Serrano Gallery presents the TENants Show!

Thursday February 11, 6-9PM

Venue: 2000 Edwards, Houston TX 77007

Ten artists get together in one evening and present some fantastic works in the most unique fashion!!! I don't want to give much away but shipping crates are being used as surfaces to exhibit the works. Come by and see this impressive show by a select few picked by the Serrano Gallery.

Blue Rapids-Where The Wild Things Are, 60 x 40 inches, Acrylic Paint on Canvas

Light bites and Wine!

Cheers!

Where Have I been?

You know what they say about the right time for everything. Well, seems like for the past three years, the right time to write was taking a break:)

It's a New Year and so my resolve to continue my blog has become stronger this year. Much to write, but too may thoughts criss crossing and trying to all spew out at the same time.

My work has taken most of my time, I am happy to report. I have grown the wealth of experience the past few years. My new studio is at Silver Street Studios now. My previous studio will always be my first love but change is good. I was a member of the Artist Advisory Committee for the first year when I first moved to this studio and then have been curator for their shows since then.

My personal work has grown in leaps and bounds. The last series that I released In New York in 2015 was a huge success. I took my circles in a different direction than before and experienced that satisfaction.

I won second place at the Muir Fine Art Gallery's Mural Exhibition Contest in 2015 at the City Centre in Houston. And this earned me a show Muir Gallery scheduled to be held on February 4, 2016. Click on the link below to RSVP!!!

http://themuralproject.wix.com/houston

Time has flown but not without notice:) Much was done and there is much to be done. Will keep you posted about future endeavors this year. Please cross your fingers for me!

New Studio:

2000 Edwards,

Studio 322,

Houston TX 77007

Bound No More

'Bound No More' Painting commissioned by The Mission at Serenity Ranch.

One morning, Monica Erickson met me at a Starbucks and told me about this amazing organization that was fighting against human trafficking in Houston and further. That got my attention and she asked me if I would make a painting for this event and it can be auctioned on stage. The stories she told me about the very real problem of trafficking in my local city caught me by surprise!!!

It upset me, it made me think. I wanted to do something, maybe little but nevertheless something. 

So, I said yes to Monica....she is also super persuasive I tell you:)

"I want this girl to walk away from the dark, leave it behind her and walk towards the sunshine, release a dove, break away from her shackles, look towards a promising new life....and wear a red gown", she said:) Simple right? But figurative work is always fun for me. So, I said a big yes!

It felt very good to be on stage, give thanks to Cheryl the founder of MSR and a former sex slave. I did something worthwhile through my work, I spread the word, talked to as many people as I could about the immediate awareness that is necessary to keep our children safe.

It felt good.

Cheers!

 Evening of Art and Design

After a year's work of scheduling and finding the right opportunity  I was able to collaborate with my friend Libby and her office Kimball Office to have a joint event at my Studio. It was an amazing evening and it just seemed too short:) I had a good time seeing my patrons and Kimball's designer clients carousing through the evening. The chairs that they brought in complemented the art so beautifully, it was meant to be.
And I must say there is a strong team working behind me to make sure my work gets the attention, thank you Jonathan and Lindsay!

Press about Anita Varadaraju

Cheers!

Black & White

October is keeping me on my toes! Come see me and 13 other artists at this amazing Black & White show at Hungrys!

Hungry's cafe

2356 Rice Blvd, Houston TX 

Opening on October 7, 2012 from 4PM - 8PM!

Believe me, this is a fun event and the works that are exhibiting here are phenomenal! The works show there until October 31, 2012.

Cheers!

FSAM - October 2012

Come see me at the First Saturday Arts Market on October 6, 2012!

548 W. 19th St, Houston TX 

October 6, 2012, 11AM - 6PM

Cheers!

Solo @ Mo Mong!

Opening October 4, 2012, 6-9 PM

Complimentary Hors d'oeuvres

So this is going to be my prelude to The Afternoon of Escapism that will be held on October 20 at John's Gallery. This year has been all kinds of everything:) It has been a year of learning, of achieving, of believing. So come by and talk with me about all that you want to know about my year. I will be more than happy to give you an insight :)

See you there!

