Artistic expression can lend itself to almost any aspect of nature, and Sharmila Kadam’s paintings stand testimony to that. Her painting exhibition held at Raintree brought to life her perception of earth, water, nature and the universe.

She had a collection called ‘Earth Series’, in which she has painted earth as she sees it in the morning, at noon and at night. Then there is the ‘Bark Series’ which she calls ‘Evolution’. She has focused on the ring of the tree as they age. She has similarly painted a ‘Foliage Series’, in which she has brought out the vivid colours and denseness associated with a foliage. Her ‘Underwater Series’ called ‘Reflection on Water’, uses the surface of water and ripples created on water to bring out her perception of world under water.

Sharmila has also depicted a series on the universe, and she says these have much to do with her spiritual beliefs. “I have used colours and lines to depict life’s ups and downs, and the hope that we cling on to even when we face the downside of life,” she says. She has used colours such as white to show hope, and similarly kept red to show life’s opportunities. The paintings all have no single theme or colour scheme to them, and yet manage to weave a common thread that bind them together.

Sharmila says she has painted them all at different points over a period of time, “They were not done with a theme in mind, it was just what came to me depending on my frame of mind,” she says. One painting of a narrow passage stands out among her works, as does one of a foliage. She has also given a spiritual dimension to some of her works. She has painted one which depict  the choices that we make in life, and how we live with those choices. Another one interprets our dreams at various levels of our consciousness.

Sharmila, who has been holding her exhibitions since 2000, says that the art scene has changed over time in Bangalore. “There are a lot of up-and-coming artists, but it is not easy to get gallery space if you are a young artist, it is a struggle to establish yourself,” she says.