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"Fall of Free Expression" (2015)
Watercolor and ink painting depicting the threat to freedom of expression in the world, in society, in culture, and under oppressive governments. This freedom is crumbling and reflected in the shadows of vulnerable, multicolored dominoes. This piece demonstrates use of a vanishing point beyond the page.
“Ovarian Cancer Research Poster” (2023)
Designed for 2023 American Association of Cancer Research (AACR)'s Special Conference on Ovarian Cancer, commissioned by Dr. Kavitha Advikolanu. Title: "What can we learn from a retrospective evaluation of HER2, P53, and P16INK4A protein expression in rare ovarian cancer?" Poster (including flowchart on Clinical Cases, tables on Patient Characteristics and Antibodies used in immunohistochemical analyses) created using Microsoft Powerpoint, Excel. Organized with goal of balancing sprawling text boxes with massive tables. Each section is condensed, taken from Dr. Advikolanu's research paper of the same title.
"Indo-Chinese Classical Dance: Draft" (2024)
Drawn with ink. Each dancer is based on reference photographs of traditional Chinese classical dance costumes and traditional Indian classical dance/music costumes (Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Carnatic). Motifs associated with each culture, including a parasol and a sitar, are included. Each figure's costume, makeup, hairstyle, and accessories is distinct. Figures are arranged and layered on the poster to show people sharing classical arts and cultural spaces with each other. Motifs of the moon and the stages of love, which was the showcase theme, is included to the bottom left (moon phases) and bottom right (small hearts). Symmetry and balance was achieved by keeping figures in parallel poses and parallel colors. Finally, the cursive script used for the description stands in contrast with the showcase information, title, and the dance clubs' names (Mei-Kala). A bold, curved script was used to match the curves and angles of the performers' bodies. See "Indo-Chinese Classical Dance" (2024) to see final version of this poster.
"Crescent Woman" (2014)
Watercolor pencil and ink painting of a woman, inspired by traditional African masks and South Indian Tamil style bottus (spiritual third eyes and marks of which Hindu deity one worships). This features the artist's love for finding and bringing out symmetry with geometric shapes in human faces, namely focusing on crescent, circular, and triangular shapes. Style is also influenced by Bapu, a South Indian Telugu artist who worked with bold colors and continuous lines.
"Peacock Deities" (2020)
Drawn in ink. Commissioned for a couple's anniversary: the wife was named for Vidhya Devi or Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of wisdom (figure on the right); the husband was named for Kumara or Karthikeya, the Hindu god of war (figure on the left). Both Kumara and Vidhya have a peacock as their vehicle, so the peacock was used as a unifying symbol between the figures. Vidhya is shown with lotuses by her ears, carrying a veena, a stringed classical instrument, with a third eye on her forehead to mark her spiritual knowledge. Kumara carries a spear with his father's symbol on his forehead and on the spearhead. They lean towards each other, and the arc of their bodies and their instruments are meant to create a general sense of symmetry with the peacock feathers. They also have halos around their heads. Their limbs are drawn stylistically, in a cartoonish manner. Sharp angles and thick, flowing lines are featured in both their garments.
“Indo-Chinese Classical Dance" (2024)
Drawn with colored pencil and ink based on ink outline (see "Draft" in Poster section of portfolio). Each dancer is based on reference photographs of traditional Chinese classical dance costumes and traditional Indian classical dance/music costumes (Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Carnatic). Motifs associated with each culture, including a parasol and a sitar, are included. A bold, gradient color scheme which suits both cultures was applied to the clothing, hair, and backdrop. Each figure's costume, makeup, hairstyle, and accessories is distinct. Figures are arranged and layered on the poster to show people sharing classical arts and cultural spaces with each other. Motifs of the moon and the stages of love, which was the showcase theme, is included to the bottom left (moon phases) and bottom right (small hearts). Symmetry and balance was achieved by keeping figures in parallel poses and parallel colors. Finally, the cursive script used for the description stands in contrast with the showcase information, title, and the dance clubs' names (Mei-Kala). A bold, curved script was used to match the curves and angles of the performers' bodies.
"Tamilian Grandmother" (2014)
Freehand ink sketch of a South Indian Tamilian grandmother with two nose stud piercings. The style of her bottu/bindi is also associated with Tamil culture. For the sake of the sketch and in a break from the typical bottu/bindi, this design is repeated along the bridge of the nose. The eyes are slender and wing-shaped; the tinge of blue in them represents the onset of old age in a dark eyes. The hair is shown to be white and black, and bursting flowers are tucked behind both of the grandmother's ears. Her necklace is shown in the upper-right of the sketch. A hint of colored pencil was used to color the blue-green in her eyes and in her face. The lips are curved to indicate a hidden smile. This style is influenced by Bapu, a South Indian Telugu artist.
"Chitrakootha Forest Romance" (2023)
Drawn with ink. Figure on the left is a Hindu goddess, Sita Devi, daughter of the earth. Figure on the right is Sri Rama, the Hindu god of the epic "Ramayana." Here, in the Chitrakootha forest, we see Sita playfully stealing Rama's quiver of arrows and twirling one arrow out of Rama's grasp. Rama holds Sita's waist and shoulders his bow. Intricate linework shows the movement of the arrow, leaves and flowers stitched into Sita's skirt, jewelry, and crown, and lotus flowers in Rama's pants. He wears a thread and prayer beads around his body, and the fabric tied around his waist shows his sweeping movement towards Sita. The marks of divinity are on Sita and Rama's foreheads; they are surrounded with halos and hearts. Thicker lines outline key features of their bodies, and their hair is elaborately styled. The thin, simple bowstring is meant to contrast with the details of their garments. Their feet and faces are drawn stylistically, to show loving gazes and surreal beauty.
"Sai Pallavi Portrait" (2022)
Freehand portrait of Telugu film actress, Sai Pallavi. Illustration, made with Adobe Illustrator, is of a close-up from "Shyam Singha Roy (2021)." Sai Pallavi portrays a devadasi, or hereditary practitioner of classical dance, who yearns to be with her beloved Shyam. This portrait aims to capture the character, so very young and yet so very old, gazing into the distance. Hence, her hair is partially black and partially implied to be white via frazzled strands and empty space. The medium is meant to mimic traditional ballpoint pen sketches while utilizing patchwork to create dimension and flow in facial features.
"Untitled" (2016)
Drawn with ink and pencil. This sketch was intended to show the artist's style of interconnected shapes with a human face. Curves, sharp angles, and continuous lines dominate this piece. Thicker shapes mark the lips, brows, and eyes. The eyes themselves are intended to unsettle the viewer with their empty gaze. Pencil was used to fill in the lower lip, eyes, and outline the flower in the hair.
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