From graduating in psychology to painting on a canvas that would one day find a home in Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan's plush Mumbai apartment, artist Rashmie Tyagi feels her foundation has her fed her creativity belied in the layers of her acrylic seascapes.
Her works, which are currently on display at 'The Gallery of Light' exhibit at Ductac, Mall of the Emirates, are further fueled by the vista that lays before her every day.
Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Tyagi says: "I see the beautiful expanse of the sea from my home; that inspires me, speaks to me as I bring to canvas the omnipresent layers I see before me.
"I think that's what really drew me to painting seascapes, at least sub consciously. Going back to my psychology roots, the layers found in human beings, their very essence, are personified in the crash of the waves.
"What you see on the surface is never the entire picture is it?"
Tyagi, whose work has won her accolades from the artistic community, has had no formal training in painting, but does so for her need to explore her creativity.
She says: "It started out as a journey of self-discovery really. But three years ago, I decided to explore my own depths. It takes a lot out of you, but it gives a lot back also."
Tyagi's seascapes vary in mood and colour, letting Mother Nature transcend her feelings on canvas, says the artist.
"I think a lot. I experiment, but really, it is the first colour I use that decides what I'm ultimately creating," she reveals. "It's never in my control."
The Mumbai resident confesses she was creating a piece last year that with each brush stroke, the seascape transformed into a dark nightscape in its final few touches.
Tyagi has three pieces of her seascape collection at the Dubai exhibition, which ends December 20.
Quiz the artist if she gets attached to her works as they go on sale, and she says: "It's hard not to. But simply knowing your creativity has found appreciation and a new home, that feeling cannot be matched."