Pune-based artist Krutika Parulkar is preparing to showcase her latest collection at Mumbai's prestigious Jehangir Art Gallery from September 8-14, 2025. The exhibition, titled "Soul Impression," features a unique blend of watercolor and oil paintings that capture the artist's deep connection with nature and her journey from a talented student to a dedicated professional artist.

Parulkar's artistic journey began in childhood when, despite scoring 94 in her SSC board examinations, she found herself more drawn to colors on canvas than academic achievements. Encouraged by her father and family, she chose art school over a more conventional career path, allowing creativity to guide her future. "Every painting is not only what I saw, but also what I felt," Parulkar explains, describing how painting became her anchor where visual experiences merge with emotional responses through strokes of color.

The upcoming exhibition demonstrates Parulkar's versatility by showcasing two distinctly different mediums side by side. She has been working with watercolors for nearly 15 years, finding them both fascinating and challenging. "I enjoy painting in watercolors because they allow me to go with the flow," she says. Most of her watercolor landscapes depict Indian historical monuments or reflections on water, taking advantage of the medium's fluid, spontaneous nature.

In contrast, Parulkar began exploring oil paints about seven to eight years ago, drawn to their completely opposite characteristics. Oils have allowed her to experiment with layering techniques and create rich textures that would be impossible with watercolors. Her latest oil painting series, featured in this exhibition, utilizes palette knives and thick layers of paint to create visual illusions for viewers. "Displaying both mediums together is my way of showing versatility – that I can embrace both and that I truly enjoy exploring their contrasts," she explains.

Much of Parulkar's work focuses on forests, rivers, and natural light, themes that have gained particular significance in the context of global environmental concerns. She sees her art as more than mere aesthetic expression, viewing it as a gentle reminder of nature's beauty and fragility. "Nature has always been my greatest inspiration. Forests, rivers, and light carry a quiet strength and beauty that I try to capture on canvas," she notes. While she doesn't wish to preach, Parulkar hopes her paintings will make viewers pause, reflect, and feel more connected to the environment.

The artist describes her work as a conversation with nature, a relationship that deepened during her college years. The true shift from casual sketching to serious artistic pursuit occurred during outdoor studies when she painted on location. "While traveling for outdoor studies and painting on location, I began to feel a much deeper connection with nature. I discovered peace and joy in natural environments, and that's when I decided to pursue art as a lifelong journey," Parulkar recalls.

The "Soul Impression" exhibition will run from September 8-14, 2025, at Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai, with daily viewing hours from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The showcase represents years of artistic development and Parulkar's ongoing dialogue with the natural world, offering visitors an opportunity to experience both the fluidity of watercolors and the rich textures of oil paintings in a single, cohesive presentation.