Art Gallery

I have been fascinated by drawing and painting since childhood. My drawing master at school was the first person to spot my aptitude and help hone my skills. However, my tryst with real art happened when we spent our holidays at Bangalore and Mysore. I was spellbound when I first saw Raja Ravi Varma's masterpieces at the Mysore Art Gallery. I continued to dabble with art, especially water colors. I kept participating in painting competitions while at school and won prizes. At my father's request, I illustrated his research thesis on Sri Kasi Viswanatha Swamy temple (Late Pandya period) at Tenkasi.

During college days, I had submitted a painting inspired by Poet Subramanya Barathi's poem for inter-collegiate painting competition conducted by Government of Tamil Nadu and received state-level first prize. In spite of the pressures of active medical career and family responsibilities, I managed to attend a formal course at the Institute of Fine Arts & Design, Chennai, to learn the basics of drawing & painting, about different painting media and the art of using them. My paintings were exhibited in -
  • Mahatma Gandhi Centenary Exhibition, Victoria Technical Institute, Chennai in 2001,2002 and 2003.
  • Manasthala Foundations, Chennai, on the theme of “Mother and Child” in 2002.
  • Group exhibition at Focus Art Gallery, Chennai in 2001.
In the meantime, I read about great masters, their techniques and their famous works of art. Even though I have used water color, poster color, pastels, acrylic, oil paint and Indian ink in my paintings, I prefer to work with oil paint and Indian ink. 

Author at work - Village scene - Indian ink on paper
Ideally an artist should paint using on-site sketches. Nevertheless, I have not had this luxury all the time. Most of my works were developed from sketches, our collection of photographs, my memory and drawings from real life. Once the idea for a work is born in my mind, I make a rough sketch of the composition and decide on the relative positions of the individual components, medium and technique to be used and the color schemes. Then I develop the individual components using sketches, photographs and drawings as references. My paintings represent my impressions of the places, persons and objects, and not the reproductions of the same. 

All the art work published on this site is created by the author L. Rathika, and solely belongs to the author. Any unauthorized use of the same amounts to plagiarism and is in violation of the author’s copyright.

In this page I wish to share my art work, some of which were sold by Focus Art Gallery, Vinayasa Art Gallery, Victoria Technical Institute and Manasthala Foundation at Chennai.

Wonderment (ஆச்சர்யம்)

This mixed media painting is an adaptation of a temple sculpture - Indian ink on paper used in....
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Nostalgia (நினைவுகள்) 

Titled "Nostalgia", this painting was intended to portray the childhood impressions that shaped my artistic sensibilities.I grew up in a small town on the foothills of western ghats, which has a famous Shiva temple belonging to the late Pandya period... View the painting

Lily Pond (அல்லிக்குளம்)

During the visits to our native village, we never failed to spend time near the lotus and lily ponds (தாமரை மற்றும் அல்லிக்குளம்). The water surface almost completely covered by the leaves, the flowers swaying with the gentle breeze, the dark water peeping out... View the painting

Water Fall (அருவி)

Several waterfalls of the Western Ghats attract tourists. Of these, few waterfalls are situated close to the town, where I grew up. These waterfalls have heavy flow between June and September every year during the monsoon. The beauty of the Western Ghats, waterfall surrounded by tall trees and other vegetation, chirping birds, pure cool air and the continuous pleasant... View the painting

Summit (மலை உச்சி)

Acrylic pain is fast drying, but less maneuverable when compared to oil paints. Summit was my effort with acrylic paint, trying to capture a unique color scheme as well as the light and shade on the mountain peaks... View the painting

Yellow Flowers (மஞ்சள் பூக்கள்)

I feel more at home with oil paint than any other media, as I prefer to blend colors often on the surface. Acrylic paint due to its fast drying quality makes it difficult to maneuver while working, unless one is very quick. Hence, I keep trying... View the painting

Fusion (இணைவு)

As I have mentioned in my earlier post, I find temple sculptures awe inspiring and I have used some of these sculptures in my compositions. In this composition titled ‘Fusion’, I juxtaposed the 'wonderment' captured in a temple sculpture with... View the painting

Some exhibited paintings (கண்காட்சியில் சில ஓவியங்கள்)

In the year 2002, I had exhibited several painting at Manasthala Foundations, Chennai, on the theme of “Mother and Child” (தாயும் சேயும்). For this exhibition, I had chosen the basic emotions that bind 'mother and child', and tried to depict how these emotions get expressed... View the paintings

