beauty and the fragility of nature. The clear demarcation of shapes with dark blue or brown lines—reminiscent of the lead framework in stained glass windows—adds a sense of structure and boundary, suggesting that the natural world is both intricate and defined, yet precarious, much like the fragile glass panels themselves.

The dark lines also seem to evoke the idea of protection or containment, but perhaps also separation—reinforcing the sense that while nature is beautiful, it is delicate, and may need careful handling or preservation. These lines could also symbolize the borders that humanity creates around nature, whether through urbanization, industry, or even conservation efforts, adding another layer of complexity to the message about our relationship with the environment.

The variety of colors used to fill these shapes suggests a thoughtful balance between vibrancy and subtlety—something that captures nature’s beauty without overwhelming the viewer. The idea of using brilliant, bright colors while maintaining a sense of harmony and refinement makes these paintings feel alive and dynamic, yet sophisticated. The aim is to create a visual language that’s both captivating and nuanced, drawing people in without overwhelming them with sheer intensity.

Enchanted Realms

For the series titled Enchanted Realms, I further explored the concept of what it means to be living in harmony with Nature. Using various styles, mediums, and materials in 2D, I highlight the interconnection between people and animals and the natural world, including ether, by the use of spherical “atoms.”

I also depict Nature as a feminine force in a few of these paintings, as Planet Earth has always been viewed as a feminine energy, called by many names, including Mother Earth, Gaia, and Bhuma Devi. The Hindus have called her Dharthi Ma; the Aztecs have called her Tonantzin; to the Incas, she was Panchamama; the Romans have called her Terra Mater; to the Chinese, she was Hon Tu… Nature comes in myriad forms, and can have countless names, and they would all rightfully define her. Because we are all Nature, too, and we are a part of these enchanted realms.

But how many of us are alive to this? Does humanity really pay attention to the beauty and magic that surrounds us? As with all of my art, with these paintings, too, my “purpose” is to inspire greater introspection and appreciation of Nature and our place in it.

Living in Harmony with Nature

I have always been drawn to painting from Nature. But since 2018, my focus has moved to the climate crisis and depicting the interconnection of the human race with Nature. While the early works exhibited in my 2^nd solo show, at the Lalit Kala Akademi Chennai in 2007, were more representational, the later works are more conceptual in nature, bearing my understanding of the ancient philosophy of Vedanta as well as the modern day perspective of Quantum physics, which both assert that human beings are much more deeply interconnected with Nature and the world around them than we may imagine.

Reading the translation of the Gita by Swami Chinmayananda introduced me to the idea of  Tat Tvam Asi, or “I Am That,” which has been the mantra of the Vedantic followers for ages, awake to the oneness of all life. Finding that Quantum physics supports this world view, that religion and science can both be on the same page, came as a shock to me, leading to a personal paradigm shift. Can you image the world as seen by the Quantum physicists? Every physical “solid” object is in reality nothing more than a cluster of atoms in constant flux!

Can art convey this perspective? That is a question I attempt to answer with my art, specifically the series titled “I Am That.” Paintings like I Am That (Gandhi) and I Am That (Sai) aim to introduce the viewer to these concepts and awaken a deeper appreciation for our connection with the natural world. This, I believe, will go a long way in helping heal this planet and the climate change crisis it faces.

When we spend more time in Nature, we connect more with our souls, and at some point, we feel that they are both the same. I find spending time in Nature very cathartic and meditative, and I encourage everyone to do so. I make it a point to get away as often as I can for some quiet “me” time, either on my terrace or the park nearby. My thoughts and experiences as I walk around, and the expansion of consciousness, is what informs my current work as an artist, and is the basis of the concept of living in harmony with Nature.