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I am a self-taught artist who has slowly evolved. I hadn't formally studied art, but was always interested in painting right since my childhood. I learnt the nuances of art by reading and by observing the works of the masters. I kept experimenting with various techniques to create something absolutely different and eye-cathing.
After studding Science (Biology), I worked 4 years with eminent calendar artists Shri Yogendra Rastogi and Shri Liyaqat Ali. On a professional level, it all started after 1993 as a commercial artist.
In 1995, I started the firm `Time Graphics', under its flag I have designed more than one thousand books for leading publications of India.
It was an instinctive decision to try out paintings. Once I made my choice. I never looked back. As a painter you are free to do the subject matter of your choice. You are free to paint what you feel like. I probably craved for this freedom, and was not ready to be bound by the constraints of the publishing field where you need to consider the publisher profile, the market and what not! You cannot go beyond the brief given to you.
However, my earlier professional experience in these fields contributed to my development as an artist. I had good interaction with kids of various age, schools and social background. This interaction forced me to involve in children and to write scores of Rhymes, Bal Geets and other educational literature for the young ones. Gradually I started writing Geets and Ghazals.
It's just that I unlocked my potential as an artist fully once I took painting as a main. Though it was a risk from the point of view of my career, the sense of freedom and joy that I experience in painting was more precious.
I do some reading and observe the people around me to understand human nature and relationship. These observations and the subsequent ruminations reflect in my painting and poetry.
My work is mostly figurative with presence of some symbols of everyday life and sometime they convey a surrealistic environment. There is a photo-realistic quality to it. I usually prefer watercolours and pastels.
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Artist: melissa piņa 
