Originally from Pune, India and now residing in Ottawa, Dhanashri Athavale is a new emerging artist on Ottawa’s art scene. Her artistic senses, particularly in painting, have always been significantly coursing through her childhood. She pursued and earned thus, her Applied Arts degree from Abhinav Kala Academy and worked as a freelance designer in India before focusing on Fine Arts. As a professional artist in India, she received valuable guidance and encouragement from renowned artists like Ravi Paranjape, Milind Mulick, Shivaji Tupe, Milind Phadke and other such eminent Indian artists.
Eternally mesmerized by the beauty and elegance that is nature; Dhanashri revels in the translation of its immense scope onto her canvas. In a quest to capture the diverse terrains spanning across the Indian topography, she traveled extensively from cities to villages to convey this vividly in her paintings. She also extended her travels to England and Scotland where she not only grasped the variance of the English landscape but duly appreciated it in its full glory of budding spring and colorful fall breathing visually through her art.
Dhanashri primarily uses water colors to best depict her work. She believes that the versatility of this medium helps imbibe her perception of nature. Be it a humble pebble, the provocations of a wild flower, or the murmurs of a gentle stream passing by, her paintings speak for themselves as they portray this grace of nature with its delicate nuances.
An active participant in various workshops hosted by illustrious artists like Linda Kemp and Sterling Edwards, Dhanashri has to her credit, four successful solo shows and whose work has also been an integral aesthetic component at various group exhibitions. She is an active member of many local art societies and has been participating regularly in their juried and group shows, simultaneously contributing to her association with the local art galleries like Foyer Gallery and Galerie Old Chelsea.
In her journey as an artist in Canada, Dhanashri seeks to learn and adapt new techniques and styles while expanding her horizons as she studies a Canadian landscape - one that offers a seasonal span from spring blossoms to winter blues. She finds that nothing equals her passion and its fulfillment as she endeavors to paint exquisite landscapes, adding a steady rhythm of paintings to her blossoming collection.
