Pritika Chowdhry
medium: painting
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Contact information
114 Meadow Ridge Lane
Madison, WI 53704
Email Address: pritika1@sbcglobal.net
Web site: www.pritikachowdhry.com
Artist statement
In the last couple years, my imagery has become increasingly self-representational. It has become a powerful bridge to examine certain traumatic life experiences from my past. I grew up in a culture in which even talking about these events was taboo. Painting about them has finally given me a way to break the silence.
This process of seeking resolution through dialogue and artistic imagery has been very effective in acknowledging and healing--myself and others, I hope--with art as the vehicle. It has taught me much about myself and those who have suffered similar trauma. I have watched myself on this journey and observed how each step has changed both me and my paintings. It is my hope that this imagery also provides an arena for my viewer to find her own pain and take a step towards healing.
My style has become increasingly more realistic and I find myself studying the works of baroque artists like Caravaggio and Artemisia Gentileschi. Of the more contemporary artists, I have been looking at the works of Lisa Bartoluzzi, Julie Heffernan and Eric Fischl. I have also been researching painting techniques of northern Renaissance artists.
I have been showing my work publicly since early 2003 and have had modest success as an exhibiting local artist. It has been very gratifying, to say the least.
Biography
I was born and brought up in a traditional middle-class family in India. The two things I was good at in school were math and art. Growing up as a woman in India, I was very conscious of the importance of being financially independent. Therefore, at that time, I made the choice of becoming a computer engineer. It has given me a successful first career and most importantly, the resources to lead a life of my own volition. In 1999, I moved to America with my husband. Since then, I started painting again in earnest. I sincerely believe that moving to America was pivotal in this respect.
Education:
B.S. in art from the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Studying Dutch/Flemish painting methods with Andrew Conklin at the Palette & Chisel, Chicago, since fall 2004
Studied traditional painting methods with Katherine Wilson at the Art Institute of Chicago in Summer 2004.
Classes and Workshops:
Since summer 2003, I have been organizing figure painting classes and workshops through the continuing education departments of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Edgewood College.
Exhibition History:
I started showing my works in early 2003 and have shown my works in solo and group exhibitions.
Solo Exhibitions:
October 2004, YWCA, Madison, Wis.
June 2004, Art Beat Gallery, Madison, Wis.
September-October 2003, Jackie Macaulay Gallery, Madison, Wis.
August 2003, The Haven Gallery, Sheboygan, Wis.
July 2003, Full Circle Galleria, Madison, Wis.
Group Exhibitions:
October 2004, Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, "Collaborations," Madison, Wis.
December 2003, Art Beat Gallery, Madison, Wis.
October 2003, "War & Peace--Artists' Voices," Gallery 218, Milwaukee, Wis.