Security (பாதுகாப்பு)

Security from the mother is fundamental to the child's survival and growth. Security is the communication from the mother indicating "I am there for you all the time..." This may be communicated by words, a hug, a look or even... View the painting

You and Me! (நீயும் நானும்)

Joint family system is still prevalent in the Indian society. In a traditional joint family, grandmother plays a significant role in raising grand children especially when they are small. I have spent my formative years with my grandparents and they have had... View the painting

Lead me on! (வழி நடத்து)

Children seek guidance from parents all the time, whether the issue is trivial or profound. In this painting titled ‘Lead me on’, this emotion is depicted by the mother’s hand holding the child’s hand. This painting is executed using Indian ink medium on textured paper... View the painting

Piggy Back (உப்பு மூட்டை)

Children carry smaller ones on their back in a game called ‘Piggy Back’ (உப்பு மூட்டை). In this game, younger ones invariably enjoy the special status of being carried. More than a game, it also encourages the bonding between children... View the painting

The Tree
I have the habit of trying out different media, either alone or in combination, on various supports. This helps me to understand how a medium behaves on a given support... View the painting 
The Bird
‘The Bird’ is one of my practice paintings, in which I have attempted to use poster colors. After sketching the bird, I have applied poster colors in ‘gouache’ or opaque method... View the painting  
Folk Dance – Kolattam (கோலாட்டம்)
Kolattam is a folk dance form performed with a pair of sticks. This art form is usually performed by girls and women for 10 days following Diwali festival, which culminates... View the painting  
Still Life - Study of forms
Still life helps an artist to study different forms in various compositions. It also aids in the understanding of colors, tones and depth. I prefer still life... View the painting  
Still Life - Fruits

Still life study is a means of understanding hues, tones and depth; a method of mastering different drawing and painting media; and a way of developing an artist’s skills...View the painting☛  

Facial Study

Studying facial features and expressions is essential to understand the form, lighting, tonal differences, colors and depth. I personally believe that it is essential to master each component of a painting before assembling them all into a composition. Moreover, practice helps... View the painting☛  

Still Life - Leaves

I have always been fond of money plant (golden pothos), as it can be grown practically anywhere. Money plant in a bottle of water can be used to enhance home decor. This was a ...View the painting☛ 

Girl with Blue Ribbons

Ink, though difficult to manipulate, is a fascinating medium. Indian ink (black) is slightly thicker in consistency and hence, is well suited for dry brush technique. You can build different tones on the support as the ink keeps drying.... View the painting☛

Domestic Scenes

I often find that scenes from everyday life can make good subjects for paintings. Here are a few domestic scenes executed with Indian ink on textured paper using... View the painting☛

Mushrooms on Tree Trunk 

This work was the result of my effort to understand how acrylic paint works on canvas. I had used a photograph as a reference to create this work. After applying washes... View the painting☛

Still Life - Mangoes 

Mango is as delicious as it makes a great subject for painting. The golden yellow color of the ripe mangoes juxtaposed against the blue drapery... View the painting☛ 

Indian Ink Abstracts

Though most of my work is rooted in realism, I did attempt at abstraction occasionally for the sheer pleasure of execution. Bringing out an idea, without the compulsion of having to create the exact imagery is truly liberating... View the painting☛

Folk Festival

Kolattam (கோலாட்டம்) is a folk dance form performed with a pair of colourful sticks. This art form is usually performed by girls and women for a fortnight following Diwali festival, which culminates in a grand finale called ‘kolatta Jothrai’...View the painting☛

Attempt at Abstraction

Imprint – During my childhood, I was fascinated by the simple lifestyle of people living in our village. Even those who lived in a hut had natural artistic impulses expressed through the ways in which they decorated their homes.... View the painting☛

Waiting at the door step...

