Art Is Your Life Long Friend: Meet Pavithra, An Indian Artist Based In New Zealand

While there are many artists who start young, here's an Indian artist who started painting when she was just three years old. Very naughty as a child, her parents didn't believe in telling her what not to do, so instead would give her paint and paper and ask her to spend her punishment time being creative.

Pavithra Devadatta learnt how to paint from her father, her guru. He taught her and all of her siblings to paint. She said, "Whenever I'd do something naughty, instead of punishing me, I would be given paint and paper. Art was a sort of punishment, but I totally enjoyed it"

Pavithra Devadatta, an artist based in New Zealand // Pic credits: Pavithra Devadatta

Pavithra is currently based in Wellington, New Zealand with her husband, and she paints and exhibits her paintings in both New Zealand and India. Recently, she had an exhibition at the VR Mall in Bangalore, where her paintings were displayed for a fundraiser by the Overseas Women's Club. Some of the proceeds from her paintings went were donated to charity. Pavithra paints with water colours, oil colours and also likes to experiment with mixed media.

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When we asked Pavithra about what she likes to paint, she said that she likes human expression the best. Especially when she travels to the rural parts of India. She said that the people in the villages of India really have a "sense of purpose" on their faces. In New Zealand, Pavithra has been enchanted by musicians and buskers. She tells us that it really takes passion and courage to do something like that, to go in front of an unknown audience and just start playing your heart out. Since she was so taken up by the musicians in New Zealand, she did an entire series of paintings on musicians.

Pavithra Devadatta's Paintings // Pic credits: kala.nz

"Art is your life long friend. Start your conversation with your art early.  The grammar of art is important, but don't forget that the real enjoyment lies in self expression. The more brush miles you put in the higher the mastery."

Another one of her series was on Tango, the dance. There are a lot of Tango clubs in Wellington, and Pavithra loves the colours and the dance of Tango. She says she also loves painting nature and is inspired by the vast beauty of New Zealand.

Since for Pavithra it has been a passion ever since she knew it, we asked her what her advice for young artists was. She said, "Art is your life long friend. Start your conversation with your art early.  The grammar of art is important, but don't forget that the real enjoyment lies in self expression. The more brush miles you put in the higher the mastery." A wise and apt statement from an artists who has been mastering art for very many years.

When you love something, and do it with passion, it shows in your work

Pavithra's future plans involve more art. She loves to exhibit in India as well as New Zealand, so she told us, "I plan to continue painting and exhibiting in India every year as I have been doing since 2010." When you love something, and do it with passion, it shows in your work, and that is what Pavithra's passion has shown us. She has had a long withstanding relationship with art, and is still ready to take up more challenges and paint whenever she gets the chance to! This is an inspiration for many young artists today.

Her work is available on her website and you can view it here.

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