Shobha’s life began in India. At age two, she moved with her family from India to Oregon. One of Shobha’s earliest memories is of Mumbai’s outdoor markets and trips to the hill towns in Kashmir—where she was mesmerized by the layers of color, costumes and constructions during her visits back to see family. This visual experience stuck with her and has informed, both consciously and subconsciously, her art work.
During her early childhood, her family spent weekends camping in remote areas of Oregon. For Shobha, nature provides a “home” which is an inclusive, anchoring space. Her time outdoors has strengthened her appreciation for beauty, natural layering and juxtaposition of color and patterns.
Shobha’s deep interest in art developed in parallel with her academic training at Williams College where she majored in Chemistry and Environmental studies. While at Williams, she studied studio art and art history which sparked her artistic instincts that she continued to nourish in parallel with her later work as a Dermatologist.
For Shobha, science and art are perfect springboards for her art. They both rely on hope and compassion; the connectivity with people; and require focused observation. These qualities are the foundation for her art work.
Shobha has exhibited her work in both solo and group shows. She works out of her studio in the NW Portland. Her work is included in public collections in Multnomah County and the City of Portland’s Vanport building. She has been awarded two grants from the RACC. Shobha was a featured Artist/Speaker for the OHSU Diversity awareness through arts and culture series, 2022. She presented a workshop on the art of observation and compassion for OHSU Department of Dermatology at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, PSU. She has participated in the Centrum Artist Residency in Washington and has been accepted for a 2024 residency at the Chateau d'Orquevaux, France.
Her art reflects a life of dualities –art and science and the bridging of two cultures. There is no place she would rather be.
