Today we’d like to introduce you to Pooja Murgai Taneja
Hi Pooja Murgai, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Born and raised in India I come from a beautiful family where we all had our own ways to express our feelings. From a young age I was always spotted in the corner of my living room and could often be found coloring or painting. As a teenager, I loved visiting different parts of India and collected local arts and crafts. I caught myself visiting museums and staring at paintings for hours as I used to get so mesmerized by the artwork that was created by the Old Masters.
I used to create a lot of art while I was in school and won interschool competitions. Life happened so I explored creativity through writing poems , dance and baking. I wanted to get into culinary art school when I moved to USA from Dubai, however God had a different plan for me.
When I moved to the United States I was struggling with the loss of my younger brother which lead to depression and in the countless therapy sessions and meditations I always looked for a reply as to “What is my purpose on this planet.” During one of my meditation session I had a vision of me creating a bold woman’s portrait and I instantly knew that it was my calling. Art connected me with my brother, as we always used to sit together when we were younger, and I would sketch and paint while he read his book. Art helped me heal myself and create subjects that helped me showcase my beliefs. Creating art gave me the power to express my emotions while exploring my inner thoughts and empowered me to heal.
Currently I am working with Galleries around Houston, Dallas , Montana and India .
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Nothing comes Easy is what I have learnt . We all need to keep perfecting our skills or keep researching and learn new techniques to better ourselves. I had to learn a lot from using oil paints to showing my face on my social media pages so people could connect with me. I have always had issues and doubts whether I look ok to go online or how I present my art process on my handle , if the music fits well or the angle is ok ? doubts doubts ad doubts were all I had in me until I started to show up, learnt how to create reels or post , marketing on different platforms and finally showing my face and writing my story. Everything took courage and I am glad I am slowly getting there .
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am an Abstract Realism artist. I incorporate different mediums such as Inks, collage, texture, acrylics and oils as I like working in layers which help me create depth while expressing my passion for art. I am connected to my paintings and feel an emotional bond with the subjects I choose to paint. Each of my Artwork has a deeper meaning. I have created lot of my work through dreams and visions during the meditation sessions.
My artwork represents Strength, Beauty, and Love. I love working in bold colors and over the years I have learnt techniques to create different styles while keeping in mind the core style, so all my work looks cohesive.
I have had the opportunity to showcase my work at the New York Art Expo in 2022 and was a part of an exhibition in India which included 5 other women artists to celebrate Women empowerment which ended up being in the News papers .
The most honorable work I have created so far is the Mural I created for my Community which was completed in two days as the deadline was too short. I feel grateful to work with galleries in India and across USA. I teach art at one of the KatyISD school, art league fort bent and all these things have helped me learn so much more . Winning 1st place in our district Art League was such a pleasant surprise.
I believe in giving back to the world and I love volunteering every year for our local school creating on Broken Instruments which are auctioned at the school by the Orchestra team and the money collected by the school goes in for the scholarship of the students, it gives me pure joy to help in ways I can be using my talent.
My Brand is to Empower everyone to use their Inner strength and leave their fears behind. My work is usually around Animals, Women, florals and abstracts which I create in ways that helps the viewers unleash their story through my work, I feel blessed to touch their hearts while they narrate their stories.
How do you define success?
Success to me is the ability to be authentic , pushing boundaries to better my skills and to touch as many hearts as I can through my work .
Pricing:
- An artist who is just starting fresh can start with a lower pricing and gradually increases the price
- Your pricing should be consistent for a particular size of canvas you work on
- Keep the same price for your studio and galleries
- Research the price of comparable artist
- Always have confidence in your art and the price you decide on
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.poojatanejaart.com/
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/poojataneja9
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/artisticstreak9
