We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Vasu Tolia a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Vasu thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I discovered art as a vocation after retiring from a very fulfilling and successful medical career. I started to learn some basics about drawing and painting. As a beginner, making art was not easy at all, and I discovered that painting was more of my forte than drawing. It took a few years for me to begin seeing all the nuances necessary to create a satisfactory painting. I started with realism in nature and with the elephant headed Indian demi-god, Ganesha. This was only appropriate because he is the first one to be revered at every beginning in Indian culture. I dared to have two solo shows in the beginning of my journey and I feel that was one of the times when I believed that I was cutout to be more than just a hobbyist, I wanted to explore all kinds of painting techniques, experiment with different styles before I settled on any niche. So I joined local organizations, started entering juried group shows locally and online nationally. I created a website and have not looked back from this decision. After winning a few best of shows, sales and commissions, I knew I was on the right path to fulfill my passion for creativity professionally as a visual artist.

Vasu, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Following a very successful medical career, I was drawn to visual arts after retirement. After learning some basics, I am mostly self-taught now from experimentation and imagination. My personal niche is in depicting humanity, nature, current events and healing arts. I love to portray human figures, especially stories of women in various roles in representational or abstracted forms. I champion women’s rights for equality at every stage of their lives. I use shapes, lines, vibrant colors and layering on my substrate. I am evolving from representational to abstract painting by transitioning from likeness to a new vagueness that is very liberating. I use acrylics and mixed media.

I work on a theme with a series of paintings to convey unique stories which transform the ordinary into something special. My vibrant paintings vary in size and style and I create a mystery around the subject to make a distinctive impression in the viewer’s eye. My paintings are very appropriate for Healthcare settings.

I write poems on different prompts and more recently on my own artwork because Ekphrastic poetry is so open to different interpretations. One of my own painting was chosen by the teacher as an Ekphrastic poetry prompt, and it was mind blowing to hear many different interpretations of that artwork. It was a journey into unchartered spaces, I heard previously unheard and unthought versions about the emotions I poured in that piece.

I created 22 artworks of erasure poetry as artworks for my solo show, “A Symphony of Sentiments” in Aug 2022.

I frequently participate in group exhibitions and belong to several art groups. I had three solo exhibitions until now and have two scheduled in September of 2023. I have won many awards every year, including several best of shows, first, second, third prizes and honorable mentions. One of my paintings on Covid was listed amongst 20 best paintings by Washington Post. This painting was solicited by CDC for the cover of the December 2022 issue of their journal, ‘Emerging Infectious Diseases’. I’ve been featured in several blogs, interviews, YouTube and my art has been published in several magazines. My work has been adapted by a gallery to create lifestyle products. Baker College has purchased three of my artworks for their Royal Oak campus in MI. One of my paintings is in Henry Ford Hospital in Macomb location. My works are in many private collections and I have done several commissions.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

An important mission on my creative journey is to build bridges across cultures and make inter and cross- generational connections via my artworks. I’d love to come across as a naturalized US citizen of Indian origin, who practices contemporary art which is not limited to only Indian subjects, but presents an entire spectrum of art that is as diverse as by anyone anywhere. I should be able to represent my Indian American experience my way. While I am very proud of my rich cultural heritage, I find that only painting topics representing classic Indian costumes or other ethnic portrayal does not get me far. My immigrant story is intimately woven into my assimilation is local scene. So for me to make artworks on other contemporary topics with a touch of my culture should not surprise anyone. Other commonalities like depicting stories to advocate for justice, diversity and tolerance will tie people of diverse ethnicities.

So my goals are
– to leave my footprint on this earth by becoming an established artist
– to use my imagination to produce unique artworks
– to stimulate the imagination of the viewers
– to bring joy to the viewers
– to empower the society by responding positively to a concept
– to educate the viewers about what they may not have thought of about pressing societal issues

Such endeavors will broaden the horizons and observation skills of the viewers to grasp the details for evaluating situations from a new perspective, a different point-of-view.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being creative is feeling a sense of achievement. Art devours me as completely as medicine did, and gives me similar highs and lows. It is a huge priority in my life as it is my form of expression in a meaningful way. My message maybe to tell a story that needs telling, make a political statement or capture a simple moment beautifully on the canvas. Making art trumps almost everything.

My imagination unlocks a hidden world of possibilities – I can make a character do what I want. I can create an entire world that is wild, imaginary but most importantly, my vibes and perceptions are in this visual expression. It speaks more than any words, I find it to be a perfect medium to convey my thoughts on the subject I portray. It is not a flashy tool, but a vehicle to boost my self-esteem, to nurture my soul and motivate me to become better at it everyday. It is an all-round workout for my brain helping me focus, coordinate, imagine, think strategically and improve my perseverance. It is also relaxing for me and cancels out all other noise, like an addiction.

I am more alive when a new idea hits me. Starting a new theme is like focusing on a new research project from my past. I potentially seek a venture from everything I see by attention to details and recreating it in my own way.

Contact Info:

• Website: vasutolia.art
• Instagram: @toliavasu
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vasutolia
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/

Image Credits
Images are my own.