Mythic Realms
paintings by
Sharmila Mohandas
of Madras, India
and Cathy Valley of Haddam, CT

Sharmila Mohandas is presently visiting the US in Baltimore, MD, from Madras, India. She received her BFA from the University of Arts & Crafts, Madras, India, and has curated shows of Indian and foreign artists in India. She has exhibited her own paintings in Madras in 1999 at Bhoomika Gallery, and Diverse Perception Gallery, and in 1997 in the Ovium Nunkalai Khuzhu State Exhibition at Lalit Kala Academi. Her artwork is in many private collections in India, Europe, and in the U.S. She has conducted painting workshops for children, and workshops in Oil Painting for adults, at the Easel Art Gallery in Madras.

"My work exemplifies the expression of the human subconscious, existing in the mind but not fully perceived or recognized," Sharmila writes. "The intensity of my work arises from the conscious mind exploring the inscrutable depths of the unconscious. The colors that feature

on the canvas imbibe the very state of my deeply felt emotions. These recurring images which flow through my mind take the form of surreal and animate objects. They also stand out as sensitive yet energized and powerful forces."

   

Cleansing the Self
Sharmila Mohandas
oil painting on canvas
30"w x 36"h

This painting was brought on by a spiritual and uplifting
phase in my life, as if I was moving in slow motion. There
is a sexual imagery that is brought on by the subconscious.
For instance, you see the water spurting out from the
shower and the phantom hand gliding up from behind.

 

 

   

 

Portrait of a Girl
Sharmila Mohandas
oil painting on canvas
19.3"w x 22"h

Although originally intended as a study in portraiture (I had someone sit for it), this one turned out to be almost autobiographical in nature. The chiaroscuro effect applied to this work has hints of the old masters (the Renaissance period). The girl’s eyes are almost indiscernible as if she doesn’t want anyone to see the depths of her soul. The whole effect gives this portrait an almost haunted look.


   

Red Queen II
Sharmila Mohandas
acrylic emulsion on canvas
40.5"w x 45"h

This concept is taken from the ‘Dancing Shiva’, the Hindu God. It is third in the Red Queen series that deals with the power women have over their male counterpart. In one of
the stories, Lord Shiva has a male and female counterpart.
In my painting the female has empowered the male. The jasmine from her head links her to the outside world.

   

 

Girl at the Bar
Sharmila Mohandas
oil painting on canvas
47"w x 26.5"h

The ‘Girl at the Bar’ exemplifies me and my state of mind at the time
of painting (my bleakness, blankness, isolation and withdrawal from
the outside world). Although, working on the painting gave me the
hope that there is a hint of light at the end of the tunnel. The color and tonality of the work was brought on by the intensity of my emotions.

 

   
The Red Queen
Sharmila Mohandas
oil painting on canvas
35"w x 40"h


‘The Red Queen’, was taken from the title of the book,
‘THE RED QUEEN’, by Matt Ridley that was about sex
and the evolution of human nature. The woman sits on the chair like a queen on her throne and has no qualms
exposing her sexuality to her subjects (the men). The
men are all trying hard to get at her without success.

    Subjugation
Sharmila Mohandas
oil painting on canvas
23" x 23"


The painting ‘subjugation’ has a surreal effect. The Salvador Dali-
like mustache on the stone image that is actually the lingam (male reproductive organ of the lord Shiva, worshiped by Hindus in India)
denotes the man. The woman’s hands are wringing it like a piece of
cloth. To the right are the remaining fragments of the man. The
flaming Medusa-like drawing forms the backdrop of the painting.
     

 

The Muse
Sharmila Mohandas
oil painting on canvas
28.5"w x 34"h


There is a hidden sexuality in the painting of the girl
portrayed in the muse. She seems playful and flirtatious,
yet her sensuality comes out and there’s an earthy ruggedness in the flesh tones. Although the curtain brings
out the theatrical effect of the painting, it is lessened by
the softness of the curtain folds.
     

 

 

Cathy Valley received her degree in Design from Swain School of Design, in New Bedford,
Massachussetts. She has her artwork shown in various New England galleries, including Gallery X
in New Bedford, and a solo show in 2000, at Periodic Art in Stonington, Connecticut. She is also a member of the Edwards Street Artists' Collective, in New Haven, CT.

If pressed for a description, Ms. Valley considers her work "fantasy composites." Presently she lives in Haddam, CT, and attends graduate school, studying Sociology. In her work with painting, she continues to explore interior and exterior landscapes. Her mythic Classical settings enclose the viewer in a peaceable dreamworld, in a kind of eternal present.

   

Aegean Dream
Cathy Valley
acrylic on canvas, 1999
(Private Collection) From the collection of Greg Wiltshire.

 

 

   

 

Aegean Dream (detai)
Cathy Valley
acrylic on canvas, 1999
(Private Collection) From the collection of Greg Wiltshire.

 


   

Aegean Dream (detail)
Cathy Valley
acrylic on canvas, 1999
(Private Collection) From the collection of Greg Wiltshire.

   

 

 

Aegean Dream (detail)
Cathy Valley
acrylic on canvas, 1999
(Private Collection) From the collection of Greg Wiltshire.

 

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Exhibit "E"
Cathy Valley
acrylic on canvas, 2001
(Private Collection)

"On loan from the collection of Elanah Sherman, Hartford,
Connecticut, whose extraordinary, esteemed and invaluable 20th
and 21st century pieces, selected with her characteristic eye
for wit, intelligence and narrative interest, have been shown all
over the country and abroad in exhibitions curated by the most notable, knowledgeable and intimidating figures in museum acquisitions and art criticism."
    Bobo’s Room
Cathy Valley
acrylic on canvas, 2003
Angel of Loss
Cathy Valley
acrylic on canvas, 2001
    Pisces rising/ Virgo reclining
Cathy Valley
acrylic on canvas, 2001

Vigil
Cathy Valley
acrylic on canvas, 2000

    Garden of the Three Muses
Cathy Valley
acrylic on canvas, 1999
Fire & Air
Cathy Valley
acrylic on canvas, 2002
     

 

Exhibition: August 17, 2003 - September 13, 2003

Reception : Sunday, August 17, 4 to 6 PM

The York Square Cinema Gallery

61 Broadway, New Haven, CT

Gallery curator: Johnes Ruta (203) 387-4933

azothgallery@comcast.net http://azothgallery.com