Cheers!

Caught in a the whirlwind!

So everyone knows by now that I am an Escapist because well, I never seem to stop talking about it these days:) But the one thing that makes it so interesting is this constant flurry of activity that does not slow, ever!
Now the whole concept is based on how much one wants to get from the program. Which I think is brilliant because then one really experiences a paradigm shift in their thinking. It is no more about procrastination and excuses, it is time to play and play hard.
Every time I come up with an idea, it is received with much vigor and in turn I am made to understand the different dimensions of the idea. Bird's evey view isn't the only cool view....one just has to learn to look:)
I have not written in a while and this is why. I am kept on my toes constantly and I am loving it! John Palmer has this ability to explain things in an adaptive manner meaning he talks to me like I want to be talked with, makes me completely comfortable and then very laughingly asks absolute specific details about progress on the last meeting. Yep, on my toes...always:)
Mind you, there is another mentor in the program who is the equivalent of one's backbone. Ryan Lindsay makes me do my homework! Yes, I am sure it makes all my teachers proud but I would like to think there is no one in my adult life who can make me do that, free will and all!!! The funniest part is that he has never told me to strictly follow the diet rules, always said to follow what feels right to me and my way of working but eventually I want to show him my homework and get that A! There are very few people who have his kind of strength....I am glad he is using his powers for the good of mankind!
I am beginning to feel the change in me though, as an artist, as a business person. My mind seems to digest a lot more than it usually did. I notice more about what is around me. I feel ok talking about my work and not feeling like I should keep it short:)

Cheers!

9 Oz

The first assignment John Palmer gave us as part of the 2012 Escapism program was to build a sculpture that shows what we feel the program will do for us.

This being my first attempt at anything sculptural, it was not only exciting but intriguing. So I hunt for found objects in places I am most familiar with - my studio and my pantry:)

Hence the paint can and the weighing scale.

The sculpture sits on a plain cardboard box that has a small clock base in the bottom. The significance? I confidently sold clocks with my paintings on them to experiment with selling art for the first time in 2009.

The weighing scale is John & Ryan. The paint can is my career. The significance? The creators of Escapism  will measure my career constantly this year and tell me if I am under utilizing myself or if I am overdoing something.

Everything is in white because to me it maintains the sanctity of my thought without distracting from it.

My journey is a continuous present and will be a propelling future.

The scale will measure and the paint can will ever be flowing.



No Entry

Sometimes there is so much inside me, it gets very hard to translate it all into a readable sequence. January was a packed month for me. My mom started her vacation with us in January. My kids have been in a constant state of being pampered since then :)
School started at Glassell, I am just taking one class this semester. Have I told you I love going to school!:)
Then I came to know that I was selected as one of the finalists in to Escapism Movement, Artist John Palmer's Mentorship Program!!!! As usual, my excitement knew no bounds. Believe me, I sound very mellow now but then when I got the news, I could not feel my feet. Gravity was a joke:) Then the final interview was scheduled for the last week of January.
Open Studio happened and the first painting from my Mystique Series sold to this absolutely talented patron who understood my work and my heart almost just burst with pride.
The same weekend as my interview, my uncle was visiting to see Mom. It was so endearing to see my family leave me alone because they wanted me to concentrate completely on the interview. I couldn't ask for more:)
The same evening after the interview, I got the news that I was selected! Celebrated the evening with family and friends who were also visiting from out of town. I was in heaven that evening!!!! So much love and so many hugs..

First Solo of 2012!

So come on by and enjoy this evening with me! I promise there will new works to entice you:)

Cheers!

Happy New Year!

