Laxman Aelay Artist Studio

Lush green grass covering you with its sweet perfume, the feel of raw earth on the soles of your feet, the tingling taste of hot rice and mango pickle on a scorching afternoon, and the cool night breeze wrapping you in its blanket under the star-spangled night sky; life at Aelay Laxman's studio feels something like this.

For Laxman, is a painter of memories.

After spending years in his little village, Kadireni Gudem, in the Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh, it is Laxman's deepest desire to record the Telengana lifestyle before it fades away into modernization.

As a matter of fact, he has himself traced his life back from modernization to what is closest to his heart. He started off as a designer and art director for films, and has worked with Ram Gopal Verma more than once. He has also worked at illustrations for the newspaper Eenadu for a period of 7 years. Eventually, when all else failed to bring him the satisfaction he desired, he decided to retrace his steps, back to art.

For inspiration, he has the scenes that his childhood life revolved around. A figurative artist by style, Laxman has an ardor for earthy, rustic colors that bring out the verve in his images.

With an unruly garage for a studio, and pure nostalgia for muse, Laxman has to his credit many awards and shows. Some important ones are:

? Show at Tana Gallery, Chicago (1995)
? Tradition to Modernity, Fulda, Germany (2001)
? International Group Shows with Indian Danish Artists (2002-2003)
? Solo drawing show 'Charismatic Contours', Gallery Threshold, New Delhi (2004)
? 'Still Waters Run Deep', Hocienda Gallery, Mumbai (2005)

Laxman reckons that the conception of the idea is the most important part of a painting. For this reason, he likes being left with just himself and his thoughts during this stage of painting. Once lightning strikes and the idea is born, he does not mind executing it on canvas, even in the midst of a crowd.

Here we have the modern world's Pied Piper. Through his paintings, he lends to us experiences that we crave for. He shares with us munificently, melodies sung far away, in a world that we may never be fortunate enough to see, except through his mind's eye.