Meet our featured beauty with brains Shipra Shah, an artist based in Sydney, Australia. She is a very creative soul whose extraordinary work is inspired by nature. Here is her story.
“I am Shipra. I believe that life surprises you if you follow your dreams and leads you to your true calling.
I am an ardent and passionate watercolour and botanical artist. I am fascinated by the tremendous variety on display of the exhilarating flora and fauna in this beautiful country. My eye for detail and my perseverance to translate that into my work has been consistent. My motto is ‘Simplicity breeds extraordinary work.’
I have followed this passion for over 20 years, starting with a 5 year degree in fine arts from a premier art institute. My strengths are watercolour, pencil sketching/shading and detailing in both the mediums. Over the years my works include illustration jobs for clothing brands, art workshops in corporate firms and detailed watercolour paintings.
In Queensland I lived in a splendid town-home surrounded with flora and fauna where I started enjoying gardening and collecting leaves and intriguing remains of plants. My inspiration and creativity is at its peak in the wee hours of the mornings when I’m out and about admiring nature. It is there that I developed a special affinity towards native Australian botanicals. This, combined with my passion for watercolour painting, gave me the fuel to start formal training in Watercolour and Botanical Art after which I never looked back. The journey wasn’t an easy one but I was resilient and kept moving forward without looking back.
I now reside in New South Wales. Being an animal lover, I own a lovely dog, who plays an important role in keeping up my interest in nature. Whenever I go for strolls with him, I love observing and admiring various leaves and flowers around.
Dry leaves and twigs or any plant remains around, always intrigue me and I collect them during my long walks as raw material for my artworks. Fresh vegetables and fruits from various farmers’ markets around the city is my latest passion. I am often awestruck by the colourful patterns and beautiful natural hues sprayed all across seasonal fresh produce pumpkins, various varieties of squash and pears and I plan to develop a detailed artwork with these subjects as an inspiration in this new year. I also like portraying various stages of fruits and vegetables ripening over time by rendering and water colour.
Showing and selling my artwork in various events and exhibitions have given me a lot of positive feedback and encouragement from art connoisseurs to motivate me in continuing to create art pieces inspired by nature. Also, teaching in various art institutes across Brisbane and Sydney has further enriched my experience and I’m now a well-recognized watercolour and botanical artist, tutor and illustrator.
Botanical art is my spirit’s true passion.”
We asked her some questions.
1. Do you think art can be therapeutic? If so, how can it be used as therapy?
Art has been used as a therapy for decades. It has a meditative effect and reduces stress to a great extent. Our watercolour workshops are always compared to meditation by our students since it completely involves the student in the techniques and beauty of watercolours and they always leave baggage-free, wanting more.
Shippi’s Art also conducts corporate workshops as a stress buster for busy companies.
2. What is your advice to women who want to explore art but feel they have no skill or time to do so?
Art does not need skill but I always tell my students that the first step in learning is the intention. You don’t need to give a lot of time to get refreshed by art. Just join a weekend workshop conducted by Shippi’s Art at Sydney Community College or Ku-ring-Gai Art Centre and get the taste of Art in a weekend!
3. Can you share some tips for budding artists.
As I mentioned before art needs an intention and so I would surely like to emphasise for all budding artists to do art regularly. Paint anything around you, a cup and saucer or a basket of fruits or sketch or paint the cityscape next time you stroll around the QVB (Queen Victoria Building) in Sydney city. It’s that simple and you’ll realise you are developing greatly as an artist. Being an artist is a long lonely road but perseverance always pays. Join art societies and enjoy discussions on art and develop new skills.
Feel free to check out her website http://shippisart.com.au
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