Artist’s Statement

My portraits begin in stillness — in that quiet moment where someone lets their guard down even just for a breath. That’s what I wait for. That’s what I draw. Working with charcoal, I lean into the medium’s unpredictability. I let the lines be loose, raw, imperfect — smudging, erasing, redrawing — until something honest starts to emerge. I’m not chasing realism. I’m searching for the essence of the person.

Egon Schiele’s work opened a door for me — a reminder that distortion can be more truthful than accuracy. Like him, I’m drawn to elongated forms, angular lines, and the emotional weight in a face. His influence taught me that the human face doesn’t have to be flawless to be powerful — it just has to be real.

Using acrylic, pastels and watercolour I help people create deep personal meaningful connections through my portraits.  My aim is to touch the viewer so that they feel a deep resonance within and connect it to my artwork.

I graduated with a BFA in 2004 and have worked as an art therapist and a painting instructor. I have also facilitated expressive painting workshops in recovery houses where people have come from addictions from drugs or alcohol to start a new life and by helping them create deep personal paintings they were able to start their healing journey to move back into society with a fresh outlook on life. I donate 20% of my art proceeds to homeless charities not just to help provide necessities, but also as an opportunity to restore hope, dignity and a sense of belonging to those who need it most.

I spent my early childhood in Calcutta, India, where I was fascinated by Buddha statues in market squares and temples. I was deeply moved by the intense light and calm presence in their eyes and began drawing their faces. Later, I turned to the faces of local people, drawn to the raw emotion in their expressions.

Later on growing up in Europe I was attracted by German Expressionism particularly Egon Schiele which expresses the deep inner world of the sitter.

These portraits are not about likeness. They’re about presence.
Not about beauty — but being.
Unfiltered. Uncomfortable. Unapologetically human.