Priyanka Pathak
Priyanka Pathak paints in the ancestral homeland of the Kumeyaay, the indigenous people of San Diego County, CA, USA and northern Baja California, Mexico. Priyanka primarily works with acrylics, including in mixed media excursions. In the realm of abstract art, she uses seemingly simple shapes and organic forms to play within the tensions of chaos and order, occasionally incorporating found objects. In portraits and still life studies, she glorifies her subjects' confidence and vulnerability. Her body of work can be described as bold, evocative, and rich. Whether she is creating something purely abstract or undoubtedly realistic, she enjoys pushing past her limits through experimentation, innovation, and creative risk-taking.
Priyanka's paintings have been featured in national, regional, and local exhibitions in San Diego, Oceanside, Escondido, and El Cajon. Her pieces are housed in private collections throughout the United States and abroad. She supports the local art community as a member of the East County Art Association and San Diego Watercolor Society.
About the Artist
Artist Statement
I aim to facilitate understanding across diverse lived experiences. I explore themes of gender and sexuality, connection between life forms, and emotional intimacy. Questions I try to answer with my abstract and figurative work are rather fundamental: What makes us connect to a two-dimensional object with lines, colors, and forms? Is it the combination of colors? Is it how we project ourselves onto that object? Is it the communication we experience with the artist?
I investigate these questions by attempting to capture the natural interconnectivity with each other, without excluding plants, animals, and the elements. My passion for psychology and healing influences my compositions and color pallets, as I invite viewers to be open to their emotional experiences.
I intend to provoke storytelling with my figurative pieces. A few examples of such work include Healing Story, Lost and Found, and Force of Her Character. I often use my voice to explore central themes about social expectations, the environment, and cultural identity. Human subjects of my art tend to be people of color as I am inspired by my own South Asian heritage, immigrant experience, and family. I also strive to amplify the lived experience of less heard, or marginalized identities.
In the realm of abstract art, I use simple shapes and organic forms to play within the tensions of chaos and order, often incorporating found objects to symbolize our environmental impact. My abstract pieces can be described as bold, evocative, and rich. I enjoy pushing past my limits through experimentation, innovation, and creative risk-taking. I aim to present complex, nuanced feelings such as skepticism, awe, courage, and adventure. I pursue this endeavor with abstract art because I enjoy the challenge of not having an obviously relatable protagonist.
-Priyanka Pathak
Curriculum Vitae
EXHIBITIONS
2026 34th Annual Juried Exhibition, Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, La Jolla, CA (group)
2026 Guest List - Vol 001 the Showcase, King Bell Projects, San Diego, CA (group)
2026 Community Art House Seasonal Exhibition, Dear Tomorrow, Oceanside, CA (group)
2026 Micro Gallery, Distinction Gallery, Distinction Gallery, Escondido (group)
2026 Better Together, Thumbprint Gallery, La Jolla, CA (group)
2026 Patriot Sagas, San Diego Water Color Society, San Diego, CA (group)
2026 The Art of Now: Pushing Boundaries, San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild, San DIego, CA (group)
2026 Seen & Whole, San Diego Art Directory, La Jolla, CA (group)
2026 The Will of the Brush, San Diego Water Color Society, San Diego, CA (group)
2026 It’s A Big Gay Art Show, SH!FT Gallery, San Diego, CA (group)
2026 Bloodlines & Brushstrokes, Thumbprint Gallery, La Jolla & Distinction Gallery, Escondido (group)
2026 Nature’s Echo, San Diego Water Color Society, San Diego, CA (group)
2026 Paradise on Earth, San Diego Water Color Society, San Diego, CA (group)
2026 Viva Art, East County Art Association, El Cajon, CA (group)
2026 Common Ground, Village Arts Outreach, San Diego, CA (trio)
2026 Touching Your Heart, San Diego Water Color Society, San Diego, CA (group)
2026 The Moment Is Now, San Diego Pride, San Diego, CA (group)
2026 Classical Inspiration, San Diego Water Color Society, San Diego, CA (group)
2026 Passion and Purpose, San Diego Water Color Society, San Diego, CA (group)
2025 Saved By Art, Covet Art Gallery, Oceanside, CA (group)
2025 Inktober, East County Art Association, El Cajon, CA (group)
2025 Holiday Art Market, The Studio Door, San Diego, CA (group)
2025 Emotion X Connection, Ashton Gallery, San Diego, CA (duo)
2025 Off the Hook, Covet Art, Oceanside, CA (outdoor pop-up solo)
2025 Proud+ 2025, The Studio Door, San Diego, CA (group)
2025 Ocean Love, East County Art Association, El Cajon, CA (group)
2025 Abstract Exhibition, Covet Art Gallery, Oceanside, CA (group)
2025 Visions of Vermilion, Ashton Art Gallery, San Diego, CA (group)
2024 4th Annual Mentorship Exhibition, Ashton Art Gallery, San Diego, CA (group)
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
2026 Emerging Fellow - California Arts Council Region 8 Individual Artist Fellowship Program
EVENTS
2026 Speaker panel - The Art of Now: Pushing Boundaries, San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild, San Diego, CA
2026 Open studio guest artist - Blush & Brut, Ashton Gallery, San Diego, CA
2024 Live event painter - Splendid Summer, Ashton Art Gallery, San Diego, CA
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