When the Canvas Speaks: Meenakshi Mohan as an Artist

By Rita McWilliams

A picture is a poem without words -Horace

Meenakshi Mohan

Meenakshi Mohan, also known as Meenu, is an academic, a poet, children's writer, and an artist. She paints and draws in many styles and mediums, including oil on canvas for nature-inspired themes, pen-and-ink, and mixed media for 3-D concept art. She also has several paintings symbolizing our spiritual connections. Her work has appeared on the cover of children's books and poetry anthologies, and journals. In addition, she has been named Artist of the Month by the DC South Asian Arts Council and exhibited in solo shows in Maryland.

Meenu developed her love of art as a child. "Since the time I learned to hold a pencil, figures of people central to my life, with hands and legs sprouting from their heads, were the protagonists of my childhood imagination," she says and adds, "My mother, who was an artist herself, was my first inspiration." 

Meenu says painting for her is therapeutic and meditative -- it's where she finds sanctuary. She quotes poet, novelist, and painter Hermann Hesse, "Within you is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself."

Her academic articles, art reviews and book reviews, poetry, and paintings have been published in various journals in India, the UK, and the USA. 

Her paintings are based on the following themes:

-        Spiritualism and Finding Peace

-        Study of Great Painters ( Seurat, Vermeer, B. Prabha, Monet, etc.)

-        The Young Explorer

-        Paintings Inspired by Nature. She says, “I am in awe with the mystery and mysticism of the ocean.” Her visits to Maine are inspirations for some of these paintings.

-        Some of her recent works are pen-and-ink with mixed media, giving them 3-D concepts.

Here is a spectrum of her work:

Bio of Rita McWilliams: Rita McWilliams is an editor, freelance writer, and reviewer. She loves to travel and lives in the USA.

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Setu, March 2022