Hi! I'm Santha!
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Artist
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Art Instructor
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Former high school art teacher
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Lifelong creative
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Meet Santha
I am an American artist, creator, and wonderer, and I create artwork that aligns with my unique vision of beauty. I enjoy working with a variety of mediums -- gouache, colored pencil, watercolor, ink, graphite, and collage, or any mixture of the aforementioned. I have been creating art for over 40 years, all my life actually. My artwork is rich in symbolism with certain motifs appearing frequently: women, flowers, skulls, moons, trees, creatures, suns, old buildings. I explore the concept of cycles and the fragility of life within those cycles -- and the emotions we feel as we cycle through life, as well as the interconnectivity of the cycles of nature and our lives. I'm an avid sketchbooker and art journaler -- I believe these are works of art in their own right. I've taught workshops in my community for over a decade.
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I'm a native of Shelbyville, Tennessee, where I reside with my college-age son Elijah, and two felines - Phoebe (the queen) and Wolfgang (the criminal). My oldest son lives in Utah with his lovely bride. I taught for 20 years in the public school system -- high school English and (mostly) Art. In 2020 I left public education to focus on my art practice. I'm also very active with our local arts center where I am visual arts chair and manage the gallery. After teaching children art at all levels in public schools, and seeing how little value is given to art, I became a huge advocate for the arts in my community. It's so important! I have exhibited at Middle Tennessee State University and the Fly Arts Center in Shelbyville, Tennessee. Over the years I've taught a variety of art classes and workshops. I am excited to see what the future holds for my practice.​
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I love creating art and find fulfillment in the tactile experience of the tools in my hands. I believe a rare alchemy occurs when I sit down to create art, a synchrony. I am revealing my inner world one brush or pen stroke at a time. I believe art is part of what makes being human beautiful.
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I express my questions, uncertainties, and musings sometimes through watercolor and pen, at other times through collage and mixed media. My art often reads like a deconstructed vanitas that I am attempting to put back together into a semblance of meaning.
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My desire is to express myself authentically, and perhaps touch a soul out there for whom my art resonates. Ultimately, my art is a conversation with myself, and I invite you to listen in."
One of my favorite things, sketching at a coffee shop!