Children often look forward to their parents’ return from work, at times awaiting for some goodies or simply to enjoy their company. If a parent is away for a long time...  View the painting☛

Radha Krishna  - Madhubani style

Mithila or Madhubani painting is a style of painting practised in some regions of Indian state of Bihar. This ancient art of wall painting is used to decorate the house on festivals and other special occasions such as marriage, child birth etc... View the painting☛

Story of Lord Ganesha – Madhubani Style

Lord Ganesha, the elephant headed God, is a very popular among Hindus. He is also known as ‘Vigneshwar’, one who removes the obstacles in the lives of his devotees and ‘Ganapathy’, leader of celestial beings or ‘Ganas’... View the painting☛

Art Prevails

While volunteering at one of the galleries exhibiting Indian folk paintings as part of an ‘Art Festival’, I had encountered this scene and made a quick on-site sketch. Different art forms such as ‘Madhubani’, ‘Pattachitra’, ‘Rajsthani miniature paintings’ etc... View the painting☛

Portrait of a Woman

Pastels make a versatile medium, especially dry pastels. They are useful in creating realistic portrayal of the subject, more so when you blend the colors with your fingers! I enjoy... View the painting☛

Gaze (பார்வை)

For the exhibition on ‘Mother and child’, I selected those candid moments that capture the essence of motherhood for my compositions. This work titled ‘Gaze’ depicts a baby looking over the mother’s shoulder, gazing at the outer world... View the painting☛

Brothers

Art is not always about capturing beauty. More than a decade ago, I was deeply disturbed by a photograph published on a magazine or paper...View the painting☛

Feeding Mother

Feeding mother was created for the exhibition titled ‘Mother and Child’, way back in 2002. I had chosen to depict ordinary activities that bring out the tenderness... View the painting☛

Barcode

One of the many consequences of globalization is the commodification of life itself, which is a very disturbing trend. I wanted to depict my reaction to this issue...View the painting☛

Dawn and Dusk

I have always found that silhouette can present a scene powerfully at times. Nonetheless, it is not always easy to get a silhouette painting right. Here are two silhouette paintings... View the painting☛

Peeping out...

In southern India, traditionally children sleep in a ‘thooli’ (தூளி), which is nothing but a cloth, tied to a wooden rod hung from the ceiling with a rope. It is somewhat like a hammock...View the painting☛

Waves

Chennai city has the longest beach in India and naturally, the sea has been an inspiration for creative pursuits. I have always been tempted to capture the energy of the waves...View the painting☛

Procession

Indian ink is a versatile medium and I like experimenting with it on different supports. This drawing of the 'procession' depicting a king carrying a scepter ...View the painting☛

Bangle Seller (வளையல் வியாபாரி)

Bangles (வளையல்) form an important accessory to an Indian woman's attire. Traditionally, other than gold bangles women wore bangles made of glass, lac... View the painting☛

Random Facial Study

For the first time, I have painted using Wacom Pen & Touch tablet, though earlier attempts at sketching have been successful. I have used Art Range Lite programme... View the painting☛

Dancers

Ink is a versatile medium;  nonetheless difficult to manipulate. In this painting...View the painting☛

Fruits and vegetables on a carpet

Stillife always provide a means to study various forms. It indeed helps to study individual elements before starting to work...  View the painting☛

Still Life - Flower Vase

Still life is the best method to study different elements, and it helps the artist to hone his/her skills. I wish to share a few still life studies of flower vase using different media... View the painting☛

Cuddle up!

Yet another painting displayed in the exhibition on the theme "Mother and Child". Executed with Indian ink on textured paper using... View the painting☛

Woman with a veil

I have been going through my sketchbooks and found some interesting sketches, which I wish to share on this platform. Many-a-time, I tend to sketch... View the painting☛

Cat on the wall

I like cats and have executed a few paintings of cats of different colors and sizes. This one is an attempt to create a composition comprising a cat as an element... View the painting☛

Figure Drawing

This was a live study done during my art course. Pencil drawing done more than a decade ago! I found it among my course material. I like this work as it was... View the painting☛

Boom Boom Maadu (பூம் பூம் மாடு)

Boom-boom maadu (பூம் பூம் மாடு) is an ox that nods its head based on the instructions from its master known as boom-boom maatukaaran (பூம் பூம் மாட்டுக்காரன்)....View the painting☛

Madhubani Motifs - Animals, Birds and Aquatic Forms

Madhubani style provides scope for creating forms in your own perspective. Line and color can be blended effectively to create magic... View the painting☛

Contemplation

A pencil drawing done as a preliminary study for the composition titled ‘Nostalgia’....View the painting☛

Mother and sons

Tribal outfits and jewellery are colourful and fascinating. I enjoy depicting these elements in my works whenever possible. This painting of a tribal woman... View the painting☛

Woman Fetching Water

I found this drawing of a "woman carrying a bucket of water" in my sketch book. This was done way back in 2003. In the background of ....View the painting☛

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