Hello.

I am Uma, an artist-engineer combo from San Jose, California.

There's commonality in both the fields; of watercolor and of engineering. In both, I've found that less is more and while simple is supreme, it takes a whole lifetime to hone this skill. I am on it.

In studio, February 2018

Inspiration

Inspiration cannot be waited on. It wants to see me at the easel. As a by-product, everyday things interest me. There are so many artists who would love to get this opportunity of a physical + financial space that I have. Thus, I create even when there’s lack of inspiration.

Art makes me kind

I found, a bit late, that kindness is everything. It’s imperative then, if art makes me kinder, that I must paint more. QED

It's the process!

Many a times people have to struggle to enjoy the process instead of achieving the end goals. Strangely, with painting, it’s easy for me to be enthralled with the process – to see how sometimes water works, how layering gives different effects in digital medium or how ink lightens in varying tones.

Workshops

2023 Oct, Mallorca, Spain, Capturing Light (RESERVE YOUR SPOT, 50% full)
2023 Sep, Thumbnailing as a Problem Solving Tool, Zurich, Switzerland.
2023 Apr, Santa Fe, NM Urban Vignetting and Storytelling in Gouache TICKETS (Buy tix now, 50% full)
2023 Mar, Juicy Watercolors, teaching with California watercolor Association (CWA).
2023 Jan, Emerge, an online watercolor workshop for paintings of dim light situations. – SOLD OUT
2022 Sep, Deck of Textures, Asilomar – a mixed media, all inclusive residential 2 day workshop (TICKETS) SOLD OUT
2022 July, Minneapolis, Juicy Watercolors – SOLD OUT
2022 July, Urban Sketching Summer Retreat – 2
2022 May, Plein Air Convention, Field Painter Instructor
2022 Apr, Bursting Bouquet with Etchr Studio. Buy this video at LINK.
2022 Mar, Flower Power (LINK) with Urban Sketchers, New York, morning and afternoon workshop – both SOLD OUT
2022 Jan, ONLINE COMPOSE 2022: a Masterclass – SOLD OUT
2021 Dec 4, ONLINE, 2 hour workshop What’s up with Trees? SOLD OUT
2021 Oct 9-10, ONLINE Juicy Watercolors 2-day weekend workshop. Read reviews here.
2021, Aug 16 – 20, Urban Sketching Summer Retreat, Wisconsin
2021 Apr – Jun Public Arts Project on Callie, the Bear (Link)
2021, Jan 4- 31, COMPOSE 2021: a masterclass Read Reviews here.
2020, Aug 22-23, ONLINE Juicy Watercolors 2-day weekend workshop, read reviews here.
2020, May – June, ONLINE Juicy Watercolors – click here to read reviews.
2020, April – May, ONLINE Juicy Watercolors – click here to read reviews.
2020, Mar – May, FREE ONLINE classes to cope with pandemic.
2020, Feb 15, Landscapes in Procreate, San Jose – read reviews here.
2020, Jan 18, Basics of Procreate, San Jose – read reviews here.
2019, October 26-27, Elegance in Watercolors, San Jose.
2019, July 24-27, Rhythm is a Dancer, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2019, July 17-19, Elegance in Watercolors, Delft, Netherlands
2019, May 26, Urban Sketching 101, Atlanta, Georgia
2019, May 26, Urban Sketching 201, Atlanta, Georgia
2019, April 20 USK10x10: Premiere of Rhythm of Dancer, San Jose, CA
2019, April 12, Stories through Vignettes, Apple Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL
2019, April, 7-8, Elegance in Watercolors, Chicago, IL
2019, March 9-10, Gray Matter, San Jose, CA
2019, Jan 19, Landscapes in Procreate, San Jose, CA
2019, Jan 12, Easy Procreate, San Jose, CA
2018, Nov 10-11, Gray Matter, San Francisco, CA
2018, Nov 3-4, Gray Matter, Austin, TX
2018, July 18-21, Gray Matter, USK International Symposium, Portugal
2018, June 20, Sketch walk at the Apple Union Square Store, SF
2018, June 1-3, Gray Matter, Chicago Sketch Seminar
2018, May 19, Landscapes, quickly! Milbrae, CA
2018, May 13, Landscapes, quickly! Milbrae, CA
2017, Nov 30, Sketch walk at the Apple Union Square Store, San Francisco, CA
2017, October 20-21, Blurred Lines: An extended version, San Francisco, CA
2017, September 22-23, Blurred Lines: An extended version, San Francisco, CA
2017, July 26 – 29, Blurred Lines: Atmospheric Watercolor Sketches With Edge Variety, USK International Symposium, Chicago, IL
2017, May 13, Urban Landscape: How to do a quick capture.
2017, May 11-12, Urban Landscape: How to do a quick capture.

