LK Gupta

BIO

I was born in India to middle class parents. Raised and schooled in new Delhi, I eventually did an MBA and pursued corporate jobs as a marketing professional for almost 30 years.

While still working, 12 years ago, I taught myself to draw color pencil portraits by watching. YouTube videos. Since as a kid I was good at drawing faces wth graphite pencils, using color pencils for portraits was a smooth transition for me. To expand my horizons, after retiring from corporate work, I went to an art school to do a diploma in fine art; that is where I learnt to do oil painting. I love getting into details - things that many people may not even notice. And pencils allow me the freedom to go as deep as I want to into big and small details. It is the details that pull people in towards my artwork to see more, watch more closely.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

If not for human emotions the world would be just a bland mix of colored chalk. Humans express themselves via nuances of how they carry themselves – how they sit, the gesture of a finger, placing of a hand, their attire and ornamentation. My art is an examination of these human forms and moods. Through my art I wish to gaze at the grace, the dignity, and vulnerabilities of people by veering away from traditional portraiture.

As a medium, colored pencils allow me to work on details and bring a true-to-life quality that can evoke myriad emotions. These details are what make a viewer want to touch it, feel it, get closer to the subject.