TFOD Profile Of The Week: Dhruti Ghedia, Artist, Ahmedabad

Dhruti Ghedia started painting as a childhood hobby. Little did she realize that it would become an overwhelming passion and she would eventually pursue it as a career! That’s what happens with most 'unqualified' artists – their ‘calling’ towards art is so powerful that despite not going to art school, they are drawn to learning and creating art! 

Starting with oil colors on canvas and inspired by forms in nature, Dhruti kept experimenting with other media - acrylic, water colors, pastels, mix media, and different types of papers. Handmade paper took her fancy the most and then began a new journey in her life as an artist.  The effect of water colours on handmade paper seemed tranquil and divine and the technique was challenging to learn. Later she explored her talent on rice paper. And a couple of years back on a trip to Sikkim they visited a handmade paper factory, where Dhruti discovered ‘argali’ – a unique, delicate paper made from the bark of the Argali tree, native to the region. This discovery brought a breakthrough in her explorations with water colours on handmade paper. 

A true nature lover, Dhruti is also an avid bird-watcher – a passion she shares with her husband Ar. Mayank Ghedia – who is also a talented photographer. Mayank, a partner at Associated Architects Pvt Ltd - follows his passion for photography with  much zeal. With his photographic pursuits and Dhruti’s artistic leanings, the two of them together exhibit their work – offering visitors the combined experience of viewing paintings and photographs in the same space! The success of their first show in February 2012, titled ‘Tu ane Hu’ - a journey of togetherness, at the Hutheesing Visual Arts Centre, Ahmedabad led her on to further experiments with her art. This show saw Dhruti’s abstractions of natural forms – on handmade and rice paper. 

In the second series of ‘Tu ane Hu’ – titled ‘Moods and Hues’, Dhruti enjoyed exploring mixed media on canvas. A unique opportunity came her way in May 2013 when she teamed up with her daughter for a Group Show titled ‘Her View’ at Amdavad ni Gufa – an experience she thoroughly enjoyed. Thus continued her displays across galleries in Gujarat – one at Saputara and another at Baroda’s Fine Arts Faculty. In June 2014, Dhruti participated in a Group Show at Mumbai’s Jehangir Art Gallery.  

Then she put together ‘NIJaanand’ a solo show of her paintings on  Argali paper – which she exhibited at Ahmedabad in October 2015 and at Udaipur in November 2015! The work was well-appreciated by art lovers and critics alike.

Besides nature – leaf forms, flowers, and plants, Dhruti paints landscapes, still life and human figures  with equal skill. Sunrises and sunsets, earth, sky and water – all emerge in her landscapes. Her still life renditions are simple, yet thought-provoking. Her human figures, though painted in a realistic mode, are characterized by an absence of facial features and expressions – with just the grace of the lines and strokes bringing them to life! And that’s certainly a vast range for a self-trained artist.

You may also like: Ar. Mayank Ghedia's Abstract Photography