FEATURED ARTISTS OF THE MONTH: Bal Joshi and Christine Reilly

BAL JOSHI

Bal Joshi was born in Jamkhandi India and did his school and college education in Dharwad. After completion of the post graduate degree he obtained the Ph. D (Tech) of the University of Bombay on his thesis "Anthraquinone Coloring Matters." In 1953 he proceeded to the King's College Cambridge, England and worked with Professor Sir Alexander (later Lord) Todd (Nobel Prize, 1957). He was awarded the Ph. D. degree in chemistry for his work on "The Colouring Matters of the Aphididae."

He carried out research work at the University of Chicago and at the National Chemical Laboratory Poona. His major contribution has been on the chemical constituents of medicinal plants, work carried out for twenty years at the CIBA Research Centre, Bombay. He immigrated to the United States (1982) and was a Research Associate at the Institute for Natural Products Research University of Georgia till his retirement in 2001.

Bal is fascinated by the beauty of the forests, the tropical flora, lakes, ocean colors, and the blue skies. After his retirement he was seeking a hobby and has been taking lessons in acrylic painting. After 30 years stay in Athens, GA about six months back he moved to be with his daughter in Marietta.

CHRISTINE REILLY

"My personal creative journey started with a firm stride and regressed to a stumbling plod. I found art at a very young age – my mom and then my teachers discovered early on that the only way to keep me occupied, when I was at loose ends, was to put paper and crayons in front of me. I would draw for for hours on end at home and as long as they would let me at school. For me, art cushioned the angst of adolescence. When I discovered that my high school had no real art program, I led the charge to introduce an art program into the school's curriculum. Then, after completing six years of Fine Arts higher education, (a BFA and an MFA) I dropped my crayons, pencils, chalk and brushes for 26 years. Making a living took over. In 2004, when my mother was dying, I sat by her bedside and struggled to find an outlet for my grief. I reached out to that best friend I had set aside – Art. I picked up some copier paper and a pencil and drew my mom as she lay there, holding my dad's hand. It was my final tribute to her and her final gift to me.

Since that time, I have moved back with joy to brushes and canvas and am now once again obsessed and in love with art.

My paintings have been inspired by the emotion of the natural world around me. Favorite subject matter includes people in my life, places I love and the colors and motions that catch my eye.

I am a featured artist in The Upstairs Gallery in Roswell, Georgia. My work hangs in offices, lobbies, private homes and summer homes - - and in the homes of my family and friends."