We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alpana Mittal. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alpana below.
Alpana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
When I was very young I saw my mother doing her MFA. She used to make beautiful paintings.
At that time I developed my passion for Art. Sketching cartoons and painting became my favorite summer activity. Then my mother started teaching Art classes at home and I used to sit in her class. She used to give me colors and other things to keep me busy so I don’t disturb the class. I remember creating some work in her class. I still have one of those pieces which I created in 1981, it was there at my India home all this time and later I brought it here.
During my BFA, I was very influenced by one of my professors, Ms Swarn Lata Mishra. She was a wonderful artist and person as well. She used to tell stories about her residencies and research etc. That’s where I realized I want to be like her. During that time someone was doing a survey about the students in our college, what their career choices are after the college. That’s where I remember telling them for the first time that I want to be an artist.
Alpana, 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?
My artist journey has been very bumpy. After BFA, my parents wanted me to do a master’s in economics because they thought that would be a good career path for me, so looking at no other choice for me, I did that, than Bachelor of Education. And started teaching. But my heart wasn’t there. Something was missing.
In a few years I got married. Fortunately, my husband was an Art lover, so he never stopped me from creating art when I was doing it at home, painting things to give to friends and family. That kept me in practice. Then I had my son and my daughter. A lot of things were happening. Life got busy but still something was missing. I was doing all my household duties, but I wasn’t happy because this is not what I wanted. I knew I could do a lot more than this. With the engagements of family, friends and household duties I was losing my practice and wasn’t getting time to do any of the artwork, that made me very restless. I used to cry at times thinking this is not what I wanted.
To continue with my artist journey, with the consent of my husband I joined MFA. While my admission was in process, he was sent to the USA by his company for a project. Now I was alone there with my 2- and 4-year-old children. It was a lot of struggles to keep up with family duties and study, keeping up with the class and projects. A lot of times I cried because I wanted to complete what I started, and it was hard to handle. At that point my mother helped me with my children, also my neighbors, since I used to live in a different city altogether, then where my mother lived. It was hard to manage. A few times it came to my mind to quit, then my husband encouraged me to complete it. He said if you quit now then never cry again that something is missing and I want to do this. Then accept this is your life and you will not complain again. I am really appreciative and thankful for what he did during my artist journey. That made me complete my MFA with flying colors, since I knew I won’t be able to live without my Art. I always believed in my heart that I’m on this earth to make some difference somewhere through this medium. God wants me to do something that’s why I can’t stay away from it. Family and Children were my priority; I never compromised with that. But I wanted to understand what my heart wants and go after that, because I always felt I was different. It was just my feeling.
I completed my MFA with flying colors. In the meantime, my husband visited the USA for work many times for his project. In 2000 we came to know that the company he was working for wanted him to stay back in the USA. So, after completing my MFA, I also came to the USA with children. So, what I planned to do in India, everything changed. Again, I had to figure out what next? A few years passed by taking care of family, social life and small projects here and there. But to be called an Artist was still missing.
I am a versatile artist who works with many different mediums. Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor etc. In 2008 I bought an Art kit for my daughter with a box of thousands of beads and one 6 X 6 In peg board. While she was creating small birds and flowers, my mind started creating different patterns on canvas with those beads. When I created my first artwork with those beads, I was thrilled with the outcome. I wanted to explore it more, so I created a whole series with those beads and named it Dream reflections, because they were reflections of my thoughts, which were keeping me up for so long. I felt that this is what I was missing. I felt that I found what I was looking for, for so long. This work is very different from other works because it feels like we place each and every pixel individually by hand to create a photograph. It’s a slow, very calming and meditative process. It takes me to another world While working with it, a world of peace and tranquility. I believe this process is therapeutic and can help people with mental peace like meditation.
