Rajesh Saggi is an award-winning painter. This Newark, NJ-based painter has been painting for almost his entire life. He’s a self-taught artist and has always been inspired by nature and the beauty of living things. When he’s not painting, you’ll find him trekking, mountain climbing, and travelling. Here you will learn more about Rajesh Saggi, his creative process and how he goes about painting.
Who is Rajesh Saggi?
Rajesh Saggi was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1967. As a child, he began painting and hasn’t stopped since. This style is influenced by the ancient Indian painters. The artist uses perspective, light, and shade to create his works. Most of his paintings are of everyday objects or representations of nature. He is a graduate of Rutgers University-Newark School of Arts and Sciences, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts.
Throughout his career, Rajesh Saggi has experimented with acrylics and oils. From there, he moved on to other painting mediums, such as watercolor, gouache, and transparency. During his career, he has exhibited his work worldwide, with solo shows in New York, London, and Singapore.
How did he get into painting?
Painting has been an important part of Saggi’s life ever since he was a little kid. He grew up around art, and his parents were both artists. His father was a wood carver, and his mother was a photographer. When Rajesh was a child, he helped his parents around the house by carving and painting wooden toys. His artistic influences grew from childhood onwards.
What is Rajesh Saggi’s artistic process?
Painting is a creative process, so what exactly happens during the creation of a painting is up for interpretation. However, most art experts agree that painting is an emotional process, where the artist’s thoughts and emotions come into play as well as his or her senses.
Saggi’s artistic process for painting is usually very physical. He starts with a drawing or sketch, which is the basis for most of his paintings. From there, he uses his senses to “read” the drawing and create a painting from the elements that he sees. For example, if the drawing is a landscape, he might use sight to “read” the landscape to find the vegetation. Similarly, if the drawing is a figure, he might use touch to “read” the drawing to find the pose and movements of the figure. Once he has the elements “read” correctly, he uses color to “add” details to the drawing.
How does Rajesh Saggi’s work has changed throughout your career?
From the beginning, Saggi’s work was very different from what is shown in the Gallery. His affiliation with the Rutgers University-Newark School of Arts and Sciences, where he studied art, had a significant impact on his life and work. The freedom and autonomy that the artists there were given, as well as the way they were supported, influenced Saggi’s work greatly.
Here are a few examples: When he first started his career, he mostly painted still lifes, landscapes, and portraits. As he gained experience, he started experimenting with other forms of art, such as collage, installation, and printmaking.
Saggi’s Favorite medium for painting
Saggi’s favorite medium for painting is usually watercolor. However, he also loves to use other media, such as oil and gouache, when he’s painting a portrait, for example. He says that watercolor is “the easiest to use, and the most versatile”. It’s the one he uses the most often.
Final words
“Painting is a creative process, so what exactly happens during the creation of a painting is up for interpretation. However, most art experts agree that painting is an emotional process, where the artist’s thoughts and emotions come into play as well as his or her senses. This is why it’s important to work on various forms of art, such as painting, drawing, printmaking, and sculpture, and learn how to use your various senses, such as your eyes, ears, nose, and fingertips. When you put all your senses together, you create a painting. That is how art is created.” – says talented painter Rajesh Saggi.