Florabella Series1 Print

Born in 1956, I am a painter, writer, and celebrated model with several published works to my credit including the short story ‘City of Victory’ narrated on BBC Radio 4. I have been widely written about in magazines and newspapers such as Karnataka dailies like Times of India and The Hindu and magazines like Femina, Society and Savvy. My love for art began in school where I won all the painting competitions and also bagged second place in the national Shankar’s Painting Competition for Children. As an adult, I was awarded the second prize in a nation-wide competition held by the Nehru Children’s Book Trust for my science fiction novella, ‘Aditya, the Underwater Boy’ and the prestigious David Ogilvy Award for excellence in Direct Response writing. In my twenties and thirties, I was touted as ‘The Wild Child of Bangalore,’and captured the eye of Shobha De who placed me on the cover of her magazine – ‘Celebrity’ in 1987. My ‘eclectic wardrobe’ according to Celebrity magazine is inspired by the Folies Bergere and Vogue. A self-taught artist, I began to shift my focus from writing award winning copy and fiction to painting ten years ago. Inspired by the female form and Nature, I held my first solo show- ‘The Naked Muse’ at Java City Studios, Bangalore in 1999. Van Gogh, Dali, Kandinsky, Klimt and Rousseau have influenced my work. My second solo show, ‘Past Forward: Anita Saran’ was held at No.1 Shanti Road, Studio and Gallery in March 2021 and featured my digital art inspired by my days as a fashionista. Women find the feminism in my art empowering. ‘Mostly Me’ held at the prestigious Chitrakala Parishad in June 2022 was a celebration of my Wild Child days, my spiritual leanings and love of Nature. Renowned Image Consultant Prasad Bidapa and fashion designer extraordinaire Suneet Varma were just two of the creative minds who visited the gallery. The goal of my expressionistic art is to spread a sense of spiritual serenity, harmony, and optimism and remind the world of the beauty around us.