Aparna Chandran
The Artist
Aparna Chandran is an acclaimed artist and has been pursuing Tanjore painting for over 10 years now. She has conducted classes on Tanjore Painting in Atlanta, USA as well as Kolkata, India. She also teaches Pencil Sketching, Acrylic Painting and 3D murals. Aparna has been immensely passionate about arts and crafts since her childhood. She feels that art is a medium through which one can express their feelings - art helps people channelize their energies more constructively and can result in something divine.
To pursue the art of Tanjore Painting one requires an enormous amount of patience and dedication. Aparna learnt this art form under the tutelage of Smt. Vasanthi Pandurangan , an established Tanjore artist and teacher, who pioneered new techniques in furthering the art, out of her school in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu. Aparna also learnt the nuances in painting from a professional artist from Chennai, Mr. Azhagusundaram. Aparna, not only imbibed the techniques of painting from both of her gurus, but also the quality of being a perfectionist by setting very high standards for herself.
The board that Aparna uses is plywood. These boards have a smooth finish. In addition, an epoxy compound is used for the embossed work rather than French chalk powder and Arabic gum, giving the finished product a higher quality finish and greatly increasing its durability as well by preventing cracks and serving as a stronger base for the precious stones. She strictly uses pure 24-carat gold foil to bring out the lustre of the yellow metal to the fullest. She also uses acrylic colors or poster colors which are more vibrant and longer lasting compared to the vegetable dyes of the past. Her style of painting is a unique blend of the traditional and the modern, imparting a fresh slant to this historied art form.
To hone her basic skills in painting, Aparna Chandran is currently pursuing M.A. in Arts and Drawing from International Fine Arts Academy, Indore. She is also a Bharatanatyam dance exponent and teacher for the last 20 years. With a Master's degree in Microbiology and a Diploma in Montessori teaching methods, Aparna brings her varied background to bear in all her art work.