Vibrant Water Color Artist Aprajita Lal
Updated: Dec 29, 2020
Aprajita Lal is a professional artist who is originally from India. She comes from a very successful career in corporate technology. She Says that she has enjoyed all the phases of her life in business. After spending over seventeen years in the corporate world, working for as she puts it, “the best of the brands”. From big names like Ernst & Young and JP Morgan, she has enjoyed success that anyone can dream of.
Aprajita knew her true passion was in art. With this passion fueling her, she decided to take the plunge and quit her corporate career and become a full time artist. Aprajita left India for the states just over 2 1⁄2 years ago and currently resides in New Jersey. She loves living there and says she has been fully accepted with open arms by everyone there and never felt alien to her new home. With the warm embrace of family and friends she answered the calling to be a full time professional artist.
Social distancing has made it a little easier for people to connect with, and as I sat with her in our Zoom video interview, I could hardly believe what she said next. Aprajita said that she recently turned 40 and believes that after 40 you should start living your passion. Looking at her beautiful skin and long dark hair she didn’t look a day over 30.
She is proud to be an east coast girl and says that there is such a beauty and enjoyment in experiencing all four seasons. As a matter of fact the four seasons is where she derives much of her inspiration for her stunning watercolor paintings. The warm air and the beautiful blossoms of spring, the green grass and heat of the summer, the magnificent color changes of the fall and the captivation of the snow in winter are all her muses. Of the four she did mention that fall is so mesmerizing with all its beauty of brilliant colors, this is her absolute favorite season.
Aprajita is accomplished in acrylics, oil and watercolor, however its water coloring that is her absolute favorite medium to paint with. She enjoys the challenge of the art. Some of those challenges are leaving white spaces untouched as well as making many of her paintings extremely vibrant and rich in colors. This is not typical of watercolors and yet she manages to introduce a vibrancy that will rival oil paintings.
For her, painting is very therapeutic and one of the things she loves to paint are her amazing water features. I must admit they are my favorites too. Looking at one such watercolor painting in our Zoom interview, she tells me the story of painting it outside and actually feeling a sensation of being teleported inside of the painting as she could hear the birds singing all around her while painting, creating a surreal experience.
She paints various series of paintings that follow a specific theme that include, her water
series, tree series and flowers series. When creating many of these paintings, she is continually trying to add more depth and although there is a common theme, every painting is a different learning experience.
After painting one of her masterpieces, she often displays them in her home where she can see it throughout the days. She says if it’s still hanging there after a week she knows there is more work to be done. If after only one day, she can decide that it’s perfect as is, that painting is complete.
Talking with Aprajita was an absolute delight as it felt like we knew each other for years. I listened as she shared with pride the story of being in 3rd grade and having her school principal enter her artwork in a contest. After a long two month wait, Aprajita was called into an assembly in front of the whole school and was informed that her painting had won first place! With delightful memories like this I can understand how art helped to mold and affect her life.
Many artists that I interviewed lacked confidence to believe in themselves for several different reasons that included, not being professionally trained. This reason has stopped many of today’s top artists from starting sooner. Finding out that they are so naturally talented in a way that simply cannot be taught is when the lightbulb goes on. Seeing the look on a strangers face that appreciate their natural gift of the arts.
It seems that Aprajita was always called to be an artist. Although she worked as an IT guru, she has always worked on her art. Even though she only did so on the weekends and a couple of hours here and there, she always found time to create her art. She says it would sometimes take here up to 18 months to complete her masterpieces due to time constraints. As a child she says it was her mother who always encouraged her to paint and it is her mom now who is her biggest fan. She adds that her Husband Gautam also encourages her. I leaned in as she shared a story about how he did so on her second birthday after their wedding. She tells me of the thoughtful gift he presented to her. She gushed about it as she said he gave her a paint easel, continuing to say this was very thoughtful as he remembered that this was something very close to her heart. In fact she is surrounded by family and friends that encourage her including her loving in-laws.
Aprajita became a full-time artist believing that since she gave her corporate career 100%, it is only fair to give her art career 100%. Mentioning that her art is no longer a past time.
She spends time teaching her two daughters Anika (11yrs) & Nishika (9yrs) who are also naturally talented with art. Aprajita shared her talents with me doing a watercolor paint lesson on Creative Artist Magazine Summer Series, The heart of art. Her lovely daughter was her helper and camera person Aprajita can proudly say that her paintings are in homes and collections in four continents.
I love seeing someone being able to embrace their lifelong passion of being an artist. Live their dream, especially with the encouragement of those closest to them. My soul is happy to see Aprajita not only doing what she loves, but doing it exceedingly well.
It is my belief that art will always find a way to be created by the masterful craftsmanship of those that are called. Aprajita told me of one such painting which I had to share in this article. It (painting) was created after her family took a vacation to Juarez Mexico. Her and her family was stranded due to airline delays for 18 days all in the same hotel room. They only took one outing and it was a desert landscape of sand and dunes. She remembers that the weather was unbearably hot. Upon their return to their hotel room, she remembered thinking that having her art supplies was one of the best things about the trip. She decided to offer herself a challenge and paint the landscape in monotone (meaning a limited palette). She had been able to create monotones with acrylics and decided to challenge herself with watercolors. She adds that being able to paint was mentally comforting and she is very pleased with the outcome of the painting and we are too.
Aprajita is more than an artist with whom you may purchase her beautiful works of art for your collection, she is also an art instructor and really shares her talent with others. She offers art lessons and workshops, both in person and Online.
Check out my first water coloring lesson with Aprajita. We sincerely appreciate your like, shares and comments. Share the beautiful world of art with us and subscribe to our channels. thank you and visit us at: https://www.creativeartistmagazine.com , https://www.instagram.com/Official_artistmagazine , https://www.facebook.com/creativeartistmagazine , https://www.instagram.com/aprajitalal