My journey....

I am Lakshmi Samaga, an artist with a flair for portraits, and a professional visual art teacher who has lived in Hong Kong for the past 11 years. Art, for me, began with Rangoli, the traditional Indian art of creating intricate designs using stone powder. As a teenager, I expanded my creative expression to paintings on the walls and inside corners of the house, a practice that my mother affectionately called "Lakshmi's Chittara". By the way, Chittara means creative design, and hence the name.

My actual art journey started in Hong Kong with pencil sketching. I gradually explored various media and soon began accepting commissioned portraits, encouraged by supportive friends, in a few years. I honed my techniques through workshops and formal courses. To come out of the painting hangover, I picked up crafts like crochet, quilling, and jewelry making, further fueling my passion for painting.

For me, portraiture is more than just a face. It is about capturing the essence of an individual – their spirit, their virtue, and a moment in their life, along with the more important expression. In short, it is an exclusive piece saying the ‘story’ of that person. Beyond human portraits, I find joy in painting animals and flowers, and I am also drawn to still life and landscape compositions. My inspiration stems from different sources, like people, individual personalities, antique objects, sculptures, and, of course, from nature! These elements aid me in idea generation and color palettes for my work. My interest started with realism, and is leading to contemporary style. Each creation is a unique experience for me, and I hope you find something that resonates with you. I invite you to explore those pieces, and I appreciate your feedback.