The Unfinished Brushstrokes of Richa Kashelkar

Richa Kashelkar’s work explores the intersection of beauty and mystery. Her subjects are often featured amidst nature and are infused with an heir of peace, solitude, or longing. 

 “I am inspired by the beauty of this world, and the mysteries of life. I try to convey this beauty and mystery as and when it strikes. The sharing of it is as big a joy as the making of it. :)"

Based in Goa, India, Richa was trained in architecture and photography but for many years didn’t think art was a viable career. “With regards to my art, I have been enamored with painting since childhood but never followed it up professionally, because back in the day when we chose careers, they were picked based on their viability to sustain you financially. Times have changed and now one can simply choose to be an artist on a whim, how fantastic!”

Many of her pieces are created on an iPad, with an emphasis on a gouache/oil aesthetic.” I love how opaque and bold the colors are that get applied in it. I also love the not-so-finished look that the strokes have….”

Before painting a single stroke, her paintings are conceived in her mind. “Some paintings appear in front of my eyes, almost fully formed, right down to the colors. I do not know where they come from! And those are the easiest to paint. Some start out as a fragment of a thought. And if the thought is enticing enough, I follow it, and keep adding and changing things as the painting progresses. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it results in abandoned artworks. But everything starts with me closing my eyes and imagining what I’d like to paint next -- what colors, what mood, what idea?”

Richa’s work is collected globally and has been featured in the likes of Architectural Digest and Elle, as well as textile patterns for multiple brands.