Awards & Exhibits

2022, Honorable Mention for Peekaboo at Morgan Hill Plein Air, Oct 8-9, judge Kim Lordier
2022, Juried into American Watercolor Society’s (AWS) Associate Member show.
2021, Signature Membership of California Watercolor Association (CWA)
2021, 3rd acceptance into California Watercolor Society’s National Exhibit.
2021, Signature membership of National Watercolor Society
2021, Honorable Mention for Thorny but Juicy in the 2nd Annual Women in Watercolor International Competition.
2021, Juried into 2nd Annual Women in Watercolor International Juried Competition. Piece that was accepted is Thorny But Juicy (Link)
2021, Juried into National Watercolor Society’s 101st International Open Exhibit. This was a monumental in that it was my first acceptance after 18 no’s from NWS. Read more here.
2021, Signature membership to Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour (CSPWC)
2020, Juried into 95th Annual Open Water show with Canadian Society of Painters of Watercolor (CSPWC)
2019, Juror of Awards for CWA member show Autumn’s Allure, Sept-Oct 2019
2019, Juried into 94th Annual Open Water show with Canadian Society of Painters of Watercolor (CSPWC)
2019, First Place Ribbon, Falkirk Paint Out, August 9, 2019
2019, Juried into CWA member’s show at Falkirk Community Center
2019, Roof under our Heads wins Holbein-American Framing Award.
2019, Juried into 47th National Exhibit of CWA.
2018, Second Place Ribbon at the Benicia Plein Air paint-out.
2017, Viewers choice award + Third Place Ribbon at the Benicia Plein Air paint-out, Benicia, CA
2017, Juried into Triton Statewide 2-D Salon, Santa Clara, CA
2016, Juried into California Watercolor Association, National Juried Exhibit, Pleasanton.
2016, Juried into Valley of Hearts show, Filoli Gardens, Woodside.
2015, Viewers choice award at the SCVWS Annual Member show.
2015, Second place award at the SCVWS Annual Member show.
2014, Lead & curated the Holiday Show of 30+ different artists and 8+ media at Gallery House, Palo Alto
2014, Choice, joint show at Gallery House, Palo Alto.
2014, L’Eau en Couleurs, International Watercolor Biennial, Belgium, a juried international exhibit.
2014, Watercolor USA, National Juried Exhibit in Springfield Missouri.
2013, Third place award at SCVWS Annual Member show.
2013, First professional solo show at Gallery House, Palo Alto
2012, First place award, Plein Air painting competition, SCVWS
2012, Juried into Think Small, Paint Big, Pacific Art League
2012, Juried into Gallery House, Palo Alto, the Bay Area’s oldest cooperative gallery.
2011, Awarded at the SCVWS Annual Member show.
2011, Silicon Valley Open Studio
2011, Missouri National Watercolor Exhibit, national juried exhibit.
2010, Triton Museums’s Statewide Watercolor competition and exhibition.
2010, Received a scholarship from Master painter Jerry Stitt, AWS, NWS, Summer 2010.

Publications

Primary Authorship

Featured Artist
Year: 2022
Magazine: Artists’ Magazine, Jan-Feb 2022 issue
Buy Here See a quick glimpse
Primary Author
Year: 2020
Title: The urban sketching handbook: Drawing with a tablet
Author: Uma Kelkar
Publisher: Quarry Books
BUY HERE
Primary Author
Year: 2014
Title: Behind the Scenes: The Story of Unsung Sketches
Buy on Blurb
Uma’s first book on how to fit sketching in your busy lives and why. Contains sketches from her sketchbooks and anecdotes from her personal experience of building an art practice in the modern day and age.

