Greetings!
My name is Raju Lamichhane. I was born in a beautiful and remote village to a traditional Nepali family. I started my artistic creativity as we played with mud and sand and made our own toys from stone and wood. Even in student life my passion for art took me away from science and technology and pushed me to the fine arts school where I completed my bachelor degree in fine art.
I spent almost half of my life in this field. The awards and recognition I received for my artwork have always motivated me to continue working on this field. I won’t hesitate to say that my professional life in commercial art had made a satisfactory life for my family. But I wasn’t that satisfied with my own work and a sort of anxiousness was hidden within me. When I evaluate my earlier works I feel like I was doing something opposite to my feelings. I used to make art work for other people. When I was at school, I did what my art teachers taught in class. After finishing my college degree, I needed a job and focused on what an employer would want. When I got a job I did what my boss requested. Even during my leisure time I made art work that art galleries and art buyers would want to buy. I never did what I really loved to do.
In 2005,
I moved to the United States. Everything changed and my life took another shape. It was very challenging to settle down in a different country. I felt some difficulty in converting my art from eastern style to American style. In the meantime I started creating art without restrictions. I started using some materials typically thrown out, such as used newsprint, junk mail, plant and tree leaves, onion and garlic peels, and even used plastic bottles in my art work.
Since 2008,
I often exhibit my artwork in galleries, environment related fairs and shows. People started loving my artwork and I have received a lot of positive response. I hope people see my artwork and realize that they themselves can reuse wasted things in creating art.
I learned fine art a different way, where the presentation did not express my feelings so well. Now I am free to create what I love and comfortable to express what I feel. I know that art is never done and I will continue to try to improve.
After a few years of practice, I found unique beauty, a different means of expression and deep harmony. Nowadays, I don’t use any additional colors and inks. I just pick whatever I find around me. First I make the elements in suitable sizes and shapes and then glue and paste them onto an art board. It is also a unique way to reuse otherwise wasted things. In this way, when wasted things turn into a beautiful art piece, it brings me a complete pleasure which I can’t express in words. I feel like I am giving a new life to dead things. Now I can feel how freedom works in art creation. I have no restriction in expressing my feeling on art. I can explore arts glory. I am much more satisfied with my present work.