Alan Louis Ramachandran
My professional career began as an interior designer. I subsequently set-up my own interior design company in Singapore, where I ran the consultancy for 20 years before moving to Adelaide, with my family, in early 2007.
I later attended watercolour painting classes at La Salle School of the Arts in Singapore, where I learnt from some of Singapore’s most eminent watercolour artists like Ng Woon Lam and Seah Kam Chuan, who is the president of the Singapore Watercolour Society. In 2004, I was elected a member of The Watercolour Society of Singapore.
During the years I spent running my company in Singapore, I continued to pursue my passion for painting, especially with watercolours. I contemplated the idea of working as a full time watercolour artist. With this in mind, I embarked on painting trips around Asia. Many of my works were displayed in Singapore galleries and exhibited at art shows in Singapore and abroad.
After migrating to Adelaide I entered a number of Rotary art shows and when I won my first major prize, it gave me the confidence to express myself in this wonderful medium. I am captivated by the Adelaide streetscapes and rural landscapes, as well as the stunning colours of the Australian bush. I have developed a love of the Flinders Ranges and have exhibited many paintings of that area.
I joined the Royal South Australian Society of Arts in 2008 and have been a Fellow member since 2009. In 2014 I tutored one of the Society's summer school workshops. The friendships I have formed and the guidance I have received from fellow Society members have been invaluable to me. I am also a member of the Singapore Watercolour Society, the South Australian Watercolour Society and the Red House Group - Gallery M. I was a member of the Painters of the Flinders Ranges.
In 2008 I decided to share my knowledge and love of watercolour painting by conducting classes. It gives me great pleasure to help students explore their creativity and understanding of the techniques of watercolour. I also conduct regular workshops and demonstrations.
Painting is my way of expressing how I appreciate life and the beauty that I see even in the most ordinary everyday things. Whatever I am painting, I derive immense joy and satisfaction from being able to freely express my own interpretations of what I perceive, guided by my emotions and innermost feelings. The spontaneity of watercolour never fails to surprise and delight.
I have been fortunate during my professional art career to have won approximately 51 awards, prizes and commendations, and I have participated in 12 solo and joint exhibitions.
