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I am Abby Chandrasekaran and I am a portrait artist. I still remember the defining moment when I decided to be a portrait artist. I was a child watching my mother's late
uncle paint a portrait of my mother. He was a famous artist who had been commissioned to paint some of the most famous and
richest people in Hong Kong and China. Watching him paint was like watching a magician using his magic wand to turn a plain
canvas into a vivid representation of my mother. I was intrigued by the idea of capturing a person's spirit and soul on canvas
and turn it into something that can be cherished from generation to generation. To me, an artist is creating a legacy for himself
as well as the subject every time he paints a portrait.
Life takes many turns and I did not officially learn how to paint and draw until I was in my mid-twenties. Although I have taken
two years of oil painting and pastel classes at the School of The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, I consider myself a self-taught artist.
Through painting in oil and pastel on my own, I have developed my own sense of color. Mixing and layering different hues and shades of
color is what I particularly love and good at. Color is the essence of my paintings and I strive to use color to set myself apart from
other portrait artists.
As a portrait artist, I see beauty in all people. Any person can be an intriguing subject for my paintings. Each of my
portraits is intended to capture the subject "at the moment" but yet depict a particular facet of the subject's personality. I enjoy
painting people from all walks of life. However, I am particularly fond of painting children. I am captivated by their unpretentious
nature and their curiosity about the world.
Abby Chandrasekaran
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