Prafull sawant artist biography

Prafull Sawant has won 42 international awards from across the world for his watercolor, oil and acrylic paintings.

He was the first and the only artist from India to win the 148th International Exhibition of American Watercolor Society award held in New York (2015).

Prafull B. Sawant was born at Nasik, India.

He has long been considered one of the foremost Realistic artists in the world.

He is best known for his Plain Air atmospheric landscapes that captures the light to create the mood and space of the scene.

He is a highly sought after around the world for his demonstrations, international workshops, lectures and exhibits.

He is frequently invited for Plain Air workshops, to jury international competitions and prestigious Invitational exhibitions and events such as "3ème Festival International de peinture de plein air sur grand format", Paris, France (2019, 2020), "Moscow International Watercolor Festival", Russia (2017), "10th Festival International De L'Aquarelle", Aiguillon, France (2017), "Artlife Fest-2018 and 2019" in Moscow, Russia, "5th Lushan International Watercolor Festival" in China (2014), "Qingdao Art Museum" in China (2014), "Festival De International Aqurela" in Peru (2019) Fabriano In Aquarello, Italy (2016, 2018,2019) and more.

He has been invited for his Solo Exhibition in China at Shanghai Quanhua Watercolor art Gallery, Shanghai and Xufeng Art Museum in Qingdao City.

He has 15 solo Exhibitions and more than 70 international Exhibition by invitation on his Credit.

He Won 45 Awards and Scholarships in National and State Levels.

He visited more than 21 countries for his invitational exhibition, demonstrations, lectures and workshops.

In the Year more than 7 months he is Out Of India for the same.

He is Only Indian Artist to invited as Honorable Member of IMWA -International Masters of Watercolor Alliance (Registered in Sweden).

His works are most sought after among private collectors, Ar

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Art is said to be the collective memory of society with artists expressing how it feels to exist in a particular time and place. In Prafull Sawant’s atmospheric watercolors, he does exactly that, sharing his impressions of the many corners of the world that he encounters.

Born in 1979, in Nashik, in the state of Maharashtra, in western India, Prafull Sawant was drawn to a life in art. As early inspiration, three things mattered to him most: the continuous encouragement of his father, artist Bhimraj Sawant; the fluid watercolors of artist Vasudevrao Govind Kulkarni, the founder of Nashik Art College, where Sawant studied; and the quiet back streets and old temples of Nashik, which have provided an endless supply of subjects for his plein air landscapes. Sawant fondly remembers the period of time when, in the early hours of the morning, he and his friend Ambadas Nagpure could reliably be found painting en plein air in the Godaghat region of that ancient holy city.

Working in Watercolor

Sawant developed an interest in watercolor after encountering the paintings of Vasudev Kulkarni and Shivaji Tupe, another famous Nashik artist, early in his career. He discovered the potential for layering in watercolor from studying the works of watermedia masters like William Russell Flint and John Singer Sargent. Now his principal medium, Sawant identifies the transparency and fluidity of watercolor as the main attractions.

Watercolor artist Prafull Sawant was born in 1979 into a family of artists who inspired him from childhood on. He was also born in the beautiful city of Nasik (Maharashtra state, India), surrounded by Hindu temples, river banks, old Indian homes, and narrow lanes. This landscape inspired Prafull to begin painting on location.

He is best known for his plein air atmospheric landscapes that captures the light to create the mood and space of the scene. Prafull is a Brand Ambassador of Daniel Smith Artist materials, USA, which offers a “Daniel Smith Prafull Sawant Master Artist Watercolor Set.” He is the first and the only artist from India to get this honor.

Prafull told us that while painting outdoors in India, he is heavily inspired by the atmosphere and light on architecture. “I love to paint the essence of a particular location,” he said. “I love to find design in my landscapes.”

Prafull said he’s always trying to find new places to paint, whether from cities in India to other countries as well. “For my watercolor workshops, I have visited more than 20 countries and have painted on location in more than 50 cities,” he said, adding that his favorites include Venice, Amsterdam, Paris, Vienna, Moscow, and more.

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By Bonnie Gangelhoff

First Place Winner

What inspired your winning entry? Basically I am a landscape painter. I also paint the landscape of the mind. I always live in the world of dreams, and it was my strong desire to present a dream in my painting. Sometimes we understand the meaning of our dreams and sometimes not. In BLOSSOM OF DREAM, I used realistic as well as abstract forms in the sleeping lady to present her abstract and realistic feelings of love.

Do you come from an artistic background? Yes. I am very lucky because I was born into an artistic family. My father, Bhimraj R. Sawant, is a well-known artist and art teacher. I have been fascinated with his drawings from my early childhood. At the same time, I got inspiration and guidance from him. My elder brother, Rajesh B. Sawant, is an internationally acclaimed artist. From my early childhood, 
I used to see drawings by Rajesh and longed to draw like him.

Where did you study art? Basically, I studied painting under the guidance of my father and older brother. I completed my formal education in Nashik Kala Niketan’s Chitrakala Mahavidyalaya, in Nashik, India, and Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai, India.

What is your favorite subject matter and why? I love to paint portraits, landscapes, and figures. But in the last two years, I have been trying to mix portraits and landscapes together in compositions.

What is the most meaningful recognition you have received for your artwork? In my own country I have been honored with 40 state and national awards and seven scholarships. I have also received eight international awards. But in the Artistic Excellence competition I am honored with the first-place award. This is the most meaningful recognition I have ever received.

Future goals? It would make me happy if my art could touch the heart of each and every person in the world.

Representation: www.prafullsawant.com.

Featured in December 2011.