91.44cm X 91.44cm, on Masonite board, oil paint
This painting was made as a partner to the one I made of Rahul, her husband. Both paintings were made when they were engaged to be married. These paintings are intended to hang across from each other. Their eyes are supposed to meet and see each other.
As I was making this painting, I consulted Sharika to see how she would react to the painting and also to take advice. This was a collaborative effort and she approved of my vision.
The painting of Sharika says a lot about her. Like with Rahul, it is almost as if my subconscious was feeling and seeing things that I did not know about my own daughter, and that she didn’t know about herself. But time has a way of clarifying things. These paintings were made 17 years ago and a great deal has happened since then. My inner eye saw everything before I could understand.
Look at her, she is very beautiful and quite sexy with a sort of animal wildness as if she is about to pounce. Her skin is flawless, and her hair glows copper with hints of gold. The golden girl!
Sharika’s eyes grip and hypnotize those who look at her, but in the painting her eyes show disquiet and anxiety. Her mouth is slightly open as if she is about to say something, with a tendency to say inappropriate things at unexpected moments . I am quite happy with this painting because it is typical of the way I make portraits. The interesting challenge for me is to go beyond a superficial reflection of physical reality and go deeper.
My mother, who is a tapestry weaver, really liked this painting. She made a beautiful tapestry based on it that is just the same size as the original. It is included here.