Sharmila Thapar

As a globe-trotter for over three decades, Sharmila Thapar has lived abroad in 8 countries and travelled through many others. Her professional accomplishments include two successful tenures as a business consultant with the Punjab, Haryana & Delhi Chambers of Commerce & Industry and also with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry.

Sharmila has seen the sun rise and set in various continents. After soaking in the hues and nuances of different cultures – from the souks of Egypt in Africa to the golden sands of the Middle East and the vast open spaces of North America to the blue waters of the Caribbean, the Maestros of Italy to the Mosaics in the Levant, she has expressed herself in acrylics, oil paints, watercolors, mosaic, gouache, découpage, clay firing and paper burn. Sharmila uses painting, clay firing, decoupage and other art forms as a medium of expression not only for her emotions but also to encapsulate some of the current issues such as global peace, conflict, anxiety, celebration and other such moods. Alternating freely between the tangible and the abstract, Sharmila prefers vividness and vibrancy for projecting her thoughts.

Her multicultural exposure, interaction and engagement with various cultures is subtly articulated in her various creations – whether landscapes, portraits, clay models, charcoal sketches, or simply flowers in a natural or man-made setting. What is most striking of course, is her skilful playing with colours in the abstract. According to her, colours as an inanimate medium, get a voice when put together, in any and every combination. She believes the dullness of certain aspects of everyday life can be minimized by wearing and using colours in tones that bring out the best in a person.