Pratima Misra

The beautiful forms and colors of nature have always fascinated me and have inspired me to create paintings of landscapes, flowers and trees. Growing up in India, I saw my mother paint folk-art designs at various festivals; this inspired me to make my own creations of Nature. After completing my Doctoral research in Geography, my passion for art continued to grow. The artist in me wanted to experiment with a variety of other subjects and styles.

I am a self-taught artist. I started off painting primarily in oil and then gradually extended my creativity to watercolors. I was attracted to the wonderful fluidity and softness of watercolors. Over the last few years, I started painting on Yupo paper also – which has fascinated me as it gives very colorful and vibrant results.

Nature and its glorious beauty are my source of inspiration. I feel a personal connect whenever I make a painting about nature. This experience is a great source of mental relaxation to me. I try to share my feelings by expressing them in my paintings.

I had the opportunity to travel extensively in India, Italy and US. The beauty of each place has left a deep impression on me and is reflected in my paintings. I have attended numerous watercolor workshops and got trained under Bharat Pandya, Marta, Ference Besze and Jane Hofstetter. I am also a member of Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. Many of my paintings are in private collections.