“Art can speak where words fail. My paintings are based on my response to nature. I develop this bond with nature through the medium of watercolour. The vast expanse of land appears to be communicating with the rest of the elements of nature of which man is a significant part. The blank spaces in my paintings reveal the beginning of life on earth. Man too nourishes nature in his own way. The varied colour compositions signify the tides of life and man and nature are like two sides of the same coin” - Bikash Poddar, born in 1958, in Kaliyaganj, North Bengal, took his Diploma in Applied Arts from the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Kolkata. He joined the commercial world after graduating, working at an advertising agency in Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Delhi. After 15 years, he gave up the advertising world to become an artist, a clear win for all of us art lovers. several articles have been written about Bikash Poddar, including 'Eclectic hues' written by Shivani Shrivastava for The Hindu in 2013. Bikash’s works in watercolour show his brilliance with the medium and his love for nature and rural settings, which is, what fills his work with simplicity. Detailed images that are etched in his mind from his childhood come to life when he paints. Bikash uses the wash technique to paint his landscapes. His works reflect the flow of colour that Bengal art assimilated from the Chinese and Japanese calligraphy. A Classic play of light and shadows executed with monochromatic shades of whites, blacks, greys and hot colours which is blended with detailed depictions.