Jennifer Thangavelu

I am a self-taught watercolor artist. Spiritual evolution has emerged as the core theme of my paintings since I recently returned to art after abandoning it 20+ years ago, not surprisingly as I'm undergoing a spiritual awakening in my personal life. I tend to portray my subjects transforming in some way to serve as visual metaphors for this theme. Integral here is my method of painting I call sculptural flow, which involves a deep respect for the unique character of the medium. I recognize paint and water as co-creators instead of as mere tools. When given freedom to express itself without much control by the artist, watercolor produces unpredictable and often uncanny effects that invite interpretation; the medium becomes the message. Embracing watercolor's unique expression serves as an exercise in surrender for the painter. As I've learned, some surrender of our constant, socially-programmed need for control to the subtle co-creative forces that permeate our reality is an important part of humanity's evolution--a byproduct of which (I can happily report) is a radically more magical and peaceful life. Thus spiritual awareness infuses not only the subjects I paint, but also the way I paint, which I consider a personally transformat...