Manjushree Roy was born in New Delhi, India but has lived most of her adult life in Nashville, TN, Cincinnati, OH and the last twenty years in Pittsburgh, PA. It was after a life altering health situation which led her to quit her corporate job that she picked up the brush for the first time in her life. She is self-taught and started working on her own original compositions since 2012. She paints everything but portraiture and figurative paintings are her first love. Because of her strong cultural roots tied to an ancient tradition, she especially enjoys painting people belonging to the old world and ancient cultures like American Indians, Mayans and of course people from her own heritage. Her interest in learning about the ancient cultures of the world has given her the opportunity to come face to face with many people she has painted. Her medium of choice is Oil on Canvas and although she loves to work in a traditional manner but she enjoys loose brush strokes that lend itself a certain vibrancy and energy to her work. She lives with her husband, Subhasish and daughter, Simone, in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA. She is a member of Oil Painters of America, American Impressionist Society, Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Society of Artists. For the past two years she is receiving mentorship and guidance by the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize Winner, Jesus Emmanuel Villareal. She also conducts online painting classes for adults who are in a similar position like herself and are self-taught.
Statement
Artist’s Statement: “I really love painting realistic human faces even though it is one of the hardest things that I have ever done! There is no aspect of this creation that is not interesting to me. The faces act as mirrors, reflecting the world around us. The unabashed optimism that exists purely because there is no alternative, or maybe that is the absolute truth. Or, perhaps pessimism, just because they have reached a point of zero care. Whatever it may be, I love being a witness to all. I remain a spectator to the world around me so that I can capture the narrative with utmost honesty and objectivity. There is always an intimate story nobody is telling or can’t tell because of ego or fear but it is right there in the open in all living being’s eyes and on all human faces. And to capture that, is the purpose of my paintings.” – Manjushree Roy