Contributing Authorship

Featured Artist
Year: 2021
Magazine: Watercolor Artist Magazine
BUY HERE
Contributing Author
Year: 2020
Title: The urban sketching handbook: Techniques for Beginners
Author: Suhita Shirodkar
Publisher: Quarry Books
BUY HERE
Contributing Author
Year: 2020
Title: The urban sketching handbook: Drawing Expressive People
Author: Roisin Cure
Publisher: Quarry Books
BUY HERE
Contributing Author
Year: 2019
Title: The urban sketching handbook: Working with color
Author: Shari Blaukopf
Publisher: Quarry Books
BUY HERE
Contributing Author
Year: 2017
Title: 5 minute sketching: Landscape book
Author: Virginia Hein
Publisher: Firefly books
BUY HERE
Contributing Author
Year: 2017
Title: Portrait Revolution
Author: Julia Kay
BUY HERE

Demonstrations/Lectures/Podcasts

2023 Sept, Thumbnailing as Problem Solving Tool, Zurich, Switzerland
2022 Jul, Plein Air Demonstration for Urban Sketchers Twin Cities in Macalester College, St. Paul
2022 May, Plein Air Convention Faculty demonstrations
Painting despite Wind
2022 Apr, Playing with Ink with Etchr Studio
Ink Demo
2022 Feb 24, Physics of Light with Eric Rhoads
Watercolor Demo
2021 Oct 21, North Star Watermedia Society (NSWS)
VIDEO
2021 Sept 22, Clubhouse chat with Urban Sketchers India on Lines and Shapes
2021 Aug 25, Directwatercolor demonstration for Urban Sketchers Twin Cities
2021, Jan 24, Night Scene in limited palette.
FREE DEMO
2021, Jan 18, Podcast: Defeating Art Block like an Engineer and getting to know me.
PODCAST
2020, Nov 18, Painting Landscapes, for California Watercolor Association (CWA)
VIDEO
2020, Nov, Painting Landscapes, for Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Association (SCVWS)
2020, Oct 2, PODCAST: I paint like an engineer
LISTEN TO PODCAST
2020 July 13, USk talks: Engineers Make Great Artists
VIDEO
2020, May, Urban sketching despite the pandemic, lecture to University of Bhopal, India
2020, Apr-Aug Multiple demonstrations with watercolor + digital art on IG live.
2019, July, Thinking about Composition, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2018 July, Digital Planning, Analog Execution, Porto, Portugal
2017 July 27, Abstraction in Watercolors, Chicago
2016 East Valley Artists, San Jose, June 16
2014, Los Altos Art Club, June 9
2014, Talk Art, A Mid-Peninsula Community Studio production, interview and demonstration.
2013, Campbell Art Guild
2013, Silicon Valley Artist
2013, Gallery House, Palo Alto, March 30
2012, Los Altos Art Club, Sept 10

Download CV (pdf)

Graphs give more information than a CV with listings. They shows trends.

I am building a practice that works for me but also builds and integrates a community along side. The graphs from left to right shows growth of practice as percentage of work done till date, exposure of medium I practice in, absolute # of finished art pieces and workshops.

Exposure and Recognition

Countries I've painted and taught in

Unfortunately, haven't been to all 50 states for painting. Invite me to teach in your home state!

I paint anything I fancy and enjoy a vast variety of topics and media. However, owing to busy city life on weekdays, I often find myself hiking and being in greener spaces which obviously means, I have more landscapes than any other genre.

Always relegated to being just a hobby, painting has achieved a pivotal role in my life since April 2009. It is my tool to having a balanced life – it rejuvenates and unwinds me. It lets me be among more sensitive and extraordinarily gifted people. But that’s all for me. With my paintings, I hope to share with you an emotion, a mood, a story which you – the onlooker – continue when you let your inward eye complete the picture.

About Me

Hello. I am Uma, an artist-engineer combo from San Jose, California. There's commonality in both the fields; of watercolor and of engineering. In both, I've found that less is more and while simple is supreme, it takes a whole lifetime to hone this skill. I am on it.