Nanda Patel – Biography

Artist Nanda Patel

I was born to British (nationality) East African (location) Indian (ancestry) parents. Britain ruled India and East Africa at their time and so Indians traveled from one to the other colonies, freely. My paternal grandfather left India in the early 1900s and came to Kenya at the age of 16. He stayed there and made his home. When of age, he went back to India, married my grandmother, brought her to Kenya where they raised their family. My father was the second oldest. He married my mom in 1949 and brought her to Kenya. They had their 5 girls and raised us partially in Kenya then India and finally to the UK. We were raised, first in two cultures and then three- African, Indian, and then western. At times it was very difficult for me to know which was my best fit.

In elementary school, I started painting with powdered watercolors. At home, I drew with pencils. Ever since I remember I loved drawing and painting of anything that I could see when I got the chance. I painted through elementary and high school. It was a passion. Art was taught in all my schools, and I always took those classes. Africanization made us leave East Africa when I was in 10th grade. I was taken to India where we stayed a year. Here, I observed more than I created. I took in the life of an Indian village, my grandma, the people, the emotions, and their culture. The physical, emotional, spiritual, and historical emotions started to float through me. All of it was mesmerizing.

Next, after trying to be India, unsuccessfully, we came England.  I had done high school on 3 different continents.  I was quite seriously impacted by my situation in many ways. For no reason of mine or my permission I was taken from one country to another. These countries were extremely different and not at all suitable to me. And I certainly did not understand it. However, here in my high school I met the best art teachers who showed me how to handle canvases and oil paint, charcoal and pencils, painting knives and pallets. I thrived on these. I wanted to do more. I took my O and A Levels in Art.

"Transition (Emancipation: My All!)" by Nanda Patel
“Transition (Emancipation: My All!)” by Nanda Patel – mixed media

After my education, I got married. Within a year my husband and I decided to move to the USA. Here, as I worked, we cultivated his profession and started our family. During that time, I went to study art at Indiana University. The learning there was also very helpful. Handling large canvases, art history, sculpting all of it was a dream come true. I painted little during the time when I was raising my children. It was clear at the time that time was a factor and so was space. In a decade, or so, after I became an empty nester I met my mentor, a professor of Art at the local college, I started pursuing art, again. I worked with one on one for 3 years. I learnt the skill of driving brush and work with my emotions and skills. I created 6 amazing pieces and a series called ‘East West, my journey’. Now I was not painting what I saw with my eyes. I was painting what I felt. It was clear to me that I had many grievances about my displacements. Some that were extremely strong. Colonization being the biggest. I had to get this on canvas.

Artist Statement

“Human Grid” by Nanda Patel, mixed media painting

Today, my soul paints with passion but also weaves in nature and spirituality. I paint with the knowledge of my mother and my grandmother in my heart. The Indian cultural cannot, not be part of me at every level. It stays in all the work I do. I create my art with those colors and fabrics and emotions. I have missed growing up with it and so I carry it with me. My mother and grandmother wore saris all their lives. I use saris to depict my emotions. The color, design and fabric help cultivate what I want to say. It is simply part of my journey. It evolves every day. The other emotions that are strongly represented in my work are world peace, the Sanskrit sound of Aum and the disparity of humanity and race. I like to weave ‘cultivation of global peace’ or what can cause conflict, into my work. I like to encourage ‘human individuality’ in my work.

I like to make large installations. I have done a 40’x13’ ‘Untangle with the Mandala’ mural, 8’x6’ ‘Aum’ canvas that are installed in public locations. I have done a series of 6 called ‘East-West, my journey’. I have done a 15’ painting on a sari depicting ‘A Lady in a Sari’ throwing out any stigma of indigenous women of India. A series of 4 just got finished called ‘The human grid’.

My work has gone from painting East African wild animals to still life to this. It is a journey that has helped me understand the within in me of displacement and diversity. I love to create and commissioning to fit someone’s need is part of what I do. But for exhibitions I like to bring out what I feel.

I also own a collection of 30+ saris that are my family’s and my mom’s. The saris range from 1949 to today. Through these saris I show case the art, history , weave, fabric or yarn, location, and method of wearing and color significance. I have exhibited this collection in Gadsden and in Talladega.

I feel what I paint and tell my story as I go. My gallery, ‘Gallery at 808’ exemplifies who I am. It is my pride and joy to showcase what I create with my experiences and what my spiritual soul brings.