Artist's Bio

Born in India, Kartik is an Indo-Canadian artist. He grew up in Baroda, Gujarat and Mumbai and it is there that he began his love with sketching observing his architect uncle making building plans and designs. In school, his genuine nature asserted itself and Kartik started sketching portraits for which once he got awarded to make a portrait of great Mahatma Gandhi. Kartik became a management graduate instead of an artist. He graduated in 1992 and in few years progressed in his career path to Dubai. In his professional role of Business Development Kartik traveled to several countries of Africa, Middle East and Far East where he got exposed to the rich history, distinctive art, and cultural heritage. He was inspired by the uniqueness of nature, wildlife, architectural designs, and artifacts.

Kartik received his Master’s in Marketing from UK in 2009 and have made Mississauga, Ontario his home since then. Though he makes a living through sales job Kartik continues to live his passion for art using a variety of mediums like acrylics, oil, charcoal and clay on paper & canvas. Kartik’s art show originality of his thoughts and notions about life. His motivation towards painting comes from his fascination to nature and the remarkable colours it generates. Paintings by Vincent Van Gogh and MF Hussain are his all-time favorites. He adores hearing and playing the retro and latest Bollywood music.  His forte is portraits, horses, semi-abstract and still life. Kartik’s art is displayed in several private and corporate collections.

Statement

As an artist, I challenge myself to develop paintings that speak both to me and to others about the beauty that exists in the nature around us. Part of my process before I begin painting is to observe the intricacies of what I would paint and imagine it in vivid colours that I am about to recreate on canvas. I do not merely want to capture the image with my brushes; rather, with careful, colorful strokes, I want to give life new meaning.
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The work in my horse series with oil on canvas arise organically from making a clay model of a horse and painting distinctive positions with bright and light colour schemes. My horse figures give a mix of real and mystical images inspired by nature and its behavior. I combine the apparent world with illusory imaginations and give them abstract shapes, lines, and colours that suddenly comprise a recognizable figure.
 
I have had the good fortune to live in three countries (India, UAE, and Canada) for a number of years and travel to more than 25 countries where the light, sky, general landscape, people their culture and architecture are all so unlike though captivating. My work is inspired by this beauty which is around me everywhere all throughout and is morphed onto canvas, and/or paper. More recently, my work has focused on my own interior landscape, guided by my intuition and emotion.
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The trees of Serengeti ecosystem in Kenya &Tananzia, the cultural blend and architectural designs of Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque in Istanbul, the Persian gardens and pavilions of Tehran, not to forget the Giza pyramids, Luxor temples and Petra. Also, the Balinese temples influenced by Hindu elements and Pagoda towers seen in Thailand, China and Japan attracted him the most.
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