An educator and professional artist, my extensive series of
mixed media paintings on and behind Plexiglas, canvas, paper etc., portray the mental
emotion of happiness as a visual entity through intense colors and
multiple layers of textures that attract light from various angles,
pushing the boundaries of my paintings beyond the confines of a
two-dimensional surface. They are inspired by short-lived garden blooms
and constantly changing seasons in nature, characteristics that
attribute to the ephemeral, fleeting and enticingly beautiful
happiness' "formless form": a phrase I coined to describe my
concept. The hint of circles almost always present in my work signify
the cycle of human life: trying times followed by happy phases in a
positive sense, and of life and rebirth influenced by my roots from
India.


Comments by collectors*:

Says a recent collector of Chitra's painting who is an art connoisseur
and a former staffer of the Indianapolis Museum of Art, "I first met
Chitra when I took her classes at the Indianapolis Art Center. I wanted
a painting by Chitra because I like the feeling her abstract work
evokes. I like the way her paintings make me feel and think; and I like
how she communicates so much with a subtle use of color or a tiny brush
stroke.....There is so much in our world today that can be considered
"negative", that I like art around me that offers hope and that reaches
for joy. For me, her paintings do that"-Alice Irvan, President, AIRvan
Consulting, LLC, Indianapolis U.S.A.


*Her paintings have been described as "tactile works that resonate with
a quiet harmony" and "Simply luxurious" by Manhattan Arts, New York. To
quote from an excerpt from an interview with the artist, "Chitra's
paintings exemplify her love of nature as well as the subjectivity of
each individual's unique pursuit of happiness. Her painting procedure
often entails making mental notes of a scene in nature, including the
lighting, colors, and textures. She then uses these impressions in her
studio to replicate the subject matter in an abstracted form, using
rich physical textures, intense colors, and varied media".

As for continuity, the artist says, "In keeping with my nature theme, I
want to focus on environmentally compatible materials that synchronize
with our concerns on global warming and climate change issues."



Recent public art commissions include the MGM Mirage, Las Vegas (please see below).



Recent publications:



*Article "Paintings give form to the Ephemeral", The Indianapolis
Business Journal, Profile, "Women in Business" April 9-15, 2007



*"Rendezvous Artist" profile July-August 2007 issue, the Indianapolis Star newspaper's Fishers|Geist Magazine



*"Secret Success", Profile, Indianapolis Monthly Home Magazine, Summer issue, July 2006



Career highlights, beginning with the most recent:



2007:



Biography included in the 62nd edition of Marquis' Who's Who in America 2008 released October 2007



Member, Committee on Cultural Diversity Practices, College Art
Association, New York. 2007-2010. (Active member of CAA since 1997
& Member, Services to Artists Committee from 2003-06).



2006:



Solo exhibition, Indianapolis Artsgarden, January 2006



Public Art installation titled "Picture Windows 2006: Urban
Interpretations", July 2006-February 2007, for the Arts Council of
Indianapolis, a project supported by the Indianapolis Cultural
Development Commission.



2005:



Invitational visiting artist lecture at the Royal Academy of Arts, London/RA Schools, October 2005



2004:



Commission for the MGM Mirage, Las Vegas, to create two 4 ft X 6 ft
signed paintings based on two of her 1999 and 2000 originals, on
permanent display in the Conservatory gardens of the Bellagio, Las
Vegas since October 2004.

Contact email: chitraramanathan8@gmail.com

Website: www.in.gov/film/pdf/sourcebook.pdf (2008 Indiana Production Soucebook

www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/yourgallery/artist_profile/Chitra+Ramanathan/4151.htm