Ashwini Bharathula (b.1984) is a representational fine artist working mainly with oils and she currently resides in Chandler, AZ. She was born in South India. “Growing up, I loved to draw and sketch in my spare time. It was mostly Disney characters and figures from Indian mythology.” Ashwini received her formal education in the field of Materials Science and Engineering. After completing her Bachelor’s degree at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, she moved to the US in 2005 to pursue her Master’s and PhD at The Ohio State University. There she attended a painting class one summer for fun and has been hooked ever since. After getting her PhD, she worked in the semiconductor industry for a few years. “Even while working in the corporate world, I had this constant itch to paint.” Ashwini finally took the plunge and quit her industry job to explore something at the intersection of art and science. She first started a YouTube channel where she created and shared science video lessons. She then collaborated with TED-Ed (www.ed.ted.com) and helped create a few short movies. “I also started painting more seriously around this time and eventually decided to pursue art full-time. The act of creating something realistic and beautiful from scratch brought a lot of joy to me.” Ashwini’s art education has been primarily through workshops at the Scottsdale Artists’ School and books like Richard Schmid’s ‘ALLA PRIMA’. She has studied with Susan Lyon, Daniel Keys, Suchitra Bhosle, Louis Carr, Todd Casey, Ned Mueller, Adrien Gottlieb, Kathleen Speranza and Gustavo Ramos. Ashwini is now an instructor at the Scottsdale Artists’ School. AWARDS ~ Awarded ‘BEST OF SHOW’ at the 2023 WOMEN ARTISTS OF THE WEST 53rd National 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 of America Small Works Exhibition, Santa Fe, NM.~ ‘Portraiture Award of Excellence’, 2023 OIL PAINTERS OF AMERICA Western Exhibition, 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 the 2023 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' in Small Works Category at 2020 'THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST' Juried Fine Art Show and Sale, Scottsdale Artists' School, Scottsdale, AZ.~ Awarded 'Certificate of Merit' in the Salmagundi Club's 40th Annual Open Exhibition 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 Art Exhibition 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 ~ Fine Art Connoisseur, March/April 2024 issue, My painting ‘Dance of the Dahlias’ 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 Women Artists of the West.~ Fine Art Connoisseur, Jan-Feb 2022 issue, My painting 'Louis' was the Editor's pick for announcement of '2022 Best and Brightest Fine Art Show and Sale', Scottsdale AZ.~ 'Joy in the Moment: An Interview with Ashwini Bharathula', by Abigail Lashbrook, BoldBrush Blog, Nov 2021.~ 'Meet Ashwini Bharathula: Artist and PhD in Materials Science and Engineering', Feb 2021, SHOUTOUT ARIZONA.~ International Artist Magazine, Feb/March 2018 issue. One of the 10 finalists in the 'Seascapes, Rivers and Lakes' contest.~ 'Art & Life with Ashwini Bharathula', March 2018 issue, VoyagePhoenix Magazine.Ashwini was interviewed by BoldBrush where she shares more about her inspiration and sample works. Click HERE to review the blog post. GALLERIES ~ Settlers West Gallery, Tucson, AZ.~ Ballard’s Fine Art, Sheridan, WY.~ Santa Fe Trails Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM. EXHIBITIONS 2024~ Salmagundi Club, NYC. Annual Open Painting, Sculpture & Graphics Exhibition~ Summer Show, Settlers West Gallery, Tucson, AZ.~ American Miniatures Show, Settlers West Gallery, Tucson, AZ. 2023~ The Almenara Art Prize Exhibition, Córdoba, Spain.~ Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition, Brushworks Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT.~ NOAPS 33rd Best of America National Exhibition, Principle Gallery, Alexandria, VA.~ Women Artists of the West (WAOW) 53rd National Exhibition, Carriage Factory Art Gallery, Newton, KS.~ OPA National Exhibition, Reinert Fine Art Gallery, Charleston, SC. ~ Richeson 75 Competition Exhibit: Small Works 2023.~ Scottsdale Artists' School The BEST and BRIGHTEST Fine Art Show and Sale, Scottsdale, AZ. 2022~ 'Every Moment Counts', Two-person show, Olney Gallery, Phoenix, AZ. ~ BEAUX Arts Auction, Scottsdale Artists' School, Scottsdale, AZ.~ NOAPS 32nd Best of America National Juried Exhibition, Wilcox Gallery, Jackson WY.~ OIL PAINTERS OF AMERICA National Exhibition and Convention, Steamboat Art Museum, Steamboat Springs, CO.~ NOAPS Best of America Small Works National Juried Exhibition, Beverly McNeil Gallery, Birmingham, AL.~ AMERICAN WOMEN ARTISTS Spring Online Exhibition ~ NOAPS Associate Member Online Exhibition~ Scottsdale Artists' School THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST Fine Art Show and Sale, Scottsdale, AZ. 2021~ BEAUX Arts Silent Auction (Fresh Paint Category) Scottsdale Artists' School, Scottsdale, AZ.~ 'PROLIFIC PERSPECTIVES' Art Exhibiton and Sale, WHAM West Gallery, Surprise, AZ.~ Scottsdale Artists' School THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST Fine Art Show and Sale, Scottsdale, AZ. 2020~ Scottsdale Artists' School THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST Fine Art Show and Sale, Scottsdale, AZ. 2019~ Holiday Group Exhibition, Fountainhead gallery, Seattle, WA.~ Hidden in the Hills Studio Tour and Sale, Sonoran Arts League, Cave Creek, AZ.~ International Guild of Realism, Annual Exhibition, Principle gallery, Alexandria, VA.~ International Guild of Realism, Winter Salon Online Exhibition.~ Scottsdale Artists' School THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST Fine Art Show and Sale, Scottsdale, AZ.~ REALISM ROAD Exhibition and Sale, Olney Gallery, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Phoenix, AZ. 2018~ Salmagundi Club Open Painting, Sculpture & Graphics Exhibition, New York City, NY.~ 'Other Places, Other Faces' Group Exhibition, Fountainhead gallery, Seattle, WA.~ NOAPS Best of America Small Painting Exhibition, Richland Fine Art gallery, Nashville, TN.~ Hidden in the Hills Studio Tour and Sale, Sonoran Arts League, Cave Creek, AZ. 2017~ 'Twenty-one Springs' Group Exhibition, Fountainhead gallery, Seattle, WA. ~ Sonoran Small Works Show, Sonoran Arts League, Carefree, AZ.~ ARIZONA ART ALLIANCE, Juried Fine Art Exhibition and Sale, Holland Gallery of Fine Art, Scottsdale, AZ.