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

Hi Nithya, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I am a self taught painter who has learnt most of my craft by trial and error. In the last few years I have taken some online workshops, but my initial craft was all self taught. I used to hang out for hours on artist forums and have a look at art from all over the world. I am privileged to live in a place with great access to the best museums in the world. I love looking at art, especially those very different from my own. I always carry a sketchbook and pencil in hand, sketch anything that I see. All of this helps in my learning process. Developing a strong work ethic and discipline goes a long way in speeding up one’s learning.

I think the most important skill to have, apart from endless curiosity, is an open mind and detached attachment to your work. Both are learned skills in my opinion and you can consciously train yourself to do better. I do not tie myself to a single genre of painting, I am open to trying anything new. I tried a lot of different media like coloured pencils, oil pastels, acrylic paints and even scratchboard art, before zeroing in on my favourite oil paints. We as artists put a lot of ourselves into our work and it is deeply personal. However, practicing a detached attachment helps us look at our creations more objectively and evaluate ourselves better.

The main obstacle for me personally has been my geographic location. I live in Germany, where there aren’t many workshop opportunities like in North America. I think attending in-person workshops with master artists would’ve definitely accelerated my learning.

Nithya, 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?

I am Nithya, a representational artist living in Germany. I paint simple still lifes inspired by everyday items in my pantry and at home. I have been drawing and doodling forever, and painting professionally for over 12 years now. I work with oil paints and more recently with water based gouache paints too. I am also an avid sketcher and love sketching people and places that I visit. My best travel pictures are in my sketchbooks and I treasure them greatly.

My goal as an artist is to create something extraordinary from seemingly ordinary subjects and to make my viewers aprpeciate the everyday beauty around them. My collectors love my bold markmaking and vibrant use of color, it is what makes my work special.

My mission is to be the best painter I can be and also share my knowledge and make it accessible to others. I love to teach and I am beginning to teach other artists.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I have been interested in the arts, drawing and painting ever since I can remember. However, I was more of a hobby painter who painted whenever she got the time. I dabbled in a lot of different media and genres without any clear goals in mind.

All that changed ten years ago, when I suddenly lost my mother when she was still in her 50s. It shook me to the core and made me acutely aware of my own mortality. I also had two little kids at that point, my younger one not even a year old. However, I made it a habit to paint every single day and every single free minute I could find. I sought out tutorials and mentors, started working with more focus to improve very specific areas of my craft.

Even on days when I cannot setup my easel and everything, I pick up a sketchbook or even the iPad for a quick digital study. I made the creative habit the focus of my entire life and I am truly proud of how far I have come.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission as an artist is twofold – firstly, I want to be the best painter that I can be and for that I work relentlessly on my craft.

Secondly, my goal is to help and enable other artists, especially women who are short of time to pursue art. As women, we easily let life get in the way and before we realise age catches up. Women face a lot of unique challenges in this world and many of them do not get to follow their creative dreams, even though they’d love to. I would really like to help such women, be their champion and enable them to do what they desire.

I hold a thriving career in Technology, apart from being an artist. If I can do it, so can anyone else and I’d love to help.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nithyaswaminathan.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nithyaswaminathanart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NithyaSArt/

Image Credits
All images are my own.