How Sreevidya a 53-Year-Old First-Time Artist Mastered Tanjore Painting
Written by
Swathi Katta
When you meet Sreevidya, you're immediately greeted by an energy that feels both vibrant and deeply sincere. Among the many things she has explored and achieved in her life, there was one dream that quietly lingered for decades — learning Tanjore painting.
When you meet Sreevidya, you’re immediately greeted by an energy that feels both vibrant and deeply sincere. She moves and speaks with the grace of someone who has spent years dancing - expressive, warm, and inherently comfortable in her own skin. And woven into that warmth is something even more defining: a lifelong, almost childlike curiosity that makes her eyes light up every time she speaks of something she wants to learn.
Among the many things she has explored and achieved in her life, there was one dream that quietly lingered for decades; learning Tanjore painting, the art form born in her very own hometown, Tanjavur.
It wasn’t a passing interest. It was a longing that trailed behind her from one phase of life to the next… waiting for its moment.
A Housewarming Gift That Rekindled a Dormant Dream
For years, Tanjore painting lived in a corner of her heart, something she admired, something she respected, but something she never expected to learn herself.
And then came the moment that changed everything.
When she moved back to India and bought her home, her parents gifted her three striking Tanjore paintings — Ganesha, Lakshmi, and Saraswati.
The beauty of those paintings stunned her.
They didn’t just decorate her wall; they stirred something deep within her.
“That’s when my curiosity truly began,” she recalls.
“Those pieces were breathtaking… they made me wonder — could I ever learn something like this?”
Coming from Tanjavur, the art felt like part of her identity.
Now it was calling her back.
A Career Full of Logic, A Heart Full of Art
Before she ever held a Tanjore brush, Sreevidya built a full, robust career — starting at Oracle in the United States in 1998 and working across QA, release management, project management, and product management before signing off in 2019.
But beneath the world of structure and systems, she always had a creative streak — she drew with ease, danced with joy, and filled paper instinctively.
Yet one thing intimidated her for the longest time:
the human form.
Proportions, especially faces and eyes, felt like a mental block.
But when she finally decided to learn Tanjore painting, she took that fear with her… and showed up anyway.
Her First Painting: A Joyful Conversation with Ganesha
It felt almost predestined that her first painting at Tanjore Collective was Ganesha — the deity she speaks to like an old friend.
“I love him. I can talk to him. He tells me, ‘Okay, stop now… go have coffee,’” she laughs.
The first day she saw the board, the designs, the tools; she wondered whether her glasses and the intricacies would get along. But the way the process was broken down changed everything.
“Something that looked like a Himalayan task suddenly felt doable. The way it was taught — it became simple.”
From practicing strokes on newspaper to layering designs one step at a time, she began to understand not just how to paint, but how to learn without fear.
She reworked strokes, redid sections, corrected proportions and with each iteration, she grew more confident.
Soon, one completed Ganesha became four.
Each one better.
Each one more joyful.
Every finished piece brought the same reaction:
“Wow… I did it.”
Shiva Parivar, Balaji, and the Deepening of Her Craft
After Ganesha, she took on the deeply meaningful Shiva Parivar, her kuladeivam — a composition full of layered textures, different facial angles, and intricate poses.
For someone who once feared drawing faces, this was a bold step.
But she embraced every challenge, every redo, every correction.
And then came Balaji, a painting rich with details and devotion.
By now, she wasn’t just learning — she was thriving.
Her once-hidden artistic instincts were now fully alive.
Beyond Tradition: Bringing Curiosity Into Creativity
Perhaps the most delightful part of her journey is what she did after mastering the foundations.
Sreevidya didn’t limit herself to traditional themes.
Her curiosity always her strongest compass led her to experiment.
One of her proudest creations?
A Tanjore-style R2D2 and C3PO, made as a heartfelt gift for her brother-in-law who works at Disney.
It was unexpected.
It was imaginative.
It was completely her.
She took a centuries-old art form and infused it with her personality; a blend of heritage, humour, and unrestrained creativity.
A House Full of Paintings, A Heart Full of Joy
When we stepped into her home for the testimonial, we instantly felt the liveliness that defines Sreevidya. Her space radiates the same enthusiasm and curiosity she carries within her — vibrant, welcoming, and filled with stories waiting to be told.
One of the first things you notice is her deep affection for Ganesha. Her home is filled with Ganeshas she has collected during her travels — each one different in style, form, and material, each one carrying a memory, a moment, or a place she has cherished. And now, among them, stand the Lord Ganesha she’s painted herself seamlessly joining her personal collection, yet glowing with the pride of something created by her own hands.
Her walls continue the story — Shiva Parivar, Balaji, and several other pieces she has completed with dedication and joy. Each painting reflects her warmth, her attention to detail, and her growing confidence as an artist.
In her home, devotion meets creativity, and tradition blends effortlessly with her playful, experimental spirit. It feels like walking into a world shaped lovingly by her hands.
The Insight She Leaves Us With
In her gentle, thoughtful way, she sums up what learning Tanjore art has meant to her:
“Encouraging people to make mistakes — and teaching them how to correct them — that changed everything for me.”
What once felt intimidating is now part of her daily rhythm.
What was once a distant dream is now a flourishing practice.
What started as curiosity has grown into confidence.
Her journey reminds us of an essential truth she shared in Tamil:
“Kattradhu kai man alavu, kalladhadhu ulagam alavu.”
What we know is the size of our palm.
What we don’t know is a universe.
Sreevidya chose to explore that universe — with curiosity, courage, and an artist’s heart.
And in doing so, she unlocked a part of herself that was waiting patiently to shine.
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