Contemporary Art by Sheela Becton
Healing and Uplifting
Artist Statement
Art to me is a language that transcends boundaries and brings people together. My paintings draw inspiration from different themes going back to my Indian culture and roots; colors and textures of nature, and nature’s incomparable beauty and magic. My memories, stories and emotions come together in an effort to convey that art tells the story of many cultures and we as a human race have so much in common.
I work with oil, acrylic and mixed media on canvas, and my works capture the moments and memories I treasure from my travels in India. I relive these travels through my art showing how personal history and memory are tied to a place and how visual representation can communicate experiences. My paintings reflect the beauty of the Indian landscape with its temples, intricate architecture and colorful villages. Simple facets of life like women conversing and selling flowers on the street bazaar, the rhythm of the drums, street singers, and ladies dancing in their vibrant attire.
When I create my art, I start by sketching a composition that reflects a particular idea, thought or
experience and start envisioning how I will bring that composition to life with colors. That process intensifies further as I add layers of paint on the canvas. My creativity just opens up and before I know it, I get lost in the details and this is when the painting comes to life. Painting has given me a way to express myself and has also been a patient teacher. As part of my process, stepping back and observing has taught me to look at the composition as a whole to make sure it is coming together cohesively as I envisioned. It also teaches me to pay attention to my instinct and change course as needed. My art aims to exude hope and positivity by drawing my viewer into my journey.
Artist Bio
Sheela Becton was born and raised in India and moved to the US in 1997. She lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, where she embraces her love for painting. The brushwork in her art often tells the story of her memories from life and travels in India, showcasing the richness and beauty of Indian culture. Painting is therapeutic to her, giving her focus and peace. Her creativity is also inspired by the incomparable beauty of nature.
Sheela believes in painting with a purpose; to spread positivity, encourage healing through art, and uplift others. In her efforts towards that end, she has been collaborating with Hope Works of Howard County. The organization’s mission is to support and advocate for people affected by sexual and intimate partner violence and engage the community in creating the change needed to end violence. Sheela’s work has been featured in the Hope Works’ arts magazine, Dragonfly, four times since 2015. In 2021, Hope Works requested the use of her painting “Love” to be featured as the cover of Hope Collected, an anthology celebrating the best of Dragonfly entries since its inception in 2014. Sheela’s Art work has been shown in exhibitions in Maryland including “Dragonfly, poetry reading and art exhibit” in 2019, ‘Colors of India - People, Places, Festivals and Landscapes’ at Bernice Kish Art Gallery at Slayton House in 2022 and ‘Colors of Nature’ at Brookside Gardens in 2023. Sheela presented a Salon Style gallery talk on the ‘Color culture of India’ at Bernice Kish Art Gallery. Her work ‘Soulmates’ was juried into the Love themed Exhibit at ‘Girls who paint’ and her works Joy and Spring Blooms were juried into the Blossoms of hope Exhibit at Columbia Art Center. Sheela’s painting Golden Forest won second place in people’s choice awards at the First Friday gallery and she was also nominated for Baltimore magazine readers poll in the Visual Arts space.