FEATURED ART
As a girl, I also loved to draw as much as I’d like to sing and play the piano. I watched my mother draw Indian folk dancers on wooden boards. She would come up with so many characters, but none of them had names. They all had big eyes and lots of jewelry on their clothes and in their hair. It was not like the art I was used to seeing in the history books in school. But I knew it was just as important and historical. She drew the art that was passed to her for generations. She taught me how to draw the way I draw.
STARTING WITH SLUMDOG MILLIONARE
I loved to sing, both Indian classical and Italian opera. I left professional singing for many years and grew to regret it. It was not until AR Rahman gave me a chance to sing with him for Slumdog Millionaire at the Oscars did I believe that I would become a professional singer again, but this time, working with collaborators that had a lot invested in the business of music. I have had an amazing 10 years working with AR, Timbaland, Weezer, Ozomotli, Jeremy Soule, Brody Brown and many other amazing film and television producers. I put together a sampling of the some of the material I am working on, and some of the past albums.
Amrita grew up in Colonia NJ, a small town by most standards. Her house was about 1500 square feet and most times there were about 8-15 people living in it. As much as she tried to keep her oil painting apparatus away from the family crowds, it was hard not to encroach on other people’s space. Amrita would often recall searching for calm and stability as a kid. There were some open spots in the house that had great potential to offer this – one being the dining room. Her little brother would sit and contemplate, something she wanted to do, but couldn’t. Amrita says she remembers her reflection being so cute, she wanted to capture it. In this picture you will also see her favorite tree on the bottom right hand corner. Her favorite tree was cut down abruptly without much explanation but she managed to get the image back somehow through this painting. Many years later, Amrita’s husband suggested they put an expensive frame on it to celebrate what the tree meant to her and what her little brother meant to Amrita. It is hanging in the family eating area in their home in Los Angeles.
PRODUCTS DESIGNED BY AMRITA SEN
AMRITA SEN ART FEATURED IN
ABOUT AMRITA SEN
My name is Amrita Sen and I am an Indian artist, musician, and story teller. My parents immigrated from Kolkata, India, when I was 4 years old. I started singing at a very early age. And I really loved to draw and paint. As an immigrant kid, I always knew that it was my job to make money. However, I always wondered what it would be like to be a professional singer and to commercialize my art.