When I saw paintings by people of the Warli tribe, an ancient East Indian tribe, it struck me that an art does not need to be complex to be appreciated. If it invokes same feelings with minimal visual cues, it can interest the viewer as much as an elaborate lifelike painting. Being a software engineer, I was easily able to relate to abstraction used in the paintings.

The Warli painting style is close to the pre-historic cave paintings. It breaks the barrier of three dimensional rendering and the objects seldom overlap. It is interesting to see how a monochrome composition with rudimentary object forms like this can be so appealing.

The Warli tribe is located near my hometown where I spent 27 years of my life. I have experienced a life close to the Warli life style, traveling in bullock carts, applying cow dung on floors and walls, drawing water from wells and carrying a stack of water containers on my head. This rural way of life has been an integral part of my growing up and this is my effort to express it in the form of Warli paintings.

I have shown my work at the following exhibitions:

1. Inside the Bemis Art Exhibition
The Bemis Building, Seattle, WA.
Jurors: Stephen Lyons and Peggy Weiss 		2004
2. Art for the performing arts
(Benefit auction for Performing Arts Center Eastside)
Bellevue Square Mall, Bellevue WA.
 2004
3. Eastside Association of Fine arts - 30th Annual Exhibition
Key Center, Bellevue, WA.
Juror: Donna Watson
 2005
4. Harborview Medical Center registry of portable artwork
Harborview Medical Center, Seattle WA.
Curator: Peggy Weiss

-- Jyoti Gawade