Blending painting with photographic realism.
A landscape painter, photographer and an erstwhile art director, Rohit Shenolikar quit advertising to pursue painting full time. He expresses his love for slow travel through his paintings. He captures the beauty of swaying trees, idyllic village paths and quiet streams in immaculate detail, making it difficult to tell whether a piece of art is a painting or a photograph. An avid trekker, Rohit is also a travel and street photographer and an alumnus of Abhinav Kala Mahavidyalaya, Pune.
Rohit's Work
Rohit takes The Independent World's QnA.
Q1. Tell us about your journey.
I’ve always had a passion for painting and fine arts and have been dabbling in it for a while.
Being a painter has always been my dream.
Q2. We would love to know a bit about your creative process.
My love of slow travel has had a huge influence on my work. I always carry a sketch book and a camera during my travels to keep on collecting references to paint when I am back home. I am very uncomfortable painting with people watching over my back, so I don’t paint plein air though I do sketch on the spot. Being a habitual procrastinator, I usually end up painting with endless breaks throughout the day. Oil colour is my preferred medium.
Q3. What motivated you to make the switch from advertising to painting and photography full time?
I always wanted to study fine arts but chose the “safer” option and went for applied arts.
So being a painter was always at the back of my mind. Eventually, around seven years back, I gathered some courage and took the plunge.
Q4. A city/place you would like to travel to and spend time painting and doing photography.
I love traveling in India. It has so much to offer, in terms of geography, cultural, people, etc. Trekking in the Himalayas is my favourite.