For as long as I remember, I have always wanted to paint. In Africa, at the age of 6, I started out by etching caricatures on enamel walls - with my nails! I later graduated to sketching portraits of classmates, and then having my first art exhibition in high school. A high point then, was getting accepted into a premier art college in India, from which I graduated with a gold medal amongst many other honors .

Life, however, has a way of taking its own detours and we of taking life's gifts for granted. It was not until I was in a near-fatal car accident that I realized the preciousness of life - just every day moments and the people they encompass. After a hiatus of 12 long years, I once again picked up my brushes.

My God series was done at a very trying time in my life when my health failed me. These paintings, done after much research, are a simplified version of the images that came to me. Each image is done differently. I indulged myself and left the treatment of the subject to pure mood and emotion. The process was very therapeutic as I gave myself full freedom to create. "Saraswati" was a musical inspiration. I was exposed to the essence of Hindustani Classical Music through my daughter and it flowered into a soothing and calm Saraswati.

Having lived on three different continents, at different stages in my life, has also left its indelible mark on my work. My painting style is figurative expressionism as people are my primary focus with an essence confluent of these three continents. The simplicity reflected in my work is the influence of African art. The vibrant colors are Indian in heritage, while my approach to subject matter is Western in outlook, California being my home now.