Ashwini Bharathula (b.1984) is a representational fine artist specializing in oilpainting, currently based in Chandler, AZ. “Growing up in India, I LOVED todraw in my spare time. My artistic journey began with sketching Disneycharacters and figures from Indian mythology.” Ashwini pursued a formaleducation in the field of Materials Science and Engineering. After completingher Bachelor’s degree at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, shemoved to the US in 2005 to pursue her Master’s and PhD at The Ohio StateUniversity. A summer painting class during graduate school reignited herlove for creating. After getting her PhD, she worked in the semiconductorindustry for a few years. “Even while working in the corporate world, I hadthis constant itch to paint.” With a deep appreciation for both the analyticaland the creative, Ashwini eventually left the corporate world to explore theintersection of science and art. She first launched a YouTubechannel featuring educational science videos and later collaboratedwith TED-Ed to create animated short films. During this period, she alsodeepened her commitment to painting, ultimately making the leap to pursuefine art full-time. “The act of creating something realistic and beautiful fromscratch brings me immense joy,” she says. Her artistic education includes workshops at the Scottsdale Artists’School and extensive study of foundational texts like Richard Schmid’s AllaPrima. She has studied with renowned artists such as Susan Lyon, DanielKeys, Suchitra Bhosle, Louis Carr, Todd Casey, Ned Mueller, Adrien Gottlieb,Kathleen Speranza, and Gustavo Ramos. Today, Ashwini is also an instructorat the Scottsdale Artists’ School, sharing her passion and expertise withfellow artists. AWARDS ~ Awarded ‘BEST OF SHOW’ at the 2023 WOMEN ARTISTS OF THE WEST 53rdNational Exhibition in Newton, KS. ~ Finalist, 17th International ARC Salon Competition. ~ ‘Award of Excellence’, NOAPS 2024 Spring Online Exhibition. ~ Awarded ‘Best Technique and Handling’ award at the 2024 NOAPS Best ofAmerica Small Works Exhibition, Santa Fe, NM. ~ ‘Portraiture Award of Excellence’, 2023 OIL PAINTERS OF AMERICA WesternExhibition, Salt Lake City, UT. ~ ‘Award of Merit’ at the 2023 NOAPS Best of America National Exhibition,Principle Gallery, Alexandria, VA. ~ Awarded 2nd Place in the Wet Paint Competition (Studio Category) at the2023 OIL PAINTERS OF AMERICA National Exhibition in Charleston, SC. ~ BoldBrush February 2023 Competition, Finalist. ~ BoldBrush January 2023 Competition, Awarded '2nd Place’. ~ 2022 PORTRAIT SOCIETY OF AMERICA Members Only Competition,'Finalist' in the 'Still Life' Category. ~ NOAPS 2022 Best of America National Exhibition, 'Award of Merit'. ~BoldBrush April 2022 Competition, Awarded 'Honorable Mention'. ~ Awarded '1st place' in Oil Painting, 'People's Choice Award' and '1st place' inSmall Works Category at 2020 'THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST' Juried FineArt Show and Sale, Scottsdale Artists' School, Scottsdale, AZ. ~ Awarded 'Certificate of Merit' in the Salmagundi Club's 40th Annual OpenExhibition in Painting, Sculpture, Graphics and Photography, New York City,NY. ~ International Artist Magazine, Feb/March 2018 issue. 'Finalist' in the'Seascapes, Rivers and Lakes' contest. ~ Awarded 'President Award', 2017 Arizona Art Alliance Juried Fine ArtExhibition and Sale, Holland Gallery of Fine Art, Scottsdale, AZ. ~ Awarded '3rd place', 2017 Sonoran Small Works Show, Sonoran Arts League,Carefree, AZ.~ Finalist, The Sedona Art Prize (Gateway International Painting Competition),Oct 2016. PRESS ~ Realism Today, July 2025. ‘Dance of the Dahlias’ painting feature. ~ Fine Art Connoisseur, March/April 2024 issue, My painting ‘Dance of theDahlias’ was selected by the editor featured under the ‘Florals & Botanicals’portfolio. ~ Western Art Collector, May 2024, Settlers West Summer Show Preview~ Southwest Art Magazine, Dec/Jan 2024 issue, Full Page Ad Award from OPA. ~ Fine Art Connoisseur, Jan-Feb 2024 issue, Half Page Ad Award from WomenArtists of the West. ~ Fine Art Connoisseur, Jan-Feb 2022 issue, My painting 'Louis' was theEditor's pick for announcement of '2022 Best and Brightest Fine Art Showand Sale', Scottsdale AZ. ~ 'Joy in the Moment: An Interview with Ashwini Bharathula', by AbigailLashbrook, BoldBrush Blog, Nov 2021. ~ 'Meet Ashwini Bharathula: Artist and PhD in Materials Science andEngineering', Feb 2021, SHOUTOUT ARIZONA. ~ International Artist Magazine, Feb/March 2018 issue. One of the 10 finalistsin the 'Seascapes, Rivers and Lakes' contest. ~ 'Art & Life with Ashwini Bharathula', March 2018 issue, VoyagePhoenixMagazine. Ashwini was interviewed by BoldBrush where she shares more about herinspiration and sample works. Click HERE to review the blog post. ARTIST STATEMENT My painting style can be described as Representational Realism. I primarily work alla prima in oils and prefer to paint directly from life. My subjects span flowers, portraits, and landscapes—each offering me a unique opportunity to explore color, texture, and composition in depth. I find endless inspiration in floral themes; their variety and vitality never fail to exhilarate. In portraiture, I aim to go beyond mere likeness, capturing the spirit and personality of the human in front of me. I also enjoy painting landscapes and scenes inspired by my travels. Whether it’s the beauty of a rose, a mountain vista, or an expressive face, these moments spark joy in my heart and inspire me to bring them to life on canvas. Painting places me in a deeply immersive state when I stop thinking and simply create!