Sangita Phadke Will Demo Pastel Painting at 20 February Meeting (Zoom). Enjoy this virtual demonstra

I wanted to [paint] only the fruit with no distraction, like a stage with one spotlight. The arrangement started off with the desire to highlight one single fruit as the star. I placed that one in the center and the other fruit around it in a circle. As the week goes on, the colors and textures I see slowly start to change. When I get to the finishing touches of the painting I add details, such as dents and discolorations …

In an August 2011 article in the The Pastel Journal, she recalls a formative trip to visit her grandparents in Mumbai, India, that makes her fascination with fruit understandable. “Whether it's a spicy chili or a

sweet apricot, food evokes a sense of respect for the land and its people.

I've traveled to local farms, and to farmers markets and stands along the highway to see, taste, and admire the amazing food grown in our country and throughout the world. Food is an experience shared by every culture. I've come across all the traditional staples, like apples and pears, and more exotic varieties of plums.”

Accolades: Sangita’s award-winning paintings have hung in some of the most prominent museums, galleries, and private collections across America and abroad, including The United States Embassy, the San Diego Art Institute, the Butler Institute of American Art, The National Arts Center in Taipei Taiwan, and The Art Gallery of Hamilton Ontario. She received the designation of “Master Pastelist” by the Pastel Society of America and the International Association of Pastel Societies. Her work has been featured in Fine Art Connoisseur, American Art Collector, The Artist’s Magazine, Pratique des Arts (France), The Pastel Journal (source of the above quotes), Les Maîtres du Pastel (France), International Artist Magazine, and Southwest Art Magazine.

See Jeff Harold’s interview of Sangita Phadke at https://youtu.be/G8idmrOM0D8.