Profile
I was born in Mumbai, India, in 1966. From an early age I loved to draw and was particularly inspired by my great uncle who was also an artist and illustrator. In 1975 I came to London with my family. I went on to do a degree in illustration at the Harrow School of Art (now part of the University of Westminster) followed by a Postgraduate at the Central St. Martin's School of Art.
After graduating I had a variety of commissions, producing artwork for greetings cards, packaging and animation but since 1997 I have mainly been illustrating children's books, numbering approximately thirty to date. My clients have included Dorling Kindersley, Mantra Lingua, Barefoot Books and Usborne. The best part of this job is that I have been able to work on titles that also reflect many of my other personal interests, such as mythology ("The story of Divaali", "Isis and Osiris"), history ("Marie Antoinette", "Queen of Egypt", "Stories form the Silk Road") and even the ballet ("The Usborne Ballet Treasury").
Away from publishing, I have produced a series of decorative china and glassware for Ritzenhoff Cristal. In September 2007 I experimented with textiles and won a competition, organised by Bridging-Arts, to design a sari that reflected the British Asian experience in Britain. These forays into different media have been very exciting as I am always interested in finding new applications for my work.
My early years in India and the diverse art forms of that country have undoubtedly been a major influence on my style. Ornate miniatures have given me an eye for detail, while bright religious icons and movie posters are echoed in my use of patterns and colour. These, combined with strong figurative drawing, have given me the versatility to produce artwork that can veer from the narrative to the purely ornamental and anything in between!