Saroj Patel

We're very happy to have Saroj Patel joining us for The Gerald Exhibition.
Saroj Patel an illustrator, graphic designer and artist currently based in London. Patel was born in Preston in 1983 practically with a pencil in her hand.
Here's a few words from Saroj about her background, style and work.
Reflecting back, my expressive nature filled my home walls with my drawings and doodles. Rather than sit and watch TV, my parents encouraged and facilitated my artistic talents. Recalling, at the age of 8 my father turned to me with some wood, hammer and a bunch of nails and asked me to build birdhouse for the back-garden, which I then painted with a mix of dots, triangles and bright colors. Although my artistic skills had only just begun, I continued to express myself and at the age of 9 I wrote and illustrated my first short story, The Magic Pair of Shoes.

Whilst studying graphic design at the University of Leeds I started to develop my illustration style. After having graduated university I moved to London, where the cities artistic diversity within its culture, architecture, history, sights and sounds inspired and contributed to my illustrative style. Everywhere you look there is a mix of old and new, bold and beautiful, people flocking to the endless art galleries and events. I constantly find myself full of ideas and wanting to explore and develop different techniques of drawing and image making.
I have worked on a variety of projects from small intricate ink illustrations to large-scale murals. My work posses a distinctive style, where it displays a fluidity of movement through the use of patterns and lines. I am fascinated by color, pattern and detail and incorporate this in my artwork.
Nature is a compelling part of my illustrative style, spurred by the use of animals, plants, flowers and trees. I feel that nature frees the imagination and emphasizes artistic power.