How Meera Slowly Shifted from Hobbyist to an Exhibiting Artist

This interview offers a chance to get to know artist Meera Bhaskaran beyond the surface of her paintings. She lives in the Bay Area, balances a career in software engineering with a lifelong habit of making art, and speaks with an ease that makes you feel as if you’re sitting in her studio while she works. Throughout the conversation, she opens up about how growing up with a pencil in hand and later diving into engineering have shaped how she moves through a painting today. The mix of discipline and curiosity she describes gives you a clearer picture of how she finds her rhythm when she sits down to create.

As she talks through what sparks her ideas, you start to see how much she relies on the world around her. Travel photographs, faces that stay with her, and scenes that once caught her attention all make their way back into her process. She explains how she gradually shifted away from using internet images and began paint­ing only from moments she has actually experienced. One example she shares is Brewed Together, inspired by a snapshot from a trip to the UK. It was a simple restaurant façade filled with flowers, but something about it stayed with her long enough to become a finished painting. Moments like these, gathered slowly and without forcing anything, seem to guide much of what she chooses to work on.

Her process is careful but not rigid. She studies a reference image before she begins, noticing how light moves and how forms sit in relation to each other. From there, she builds the painting in stages, starting with broader shapes and then adding detail layer by layer. Hearing her describe this approach gives you an appreciation for how much time she spends looking before she starts adding paint, and how those observations shape the final work.

The interview also touches on the milestones that have encouraged her recently, especially being selected for the Pacific Art League’s 104th Anniversary Exhibition. For someone who painted quietly for years, more as a way to unwind than anything else, having her work shown publicly marked a significant shift. The experience offered both validation and a push toward taking the next steps in her creative life.

By the end of the conversation, you come away with a sense of what she hopes people feel when they stand before her paintings. Many of her pieces carry a connection to a moment or memory, and she hopes viewers walk away with something that stays with them, too —even if it’s small—a sense of familiarity, warmth, or calm that reminds them of something in their own experience.

Meera Bhaskaran is a Bay Area-based artist and software engineer who has been painting and drawing since childhood. With a lifelong love of color, her work spans realistic freehand portraits, expressive landscapes, and serene nature scenes, primarily in acrylics with some experience in oil painting. Her painting Brewed Together was selected for the Pacific Art League’s 104th Anniversary Exhibition, and two of her other works have been exhibited at the Cupertino Library. Meera finds inspiration in the smallest details, striving to capture the warmth of memories, the calm of nature, and the intensity of human expression in her art.

1.      You’ve been creating since childhood while also building a career in software engineering. How have those two parts of your life shaped the way you approach your time in the studio?  

As a child, art came naturally to me. Later, engineering taught me to think clearly and stay disciplined. When I paint, those two parts work together, helping me create with both emotion and intention.

I hope viewers leave with a sense of connection, or a feeling that the scene reminds them of something in their own life.

Meera Bhaskaran

2.      Your work moves between portraits, landscapes, and more imaginative pieces. What usually sparks the idea for what you want to paint next?  

Many of my ideas come from the world around me. When I travel, I take photos of landscapes that move me, and they often become the starting point for new paintings. I’m also drawn to people, so I paint portraits of family members or sometimes famous personalities who inspire me.

3.     You pay close attention to small shifts in light and texture. What does your process look like when you’re studying those details before starting a piece?   

I begin by carefully observing the reference image, taking time to understand the piece’s structure and flow. I paint in layers, laying down the background first and then building depth with each new layer. Light and texture guide many of my decisions, and I add fine details to give the work a realistic quality to the work.

4.   Being selected for the Pacific Art League’s 104th Anniversary Exhibition is a meaningful milestone. What did that moment mean to you, especially as an artist working in the Bay Area?  

For years, painting has been something I did out of passion, and only recently have I begun to take it more seriously. Being chosen for the Pacific Art League’s 104th Anniversary Exhibition was an unforgettable milestone—my first exhibition experience. I felt honored, grateful, and very encouraged. I hope it’s just the start of what’s ahead for me as an artist.

When I paint, those two parts work together, helping me create with both emotion and intention.

Meera Bhaskaran

5.     Nature shows up often in your paintings. Are there certain places or memories that influence the calm, grounded feeling in those scenes?  

In the past, when painting was more of a hobby, I sometimes used images from the internet as references. But as I began taking my art more seriously, I made a conscious shift to work only from my own photographs and experiences. I’m naturally drawn to scenes with nature, architecture, and people—there’s something calming and grounding about capturing the world around me. One of my recent pieces, Brewed Together, was inspired by a photo I took during a trip to the UK to visit my sister. The restaurant’s façade, especially the flowers cascading from the front, immediately caught my eye. Moments like these—beautiful, simple, and real—are what continue to influence the calm, connected feeling in my work.

6.    Many of your works seem to hold a sense of connection or memory. When someone spends time with your paintings, what do you hope stays with them after they walk away?

I’ve only recently shifted to using my own photographs and lived experiences as references, but each painting—past or present—holds a moment or emotion that feels personal to me. If someone spends time with my work, I hope they leave with a sense of connection, or a feeling that the scene reminds them of something in their own life.

Speaking with Meera makes it clear that her paintings grow from everyday scenes that linger in her mind long after she first encounters them. Her work is rooted in noticing small shifts in light, familiar expressions, and places that carry a sense of calm. Through her journey, we learn how art has been a steady thread since childhood, and how her life in engineering helps her stay focused and grounded when she’s in the studio.

She shows that developing as an artist doesn’t require sudden leaps; it can unfold slowly through steady practice, paying attention, and letting real experiences guide the next idea. Her story leaves us with an appreciation for how much meaning can come from observing the world with patience and curiosity.

To learn more about Meera, click the following links to visit her profile.

Arts to Hearts Project is a global media, publishing, and education company for
Artists & Creatives. where an international audience will see your work of art patrons, collectors, gallerists, and fellow artists. Access exclusive publishing opportunities and over 1,000 resources to grow your career and connect with like-minded creatives worldwide. Click here to learn about our open calls.