In 2010 I joined Certificate in Arts Administration at NYU with a thought to make some connections who can guide what I could do further. In 2013 I participated in an Exhibition happening in our city, organized by Hudson Artists of NJ, JC, at their 60th anniversary, where I received Best in Show. That was my first exhibition in the USA. It was very uplifting. One of my paintings was selected for the Flag Project RC 2022, by the team of Rockefeller Center, United Nations Environmental Program and The Climate Museum, NYC. The flag created with my work was hoisted at the Rockefeller Center for a month in 2022. Instagram. I received many different awards from different organizations in national and international shows.
In 2023, I was an honored listtee of Marquis Who’s Who in America, a biographical collection representing achievers in their respective fields and my biography is included in the 2024 publication.
I had solo shows at prestigious places such as 2019, Serendipity Labs, NYC Financial Center, 2017, Art Expo, NYC, 2016 JCC Art Gallery, Bayonne. My work has also been displayed in group shows, at many prestigious places in the United States, such as 2022, 2025, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, 2024 Novartis Art Gallery, NJ, 2015 Salmagundi Art Club, NYC, 2019 Nassau County Museum, Long Island, 2022 Therese A. Maloney Art Gallery, Saint Elizabeth University, NJ. My work is displayed and published globally in galleries and art fairs.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I think I have a very interesting story about it. When I started this beadwork in 2009, ideas were flowing like water. I created about 7 artworks one after another and they were hanging in my living room, and I used to think what’s next? I need to show it to someone to get some feedback and guidance. I got a reference from a friend for a gallery. So, I got an appointment, and I reached there with my husband because I wanted to make sure that he also believes that it’s very unique work and it’s good.
When the gallery owner saw my work he said to my husband, I appreciate your effort, driving two hours and coming all the way here to show her work but this work is not going to sell. It can give her some recognition in your local community but it’s not art. Then he showed me some of the work he had in his gallery and asked me to create work like that and come back after 6 months. That would have been a sat back for someone, but my heart never believed it. I never stopped believing in what I was doing. I accept, it was not that refined at that time as it is today but still, I loved my work, and I didn’t get affected by that. I kept creating and trying to refine it.
Even out of those pieces my work was selected at many competitions and exhibitions such as Salmagundi Art Club, NYC 2015 and The Center of Contemporary Art, Bedminster in International art competition 2018, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, 2022, 2025, Boomer’s Gallery, London 2021, Euro Art Fair 2024. Looking at my work on Instagram, galleries find my work interesting and want to show it in their shows. So, definitely it’s important how galleries and collectors see my work but it’s very very important what I think about my work.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Initially I had this feeling that there is something inside me and I have to bring it out. I always felt that I was different from others. Everyone around me was highly into great careers and high studies but I wanted to create and help others, that’s what I was.
I grew up in an eco-friendly environment. I don’t remember dealing with any kind of pollution at that time. We drank fresh water coming directly from the earth, and I ate all kinds of fresh fruits from trees. I have experienced nature very closely. I have seen clear skies and stars from my bed at home, it was natural. I never thought one day these things will be so rare that we’ll have to go to the interior places to for camping to see stars.
Looking at today’s environment I want to create a museum of recycled material art. I know a lot of artists who are working in this field and can see all of us come together one day and create that museum which can set an example of using a lot of waste material artistically and beautifully. I wish to see this earth all green again one day when we have a solution to all plastic and other waste material used for some purposeful reason and not lying here and there because we don’t know what better to do with it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tejaswiniart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tejaswini.ap/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tejaswini2006/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alpanamittal/
- Twitter: https://x.com/AlpanaTejaswini
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tejaswiniart6373
- Other: https://singforhope.org/piano/basant-utsav-celebration-of-springhttps://circle-arts.com/member/tejaswini/
https://hmvcgallery.com/artists/tejaswini-alpana-mittal
https://www.proartsjerseycity.org/artist/alpana-mittal/
Image Credits
Rangoli Mittal, Sanjay Mittal, Pulkit Mittal, Alpana Mittal, Jaz Kahlon.