Whimsy, vibrant color and captivating story telling are all characteristics of the art of Rinal Parikh. An artist who paints on paper and on canvas, Rinal uses her art to reflect the heritage and vibrant culture of her native India. A bio-chemist by profession and artist by passion, Rinal is shaped by a childhood fascination with color and composition. She also studies the styles of Indian painting as they vary from state to state: “Although they are from the same country,” she says, “they are very different from each other.”

Rinal’s work has appeared in India in group exhibitions and on magazine covers. In the United States, she made her debut with a solo exhibit at The Creative Living Room in Swarthmore in 2009, followed by juried exhibits at venues including Demuth Art Museum, Rittenhouse Square Art Festival, Swarthmore Borough Hall, The Plastic Club, The Philadelphia Sketch Club, Wallingford Community Arts Center, Mainline Art Center, Chester County Art Association, and Art Association of Harrisburg

Awards for Rinal’s work include the Loos award for Works on Paper at The Philadelphia Sketch Club and 1^st place award for watercolor at Art Association of Harrisburg. She also presents Artist’s talks for adults on Indian folk art and teaches children’s and adult watercolor classes in Swarthmore. Her art is included in private collections in the USA, Canada, Uruguay and India.

Rinal serves in administrative positions and holds artist’s memberships in numerous local art organizations.

“I believe in always improving myself, learning from every stage in life and from nature. I love incorporating varied media into my art, and especially Indian folk art – Madhubani from Madhubani district, Kalamkari from Andhra Pradesh, Warli from Maharashtra. My subjects are directly influenced by my childhood memories of India and my work is a modern adaptation of traditional Indian folk art.”