New year's rolling in and its already been 5 days! So, there are tons of must-dos that I have thought about. How many actually get done is entirely dependent on the weather:)
Professionally, I would like to be a step above where I was in 2011. And learn! That seems to be the driving force behind all that I do. I want to learn more, I want to read more, I want to remember more...thats the key. I read a lot but the retention is questionable:)

So, what am I in 2012?
1. Artist Extraordinaire in my little studio,
2. Treasurer for Artists Alive & Well art group,
3. Student at Glassell,
4. Personal artist for all my patrons,
5. Good supporter of other artists and friends,
6. General go-getter of all things art!

Well, this is what I can confirm for now. Anything else that gets added, I will keep you posted!
In the meantime, my paints and I need to have a quick meeting..

Cheers!

My Solo at Method!

So, I finally get my Solo this year! And it is at this absolutely beautiful boutique called Method in the 'oh!so tempting' Rice Village:) I remember moving to Houston and sitting at Ruggles in the village and wondering what it would be like to be a part of the village community. I still wonder but I am glad they are accepting my work and appreciate it enough to give me this opportunity.

So please come and visit the opening reception at the boutique on December 9th and help me dream:)

Method Houston

2437 University Blvd,

Houston, TX

Date: December 9, 2011

Time: 7-9 PM

Art Crawl Pictures!

Here's the link to a fantastic time at the Art Crawl 2011!

http://www.facebook.com/TheColorsByAnita

Enjoy!

My first! Being Co Chair :)

So besides the Open Studio at Hardy & Nance St, Artists Alive and Well gave me my first show in the City of Houston. I have been a part of them since Jan this year and you know what..no regrets. I think it is important as beginners to have a little faith. I chose to participate in most of AAW's shows and attend their meetings every month. And now I was asked to co chair a show for them! And what a beautiful place the venue is...Texas Tuscan Furniture on W Gray has some of the more intense pieces I have ever seen. Furniture made from reclaimed wood from all over the world, this place is a perfect match for art!

So I am busy attending to all matters that Co Chairs attend to and invite you to come join us for an evening of temptation:) (shopaholics know what I mean)

Texas Tuscan Art Show and Sale

1302 W Gray St

Houston TX

Dates: Oct 25 - Nov 12, 2011 

Opening reception on October 25, 2011

Time: 6-9 PM

Cheers!

OPEN STUDIO TIME!

ADDRESS: 902 HARDY ST, HOUSTON, TX
DATE: OCTOBER 15, 2011
TIME: 1-5 PM

Cheers!

Fascination

So I have been on a journey to read up more about artists that I like and that influence creators on a daily basis. This week's fascination is Paul Klee. It is amazing to see how much difference Klee has made to the entire constitution of modern art. It seems like the more I read about him, the more there is to him.
He had a problem with color in the initial years of his career. Born to musicians, he was also a musician at heart. But like most artists, he was good at more than one channel of creation. He never gave up on finding color.
He kept in-depth journals of his works and ideas. I struggle with this part of my work. I carry all my ideas in my head and at the end of a series, I risk losing my idea at the start of the series. Even at school that is the one thing that my instructor-with-a-cool-french-name keeps insisting I should do. Make short notes, make small drawings, keep an account of your works.
So my lesson for the day, START A WORK JOURNAL.
So much to learn from the masters....

First Day at School...

 For as long as I can remember, I have been a student. Always end up in school sooner or later:) And so now I am enrolled at the Glassell School of Art. I have been meaning to do it for a while but this semester seemed like a winner. So the first day was fun and the Professor very interesting. We got a long break in the middle of the class and took full advantage, all of us walked it down to the nearest cafe and talked art...ah! and of course there is art all around, I mean even on the roads, here look........

New Studio Pictures!

I love my new space...so much bigger, loads of display space and an awesome easel set in the wall.
Picture time! Before and after..........

Before! Setting up...

Entertainment during set up:)

Finally, the studio looks fresh and cool.

Cheers!

New Studio! Open Studio!

Hey all!
I have changed studios! I am still in the same building at Hardy & Nance...just moved from # 24 to # 21.
And open studio is this weekend! So come check out my new space and yes, new series of works!!!!!!

Cheers!

New space:

902 Hardy St, # 21

Houston:)