NEENA BUXANI: Indian American Contemporary Artist and Fellow Frida Lover
What first drew me in to Neena’s work was the abundance of vibrant colors. Hyper saturated flowers, abstract jewels, Indian inspired figures, and a Frida Kahlo series! She paints what brings her joy and lets the colors guide her. Her work truly resonates with me despite the fact that she grew up in a much different culture than I did. “I grew up in Brownsville, Texas; a small city on the border of Mexico. As a result, the Mexican Culture is a strong part of who I am, as can be seen in the style or bold colors I use in my paintings.” Her art is also heavily influenced by her Indian heritage. “The Indian American Culture too has a love for bold colors and beautiful fabrics and textures. All these elements have a strong influence on the composition and feel of my artwork.” I personally have always been fascinated by the artwork of both Indian and Mexican culture so this is another reason I adore what Neena brings to contemporary art!
The city of Austin is a rapidly growing creative hub in Texas, as well as the current home of Neena Buxani. “Austin seems to be a liberal city with a strong emphasis of embracing ones uniqueness. This culture inspires me on a daily basis to go out of my comfort zone in my work and embrace who I am.” As an artist it’s truly imperative to not remain stagnant. Utilizing outside influences while remaining true to your core is what carries through and elevates your body of work. I struggle to develop fresh new ideas and strategies. That’s why I admire that Neena is always experimenting. She doesn’t have a favorite medium or tool. “I am constantly trying new tools and paints. Since I was never able to attend art school; I consider experimenting with mediums and tools is my art school.” She is currently experimenting with fluid art in some of her paintings. Fluid art is on fire right now! Past featured artist, Stormy Miller, was also interested in this new trend.
Neena’s favorite piece from her own body of work is “My Frida”. It is most special to her because she was able to combine strong textures and patterns to make an original painting of one of her favorite historical figures. No doubt, Frida Kahlo is not only an inspiration to artists across the world but has been a strong female role model to girls everywhere. “She embraced who she was and created art no matter how difficult it was for her with her medical issues.” Life continually handed Frida lemons when it came to health, love, life… everything. She made us sweet sweet paintings that speak to so many who have been handed too many lemons. Sadly, she left us all much too soon!
Honestly, Neena herself has been a big inspiration to me. I have been following her on Facebook for around a year now, and to see her take on art as her full time career has been uplifting to a fledgling artist like myself. “I think that my struggle to pursue artwork as my career when this was not always supported, inspires me to be true to myself in my paintings. As a result, I do not shy away from the colors and subject matter that makes me happy when I create in order to be embraced by a more commercial audience.”
This coming fall, Neena is participating in an art show meant to empower women and girls. “I have a 3 woman show coming up in September at Link and Pin Gallery in Austin, Texas. It is titled, “Heroines, Warriors and Goddesses”. I am excited to embrace and celebrate many strong women figures, whether they are historical, present day or mythological, in this show with two other fabulous artists.” Neena is becoming a strong female role model in her own right. You can follow her on Facebook.com/NeenaBuxani, NeenasArt on Instagram, or view her website here: NeenaBuxani.com