Ashwini Bharathula, b. 1984

Ashwini Bharathula is a representational fine artist specializing in oil painting, currently based in Chandler, AZ. “Growing up in India, I LOVED to draw in my spare time. My artistic journey began with sketching Disney characters and figures from Indian mythology.” Ashwini pursued a 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. A summer painting class during graduate school reignited her love for creating. 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.” With a deep appreciation for both the analytical and the creative, Ashwini eventually left the corporate world to explore the intersection of science and art. She first launched a YouTube channel featuring educational science videos and later collaborated with TED-Ed to create animated short films. During this period, she also deepened her commitment to painting, ultimately making the leap to pursue fine art full-time. “The act of creating something realistic and beautiful from scratch 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 Alla Prima. She has studied with renowned artists such as Susan Lyon, Daniel Keys, Suchitra Bhosle, Louis Carr, Todd Casey, Ned Mueller, Adrien Gottlieb, Kathleen Speranza, and Gustavo Ramos. Today, Ashwini is also an instructor at the Scottsdale Artists’ School, sharing her passion and expertise with fellow artists.