Raj Chaudhuri Works
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Denver, CO
Raj Chaudhuri (b 1967)
My work comes from my life as a human being. I paint what I know and love. Capturing people and their interaction with the environment interests me—be it urban or rural, cityscape or landscape. I strive to find beauty in everyday happenings and how we experience this amazing world in which we live. Growing up in India, I feel my work is enriched by the depth of culture, vibrant colors and energy there. Twenty-three years ago, Colorado became home, giving me a longstanding enjoyment of the mountains, the brilliance of people here and the rich history of the west. I truly enjoy traveling and painting on location; I thrive in painting subjects with which I have a deep connection and understanding of people, structures and landscape.
Art has always been my passion. I found ways to incorporate my artistic abilities in UI design and software development before coming to art full time. To a great extent I find that what like in computer design and now in art is that we are creating abstractions of the real world. There are repeating patterns in how we solve problems in many arenas. The creation of a painting is a technical and visionary problem, with many aspects behind the brushstrokes and values. These challenges underlie the thrill of creating a piece that speaks to viewers, to see what we feel and know about the world around us in art.
To me painting is about finding beauty, balance and something visually engaging. I am fascinated by how light illuminates my compositions. It is different literally in every painting! The design of a painting to me is paramount, and I try and find something beautiful, simple and clear in the composition and then build in layers upon layers of complexity. I want to lead the viewer through a visual journey and have them stay connected to the painting. Art is a way of expressing something deeply personal along with the pure enjoyment of the visual. My goal is to find an interesting design clearly present in each painting, so the viewer sees the abstract visual dialogue that sets up the appealing story of the subject in the painting.
My wife and I have lived in Denver since 1998, where she started her medical career as a Physician. We have an amazing now fifteen year old daughter, who attends Colorado Academy. She is fluent in Spanish having studied at the International School of Denver till 8th grade and loves math, science and art.
Education:
Bachelor of Arts in Economics, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, India (1988)
Master of Arts in Economics at the University of Mississippi (1990)
Art Students League of Denver, student and now faculty, where I have been so fortunate to have learnt from Mark Daily, Quang Ho and Daniel Sprick, and now to continue learning from my own students.
Teaching:
Faculty at Art Students League of Denver, 2012 to present
Instructor at Made for Artists, 2020 to present
Online workshops from my studio
Awards and Honors:
Second Place, Non-commissioned Category, Portrait Society of America, Member’s Only, Competition (December 2019)
Figurative Honorable Mention, Oil Painters of America, 2019 National Juried Exhibition, Illume Gallery of Fine Art, Saint George, Utah (May 2019)
Finalist, Non-commissioned Category, Portrait Society of America, Member's Only Competition (December 2018)
Honorable Mention, American Impressionists Society National Juried Show, Abend Gallery, Denver, CO (October 2014)
Paint-out Winner, Oil Painters of America, 2012 Western Regional Show, Gallery 1261, Denver, CO (October 2012)
Juror’s Top 60 Award, Salon International, 2010 National Juried Exhibition, Greenhouse Gallery, San Antonio, TX (April 2010)
Best Figurative Narrative Award, Salon International, 2007 National Juried Exhibition, Greenhouse Gallery, San Antonio, TX (June 2007)
Zhiwei Tu OPAM Award of Excellence, Oil Painters of America, 2004 National Juried Exhibition, Howard Mandville Gallery, Seattle, WA (May 2004)
Third Place, Art Students League Art and Soul Expo, Art Students League, Denver, CO (November 2003)
Selected Publications:
‘Allure of the East’, American Art Review Magazine, September 2015
‘Where are they now?’, Southwest Art Magazine, October 2014
Event Spotlight on Oil Painters of America, Southwest Art Magazine, June 2012
Featured Artist, Southwest Art Magazine, October 2012
‘Lines and Colors’, Online Blog, February 2008
Artist to Watch, Southwest Art Magazine, April 2006
Selected Exhibitions:
Oil Painters of America National Shows, American Impressionist Society National Shows, Portrait Society of America Members Only Competition, Colorado Governors Show, Saks Galleries Group Shows, Abend Gallery Solo Show
Selected Collections:
Saint Josephs Hospital, Children’s Hospital
Representation:
Saks Galleries, Denver, Colorado
Jack Meier Gallery, Houston, Texas