I have received Masters Degree in Literature (M.A.)from Bombay University in 1980.In 1983 I joined J.J.School of Art to learn painting where I met Prof Kolte who was teaching painting and also known in art world as a great painter.I learnt portrait painting for two years but my liking towards abstract painting grew more as I came across the work of Raza & Gaitonde as well as many contemporary artists.I left J.J. after two years and started working in abstract style on my own ,but I realised that something is missing from my work and only some “GURU”(teacher) can help me to understand what painting is.
I kept trying and asking many painters to teach me but couldn’t succeed in finding anyone.Meantime I did not give up but started buying books on art and artists,read them,copy works of great masters like Van Gogh,Goguin, Raza,FranzKline,DeKooning,Rothko,Modigliani,Cezanne, Matisse,Monet,Picasso,Klee.
I did many works of my own but did not get any chance to show them in art gallery. After some years I met Prof.Prabhakar Kolte ,who came to stay near my home.I again asked him to teach me and he agreed to take me as his student.Then nearly five years I used to work and show him my work once in a week and with his guidance I started working in abstract style.
I got my first chance to show my work in 1992.
After that I also came across great painters like Prabhakar Barve,Wankhede & V.S.Gaitonde,and Learnt from them as well as from their works.What I am today is the outcome of their teachings.
-Nitin Dadrawala