Bright hues sprinkled on traditional ornamental patterns are what you see at first glance. However, if you look closer at the pieces Aishwarya Ravichandran creates, you can see multiple styles and stories being blended together. It is a natural progression of colours, patterns and, most importantly, her own stylistic impression. There is, in her work, a certain brightness and aesthetic appeal that is deeply personal and, yet, invariably relatable. It is art that carries, with itself, pieces of her own creative vision and experiences.
Keen on drawing ever since her childhood, Ravichandran spent her early years in Pune and Chennai, before moving to Bangalore to pursue Fashion and Design at the National Institute of Fashion Technology. In drawing and illustrating, she finds a certain sense of relaxation while, simultaneously, discovering new things on a constant basis. In doing so, there is a progressive trajectory, one that marks her own evolution with each passing day.
This evolution did not come without its own set of challenges. There was an uncertainty she was faced with when she quit her former job to pursue her passion for illustration and creating artistic pieces. Opening her own illustration studio and managing the business has been a tremendous journey, one where she has gradually come into her own. Indeed, the whole journey, beginning from her quitting her job to opening her own studio, has been one that she sees as the most courageous step she has taken.
It may have been a path where she was challenged in ways she had not anticipated, however, for Ravichandran, there is nothing else that she can imagine herself doing. From perusing works on art history to drawing inspiration from the architectural designs at some of the older temples, Ravichandran looks forward to the milestones that she has yet to reach. It is the road ahead that keeps her motivated and yearning to accomplish more.
“There are so many milestones ahead and working towards them constantly keeps me going.”
Aishwarya Ravichandran
To delve a little deeper, for Ravichandran, her work is a seamless fusion of colours and traditional motifs, while also being peppered with the visual imagery that exists around her. In her illustrative pieces, she strives to merge, in them, stories that speak about women empowerment and the absolute need for women, anywhere, to be treated with respect and dignity.
These creative pieces are not just born from innate talent and skill. While that already exists, Ravichandran has been constantly working to evolve and polish her own style. It is this idea, that regardless of the prior existence of talent or skill, if one works with due patience and diligence on their goals, the path to achieving success becomes a certainty, that Ravichandran preaches. It is a constant process of betterment and improvement that one must incorporate in their efforts. Once that comes into being, it is merely a question of taking the next step and Aishwarya Ravichandran, quite splendidly in fact, already has.
