Seen and Heard : Sheela Jhaveri : After the Fall

18" x 14" x 1.5", mixed media

Artist Statement:

India-born artist Sheela Jhaveri uses color and textures to express creatively. Working intuitively using acrylic paint, inks, crayons, pastels, and collage, she explores color and marks that evoke her memories, identity and history.

Through expressive, intuitive gestures that are messy and textured with bold and highly contrasted colors, she explores visuals that remind her of the saris her mum used to wear, colorful home textiles and the vibrant colors of India.

She loves the freedom of abstract mixed media – delving into messy mark making, yet always considering composition, value, tone and color.

“After the Fall” is a painting in memory of her father. He passed away in November 2020 after a fall that broke his femur. He was ready to be released from the hospital after the surgery but passed away from pneumonia. COVID-19 was raging and international travel was not recommended. Sheela could not be at his cremation. The painting expresses some of the darkness of the grief, through colors and marks that symbolize her connection to her father.