Rashmi Khurana’s Nocturnal Blooms is an illustration of her meditative processes. By Arpita Singh
Art for Rashmi Khurana is a medium to remain connected to eternity and nature. That’s why she paints at night, when silences speak to her and she can have a conversation with her inner self for hours. Also, it is in that dark hour that she loves to spread her inner joy through experimentation and her choice of colours on canvas. Her signature style is formless and abstract, which she says is a reflection of her dreams. As the artist says, “Painting to me is meditation. As thoughts have no structure, they flow in my work too.”
Since she sees herself as a focal point of the universe and is deeply rooted to her inner self, her colour palette is earthy. “White has all hidden colours deep inside and is one of my favourites. Black has a characteristic to involve. Therefore, you will see me playing with contrasts,” says the artist. Blue is the other highlight of Rashmi’s paintings, something she calls is the colour of her mind and dreamscapes.
Not that she doesn’t reference the real world or does not find anything interesting or joyful in it. She has sketched childhood memories and engaged with other artists during her travels. These interactive artworks form a part of her oeuvre too.
“I want to see and sense the objects that I paint rather than simply reproducing them. Most of my paintings are impressions of my observations that I express with total freedom using vibrant colours and bold strokes. My way of practice is more about being with the ‘act of painting’ and thus re-inventing myself with each body of work. Each of my paintings is soaked with a deep experience, a new awareness and an undiscovered truth,” says Rashmi.
Having been a part of various national and international exhibitions, the artist, however, is in no mood to train people as she thinks her concentration would be disrupted. Excited with the response of viewers, Rashmi says, “I like the way people were enquiring me about the colours and themes.”