“My paintings are very personal reactions to what I see; they are visual expressions of my thought processes; they are not direct illustrations of nature. I try to resist seductive details in favor of imagined patterns. Color and composition are the two most important elements in my painting. I spend more time contemplating the composition of my painting than actually painting it. I do not like to distort forms, but I enjoy unrealistic colors...that are when my works become abstract. I believe that art must show a certain beauty...and the essence of beauty is the idea; the vehicle of the idea is the form. At this point in time, my forms are realistic, the color and compositions are abstract.. I want my work to be understood by the layman and the cognoscente.”
Image:
Image:
Image:
In curating our show, Luminosity, we sought the work of Indian born artist Raka B. Saha for her vivid, bold and unusual treatment of light on landscapes.Red land, orange houses and turquoise blue skies may not be the norm in traditional landscapes, but in Saha’s paintings, these colors sing together in majestic harmony.While the paintings may burst with color and sinuous movement, there is a nostalgic beauty and peaceful serenity that keeps them from being overly energetic or self indulgent.As critic Robert Lewis wrote of her work in the Montreal Serai, “Saha’s highly particularized leitmotifs are fashioned to engage and persuade, gathering their energy and purpose from deep beneath the surface of her work to finally appear as reminiscences of places and priorities lost in the rush to modernity:Leaving no doubt that this is an artist who has something to say and makes sure you know what it is!”
Saha was born in Calcutta, India, a city which has excited her imagination through its exotic flora, vivid color and raging sun.The artist has an MSc degree from the University of Calcutta, and an M.S. degree from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and in fact spent most of her career as a Biochemist, before returning full-time to her love of painting in 1994. Her paintings are in private collections in the U.S., Canada, India and Europe and she is represented by several galleries in the U.S. and Canada.
Saha became a Signature member of the National Watercolor Society in 1996. She is an exhibiting member of the Georgia Watercolor Society, Member of Excellence of The Atlanta Artists’ Center, a permanent member of the Fine Art Section of the St. Louis Artist Guild and an exhibiting member of the Art League of Alexandria, Virginia.Her paintings are included in various corporate collections including among others, Edison Brothers, Monsanto, Sales Jewelers, Coca Cola and Nations Bank. Raka’s work has been featured in “Best of Watercolor: Painting Color” by the Rockport Publishers of Massachusetts (#1-56496-349-7; January, 1998).Her work was also published as The Editors Choice in the St. Louis Business Journal.The prominent St. Louis art collector, art critic and Professor of Art History (Washington University, St Louis ) John B. Peter once wrote about her work “The Trip”: “...adventuresome and provocative, a semi fantastic distillation of boats curving away from the shore in rhythmic succession.” The distinguished artist and art educator, Richard Knowles of Memphis State University praised her for “..her delicacy in handling muted pink over a blue underlay...” and “...for achieving a poetic statement...” (St. Louis, 1989).The famous Santa Fe artist Albert Handell critiqued her work to be “fearless and strong...” (Atlanta 2000).And the Birmingham News wrote of her work:“Saha’s landscapes have a powerful, billowy quality, giving expressive force to the flow of hills, valleys, rocks, rills and trees.” Birmingham News, January 9, 2000.
