The StarScript Observatory
Where Creators and Story Lovers are Discovered
Post Date: 01/29/2010
StarScript Profile
RADHIKA HERSEY
Painter, Photographer, and Model
Favorite Legends Feature: Worldbuilding Tools
Radhika Hersey is a multi-faceted artist who has made a hobby of taking chances. Her “I can’t miss this opportunity” attitude has placed her in situations where she could have failed miserably, but instead, she has consistently emerged victorious. When given an opportunity to appear on an episode of the television show Skin Wars: Fresh Paint, she stretched beyond her main medium of oil paint on canvas to jump head first into a body painting battle. Incredibly, with cameras rolling, she won it. A short time later she was given the opportunity to manage painting a huge mural on an outdoor courtyard. Again, not wanting to miss the opportunity, she accepted the commission. Tirelessly working through unforeseen budgeting obstacles, mishaps, and meltdowns, she somehow finished the project, leading to more commissions on several walls across Los Angeles.
Radhika’s story is a fantastic tale of synchronicities and self-discovery. Her artistic journey begins at the age of 15 when, suffering through a dark period, she took up a new hobby of oil painting. She immediately exhibited a natural talent and discovered that her new hobby was more than just a way to express her pain. It was becoming a form of therapy. Emotions that she could never place into words now poured out and into her art. Feeling that she had realized her purpose in life, she dove in completely, often losing herself in her creations for days at a time.
Living with her single father, a computer programmer who had entered into his own creative renaissance, also fueled her creative fire. An artist himself, he had begun designing ornate, otherworldly costumes. To show them off, Radhika and her father would dress up and go to local parties and raves together. Before long, they found themselves at more eclectic counterculture festivals like Burningman, where creativity and unbound expression took on a new meaning. She began experimenting with psychedelic substances and quickly matured beyond her years. Opening to the more metaphysical aspects of reality had shown her a parallel to the spiritual experiences she remembered from childhood. Her artwork flourished.
At the age of 16 she was offered an opportunity to join a team painting murals at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. For the first time she was being payed to paint -a validation of her talent. Encouraged by her summer job at The Venetian, she then jumped at an opportunity to spend her last year of High School attending The Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. This deeply inspired her to continue her education. She was accepted into the California College of the Arts in Oakland, California. There she honed her skills, “obsessed over Frida Kahlo,” and received her Bachelors Degree. Other opportunities to study art would follow, like travelling overseas to learn master techniques in Italy.
Settling in Los Angeles, she quickly became a staple of the local underground artist community. When a spot opened at The Hive Gallery in Downtown Los Angeles, she took up residency. Her paintings were now moving away from the darker themes of her teenage years, expanding to include humor, and taking on more archetypal spiritual themes. Becoming newly inspired by the conscious music and art festival scene emerging on the west coast, she co-founded the ground breaking Temple of Visions Gallery. In her time there Radhika’s artwork continued to evolve, eventually blossoming into the dreamlike visions seen in her work today.
Radhika describes art as the bridge between the material and spirit realm and expresses gratitude for her opportunities to create for a living. When asked about her influences, Radhika mentions Indian Folklore, Hindu Mythology, 19 years of meditation practice, and her travels as great sources of inspiration. She fondly recalls Wayne Anderson as one of her early influences and describes being powerfully affected by his illustrations in a children’s book she owned.
One of her goals for 2019 is to complete a children’s book of her own. Some other artists that have had a profound affect on her work are MC Escher, Andrew Gonzalez, Zdzislaw Beksinski, and Salvador Dali.
Radhika says she looks forward to being part of the Starscript community. Impressed by the incredible pool of talent the platform has drawn so far, she feels that it presents a social portal for the creative community that has been missing, a true creative melting pot focused on community and a sharing of resources. She describes a feeling of “being in the right place” whenever she is creating art and feels that Starscript will create that atmosphere for its members.
Author: Kalix Sky
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