Category Winners 2017-18

On behalf of AWN and honorable judges we would like to congratulate the category winners and overrall winner. Wishing everyone all the very best!

Thank you to all participating artist who took the effort to sending in their works.
Looking forward to meeting everyone at our annual show.

Artist of the Year Award Winner(2017-18) - Sweta Dilip Desai

Graduation: Completed fine Bachelors in art from Goa college of art, Althino Panjim- Goa( Year of Graduation 2011-13). Current Living City: Dodamarg (Sindhudurga-Maharashtra),Interest in wildlife: Since I am brought up in Goa , I am fascinated by the land of nature. From my childhood itself I am attracted to the nature and her creations. Which inspired me to capture nature on canvas and through my paintings I wish to conserve wildlife and nature. I will be the happiest person if my ideas behind protecting the nature reach as many people as possible and people come forward to preserve the existing species.

Mammal Category Award Winner(2017-18) - Eric Ramanujam

I am presently employed by Pitchandikulam, a unit under Auroville Foundation, as a Wildlife Biologist. I have a background in the Advertising Industry (which I left because of the skullduggery and deadlines we, as junior staff, had to endure) and took to autecological / behavioural studies of the Indian Eagle Owl and associated nocturnal predators and prey in 1997. Since 2002 I have undertaken field studies of the Kaliveli wetland complex (near Pondicherry), Adyar wetland complex (in Chennai) and Shevroy Hills of the Eastern Ghats. In Pitchandikulam we created an ‘Art Collective’ – a group of wildlife / nature artists / illustrators working together to manifest outputs on a commercial scale. So far we have been successful with working with Government departments (for example, Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust on the Adyar Eco Park and Gulf of Mannar Biodiversity Reserve Trust), Corporates (like WIPRO Technologies) and many NGOs (for example WWF-Delhi) in addition to quite a few private clients. This initiative is our major foray into a ‘studio based’ culture and I am very pleased that one of our entries has been allocated a prize, in addition to all our four entries being selected for exhibition. I, on behalf of our organization, thank you all for the opportunity.

Landscape Category Award Winner(2017-18)- Prabal Mallick

Prabal Mallick is a watercolorist by passion and temperament and prefers to paint en plein air where he can be one with nature. He was born in Odisha and started playing with paint at a very early age. His inspiration comes from travel and everyday life that is experienced by him and hence his works are stories of both the without and within. Prabal often romanticizes his subjects through composition and play of light to maximize the ‘feel’ without losing essence of the story. He prefers the emotional over the intellectual in his art and intends to maintain innocence and simplicity in it.

Prabal has been exhibiting his work for last eight years and his works are in private collection in India and abroad. He has also been taking workshops on watercolor.  He has setup his studio called ‘studio Gamboge’ in his hometown Bhubaneswar, where he currently resides. Prabal also blogs on art and watercolor on his website.

Avian Category Award Winner(2017-18)- Prahlad Hegde

Prahlad Hegde is a Bangalore based paper cutting artist. He completed MBA in Finance and working in Private Company as an Accounts and Finance manager.  He started paper cutting art in mid of 2013. He is self-taught artist. He exhibited in “Flea 080 art and Craft mala” in Chitrakala Parishath and Akanksha’s “50 shades of Black and White” show in Venkatappa Art Gallery.

Student Category Award Winner(2017-18)- Daksesh D Velu

I, Daksesh D velu i'm a student from class 9. I stand here before you all at what is my second exhibition. Among all the medium that make up art, pen art is the one that captivated me the most. Although I prefer pen, I take any opportunity that is presented to me to learn any and all other mediums .I've had my own side of criticisms, yet my parents have always been on my side. Their voice of encouragement kept me going and still keeps me going. When I decided that I was going to learn and pursue arts and on the search of one, I found Artville, where I learn art under the guidance of Mr. Nijesh Mohan. Standing here before you that I know that I have a lot to improve on and a whole lot more to learn but with the everlasting encouragement of Mr. Nijesh Mohan, my parents and my friends I think there are new horizons to be reached.

Highly Commendable work(2017-18)- Dr. Suhas Sarawade

Qualification: M.S.(Ophth)

Presently Professor of Ophthalmology at Dr. V.M. Govt.Medical College, Solapur

ONE MAN SHOWS

•             Shree Shubharay Art Gallery,Solapur : 7 times

•             RajarshiShahuArt Gallery, Kolhapur :  1

•             Grindlays Bank Art Gallery, Mumbai : 2 times

•             Hotel Rama International Art Gallery,  Aurangabad : 1

•             Nehru Centre Art Gallery, Warali : 1

Participated in Camlin’s 9th western regional exhibition & the painting was reproduced in the catalogue.

CRY (Child relief & you) honored by printing one of the painting on their greeting card.

Illustrated two books on birds by well known author Mr. B. S. Kulkarni.

 1. Ranbadake : Published by Majestic publication, Mumbai.

 2. Parisaratilpakshi : Published by UtkarshaPrakashan, Pune.

Highly Commendable work(2017-18)- Shakthi Prasad

Bio data- Self taught wildlife artist and wildlife photographer living in Gundlupet-Karnataka, just 18 kms from Bandipur Tiger Reserve, which inspired me to love nature and wildlife very much, visiting forests and observing wild animal behaviors inspires me to do wildlife paintings. I love making artworks using all mediums.

Highly Commendable work -Tatiana Petrova

Tatiana Petrova, is a renowned ornithologist and wildlife artist based in Saint-Petersberg, Russia. She has worked as an artist and people educationist at the Leningrad zoo, and recently completed her dissertation on the history of ornithological illustrations of Indian birds in lithographs of XIX century.

Her education: St-Petersburg State University, St Petersburg, Russia, - zoology, State Fine Art Academy, St-Petersburg, Russia, - fine art, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, India, - fine art, graphics, printmaking.

Wishing everyone all the very best!