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Parul Naresh - Visual Artist, California

Personal Statement

I grew up in the Himalayan region of India and currently resides in California, US. Being raised in the foothills of Himalayas, I often found myself spending time outdoors on forest trails and established a relationship with nature at an early age. This connection has helped me grow as a human being and as an artist that I continue to nurture. I have a bachelors and masters in textile design from prestigious Indian universities. On completion of masters, I had the honor of receiving best student award from then Indian president and aerospace scientist, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.

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Presently, I orchestrate my life between being a mother, wife, educator, artist, textile designer and social entrepreneur. I practice and advocate sustainability and environment protection through my work. As a printmaker, I work with natural fabrics using silkscreen, plant-based dyes, soy milk and earth pigments. Taking inspiration from elements of nature, my drawings on paper are focused on producing organic forms and textures through a mark-making process. For more than a decade now, my volunteer work supports local Indian artisans to create slow and sustainable textiles. Hand woven, hand dyed by skilled artisans and currently sold exclusively on my website: www.weavesandwildflowers.com The profits from the sales goes back into the community thus helping in sustaining their livelihood while caring for planet Earth.

Education 

2020

Color Specialist, Professional Development Certificate, FIT NYC, US

2019 - 2020

Visual Arts, UC Berkeley Extension, San Francisco, California, US

2014

Natural Dye Intensive Eight-Week Textile Workshop, Penland School of Craft, NC, US

2002 - 2004

Master’s, Textile Design from National Institute of Fashion Design, India

1998 - 2002

Clothing & Textile Honors from College of Home Sciences, India

Exhibitions and Awards 

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2023 March

Selected as one of the four artists to be featured in David Brower Center's 2023 Juried exhibition "Art/Act: All On The Table"

Opening Reception on June 21, 2023

2023 March

Artist-In-Residence, Chalk Hill Artist Residency, Healdsburg, California

2023 January-February 

Artist-In-Residence, Textile Studio, Penland School of Craft, North Carolina

2022 November

Accepted to 5-week Interdisciplinary Art Residency and Fellowship Program 2023 at Oak Spring Garden Foundation, Virginia 

2022 October

Artwork 'Rustic Traditions I & II' included as part of group exhibition-Mirror Material at Southern Exposure, San Francisco 

2022 July

Artwork 'Mystic Trails' for Annual Group Exhibition at Axis Gallery, Sacramento, CA. Exhibition is curated by artist and curator, Kevin B Chen.

2022 January

Artist-In-Residence at Penland School of Crafts, North Carolina 

2021 October

Recipient of Distinguished Fellowship awarded for a 4 week Winter Residency Program at Penland School of Crafts, North Carolina, Penland's textile studio that aims to focus on exploring ideas, researching sustainable plant-based material to create artwork.

2021 September 

Drawing titled 'Yearning'  featured in the East Bay Artists 2021 Art Book, A fundraiser for ArtPush, an artist-run non-profit organization that supports local emerging and established east bay artists, California.

2021 June-July 

Artwork ‘Flowers of Costa Rica' a series of small drawings, selected to be exhibited at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, CA for an environment-based exhibition, Black/White And Shades Of Gray. Exhibition is curated by artist Harry Frank.

2021 May-August 

Artwork 'Marking Landscapes' a series of 6 drawings, and artwork 'Mystic Trails' selected to be featured in a juried exhibition– Take A Hike at Vision Gallery and the Chandler Center for the Arts. Exhibition features works by many talented artists from Arizona and beyond where artists share their appreciation and experiences of hiking the myriad trails across Arizona and further afield.

2021 April-May

'Seedpod Drawings' a series of 6 drawings, selected for a juried exhibition–Transitions, a show of two-dimensional works by artists from all over the Bay Area, intended to demonstrate how events of 2020 have effected the artists new works.

Piedmont Center For The Arts, Piedmont, California 

2021 April

Artist-In-Residence at Mauser EcoHouse, Mauser Foundation, Costa Rica. Residency focuses on sustainability through art practice and day to day life choices.

2021 March

Artist profile along with 3 artworks published in SeedBroadcast agri-Culture Journal, Cultivating Diverse Varieties of Resilience #16 , a bi-annual publication is collection of poetry, inspired thoughts, essays, photographs, drawings, recipes, how-to’s, and wisdom gathered together from a national call out to lovers of local food and seeds. 

Link: https://www.seedbroadcast.org/SeedBroadcast/SeedBroadcast_agriCulture_Journal_files/SeedBroadcast_16_Web.pdf

2021 February 

Artwork selected for inclusion in WHEN exhibit at Manifest Gallery as part of the Five Themes Project, Ohio

2020 July

Artwork selected for juried exhibition at Envision Arts, an International Online Art Gallery

Also received Honorable Mention for the selected artwork at the exhibition- TEXTURED

2020 July

Artwork selected for juried exhibition at Lab 15 Art Prizes, Malamegi Labs, Italy 

2015-2016

Parent Artist Residency Award at Kala Art Institute, California, supported by Sustainable Arts Foundation

2014

Semuel A. Almun Work Study Scholarship (Fully Funded) at Penland School of Craft, North Carolina, USA

2004

Selected for fashion show as “Show-Opener” with knitted linen outerwear collection, India to promote sustainability through use of natural fiber

2004

Best Academic Student of The Year Award at National Institute of Fashion Design, India

Experience

2022

Teaching Artist at Achievers, an afterschool program in Fremont, CA for elementary and middle school students. Conducting summer camps in art and crafts, painting, and textiles.

2021

Teaching Artist at Vision Gallery, Arizona. Gallery hosts VISION KIDS, a series of art classes taught by professional artists for kids ages six to sixteen, offered free of charge. Echoing with the vision of the gallery, my art sessions are designed to give the kids anopportunity to develop important avenues for self-expression and an understanding of the creative process.

2017 - Present

Conduct weekly art classes and project-based sessions for kids ages five to sixteen. Lessons are aimed to provide a child their personal space to grow their creativity, means for self-expression, letting them choose their areas of interest and guiding them throughout thus help strengthen the skills. 

2004 - Present

Support sustainable textile and the related artisan communities by adopting and promoting slow-fashion textiles, India.

Visit https://www.weavesandwildflowers.com to read stories about our efforts in textile sustainability and to view our products

2017 - Present

Printmaking using silkscreen, natural dyes and earth pigments, California

2017 - Present

Conducts textile art workshops focused on use natural dyes for nature enthusiasts, California

2015 - 2017

Artist-In-Residency at Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, California

2007 - 2012

Instructor at NIFT and other Design schools for Art & Design courses, India

2002 - 2011

Designer: knitted, woven apparels & home interiors textiles, India

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