Telangana artist showcases her art at Romantica

Madhuri Srikanth, an Indian-origin artist, with her roots in the State of Telangana, has received a special invite to showcase her works at "ROMANTICA", an international art exhibition, recently held at Milan (Italy).

Madhuri is the lone Indian artist to be invited to showcase her works at the exhibition organized by M.A.D.S., a contemporary art gallery, located in one of the main Milan districts.

Madhuri Srikanth is born in Nalgonda, and is a self-taught painter, and believes canvas is her medium to express her dreams. Inspired from her mother's rangoli as a kid, Madhuri started dealing with colours from a young age. The innate talent in Madhuri was recognised during her days in school, when she received accolades at the national level, and ever since there has been no looking back.

A mother of two, and a professional technocrat, Madhuri believes painting is not a hobby or a means to unwind, but it is a serious passion that she lives with every day. Being a constant learner, Madhuri believes that Art is not what the artist sees, but what others feel. To date, Madhuri has done 120 paintings and counting across six forms of paintings. Some of her notable art works include Thanjore, Madhubani, Murals, Warli, Texture Painting and Oil Paintings.

Madhuri's biggest inspiration is her mother, she says "My mother is my inspiration. As a child, I used to watch her draw rangoli in front of our home. The colours and design used to mesmerise me the most. And it is these colours that attracted me towards painting. I started at a young age, and won first award for painting at the age of seven, while in school and never looked back after that."

Speaking further about the show we came to know that these three Benevolent Buddha, Golden Geish, and Shadow Swan are the fit into their exhibition criteria. On being invited for the program she says, "I consider this has a great opportunity for me to showcase the traditions and culture of India on an international platform. This festival opens doors to possibilities of showcasing art in a different light, with colours becoming the messengers of thought and memory. By setting an example, I would also like to encourage more girls of Indian origin born or living in the United States to make painting their manner of expression."

Madhuri is a strong woman who has faced many challenges in her life, speaking about them Madhuri says, "Like most artists, I too faced challenges. Sometimes it could be related to lack of time, or it could be lack of clarity in thought. However, I am blessed to have complete backing of my family, husband and kids. Sometimes I spend long hours, entire night or all through weekends. My family, especially my kids, whom I feel are growing up quite fast, understand the passion I have for painting; and they do not disturb me when I am doing that. Also, I plan my routine efficiently to ensure my work-life-family- passion is well balanced. As a Vice-President at a prominent bank in the United States, my work is quite demanding; but I am able to manage it because of the ecosystem I have around me."

Concluding about Madhuri's life and journey she says that she wants to continue painting for as long as possible.

"I believe, painting is as good as dreaming. We do not like to stop dreaming, and so I do not want to stop painting. From basic oil painting to Tanjore works , I can paint across six forms. Going forward I want to learn more and spend as much time as possible with these colours. Also I am especially happy that like my mother inspired me, I am able to inspire both my children, especially, my daughter to paint . I wish like me, my daughter, and many girls of Indian origin here in the United States take up Indian art forms like Tanjore paintings and spread our culture far and wide," Concludes Madhuri.