Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Sangeeta Weatherley: Passion to help people find an inner Picasso

Sangeeta Weatherley: Passion to help people find an inner Picasso

MANY reconnecting with art during the pandemic has turned it into a very popular pastime.

Apart from being an avenue for creative expression, the colourful hobby has also helped mental wellbeing and been a way to connect with like-minded people. West London-based artist Sangeeta Weatherley has created a space for those wanting to learn painting through hands-on individual and group classes at her studio in Chiswick.


She now balances creating eye-catching works of art with helping people reconnect with their inner Picasso and discussed her colourful classes with Eastern Eye. She also spoke about art helping with mental wellbeing.

What first connected you to art?

I am passionate about outdoors. On one of my walks in India, I came across a group of watercolourists and discovered a love for capturing nature through art.

How would you describe your work?

My work is packed with vibrant colours with an element of spontaneity and abstraction. I use watercolours and acrylics, which have quick drying times that allow me to paint more and express myself more freely. I am challenging myself constantly by experimenting with various techniques.

Is there any one piece that is closest to your heart?

Every painting is special. If I must pick one, then Crazy Little Thing Called Love is my current favourite as it’s the first artwork I painted in my studio.

What made you start art classes?

I started my art classes to help people connect with their creative side. I have a passion for working with people and can lead diverse age groups and abilities. It has been proven that art provides an array of benefits.

Tell us about the art classes?

The art classes are suitable for all ages and abilities. I provide all materials. I demonstrate and guide you through a chosen theme.

How can art and classes help people?

Art helps you relax and connect with your inner creativity. It also boosts self-esteem and confidence.

What kind of feedback have you had from those attending your classes?

Some of the feedback I’ve received is, Silvia Del Corso saying, “my daughter and I attend Sangeeta’s classes; it is something we truly enjoy. It sets the mind free, allows us to express our creativity and it is a moment of mindfulness. Thank you so much for your passion, talent, patience, and dedication.” And someone else (Robert Marshall), said, “I find Sangeeta’s art very stimulating. Regardless of the subject matter, each piece conjures up emotions and memories not just of the physical, but something deeper. No wonder, then, that her teaching reflects the same energy and zest.”

Why should more people take up art?

The average person has more than 6,000 thoughts per day and 90 per cent of them are the same, day in and day out. Creating art provides a distraction, giving your brain a break from your usual thoughts. It helps you get in a state of flow. This meditative-like state focuses your mind and temporarily pushes aside all your worries.

How has art helped you?

It has provided an outlet to express myself. I am a much happier person. It also helps me connect with a lot of amazing people. It has allowed me to evolve both as an artist and businesswoman.

What else can we expect from you?

I’m expanding my classes – Art for Wellbeing for corporates, Art Parties for all occasions and one-to-one sessions. I also exhibit regularly. Details can be found on my website www.sansart.co.uk

What inspires you as an artist?

I am inspired by nature. London is abundant with parks and waterbodies. I paint a lot of florals inspired by spring and autumn colours. I live close to the Thames and draw a lot of inspiration from the tidal variations and seasonal changes.

Why should we attend your art classes?

There might be a Picasso waiting to be discovered! My class might inspire you in many ways. Art could be a new way to journal a creative colour diary, a way to capture your day or to clear your head.

Visit Twitter: @SanThoughts and Instagram: sans.art

More For You

K Anis Ahmed

K Anis Ahmed’s new novel Carnivore is as imaginative as it is provocative

AMG

K Anis Ahmed’s 'Carnivore' serves up satire, class war and moral rot

From the blood-soaked backstreets of Dhaka to the polished kitchens of Manhattan’s elite, K Anis Ahmed’s new novel Carnivore is as imaginative as it is provocative. A satirical thriller steeped in class tension, culinary obsession and primal survival, Carnivore follows Kash, a Bangladeshi immigrant-turned-chef who launches a high-end restaurant serving exotic meats – only to become embroiled in a sinister world of appetite and ambition.

But this is no simple tale of knives and recipes. Ahmed – a seasoned journalist, publisher, and president of PEN Bangladesh – brings a sharp eye to the grotesqueries of power and privilege. In this exclusive interview with Eastern Eye, he speaks about his passion for food, the moral murkiness of his characters, and why even the most ordinary people can spiral into extraordinary darkness.

Keep ReadingShow less
Artists respond to a world shaped
by division at Summer Exhibition

Visitors view works in the main gallery

Artists respond to a world shaped by division at Summer Exhibition

THE theme of the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition 2025 is “dialogues”, prompting the question: can art help bring together the people of India and Pakistan? Or, indeed, Israel and Iran – or Israel and Palestine?

It so happens that the coordinator of this year’s Summer Exhibition is the internationally celebrated artist and Royal Academician Farshid Moussavi, who is of Iranian origin.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kanpur 1857 play

This summer, Niall Moorjani returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with 'Kanpur: 1857'

Pleasance

Niall Moorjani brings colonial history to life with powerful new play 'Kanpur: 1857'

This summer, Niall Moorjani returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with Kanpur: 1857, an explosive new play that fuses biting satire, history and heartfelt storytelling. Written, co-directed and performed by Moorjani, alongside fellow actor and collaborator Jonathan Oldfield, the show dives into the bloody uprising against British colonial rule in 1857 India, focusing on the brutal events in Kanpur.

At its centre is an Indian rebel, played by Moorjani, strapped to a cannon and forced to recount a version of events under the watchful eye of a British officer.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lubna Kerr Lunchbox

Scottish-Pakistani theatre-maker Lubna Kerr returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with 'Lunchbox'

Instagram/ lubnakerr

Beyond curries and cricket: Lubna Kerr’s 'Lunchbox' challenges stereotypes at Edinburgh Fringe

Acclaimed Scottish-Pakistani theatre-maker Lubna Kerr returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with Lunchbox – the final instalment of her deeply personal and widely praised ‘BOX’ trilogy, following Tickbox and Chatterbox.

Inspired by her own upbringing as a Pakistani immigrant girl in Glasgow, Lunchbox is a powerful one-woman show that tackles themes of identity, race, bullying and belonging through the eyes of two teenagers growing up on the same street but living vastly different lives. With humour, honesty and heart, Kerr brings multiple characters to life, including her younger self and a troubled classmate, as she explores whether we are shaped by our environment or capable of breaking the cycle.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tawseef Khan

Based on Khan’s lifelong proximity to immigration law

Instagram/ itsmetawseef

Tawseef Khan brings together justice and fiction in his powerful debut novel

Tawseef Khan is a qualified immigration solicitor and academic who made his literary debut with the acclaimed non-fiction book Muslim, Actually. His first novel Determination, originally published in 2024 and now available in paperback, brings his legal and creative worlds together in a powerful, emotionally rich story.

Set in a Manchester law firm, Determination follows Jamila, a 29-year-old immigration solicitor juggling frantic client calls, family expectations and her own wellbeing. Based on Khan’s lifelong proximity to immigration law, including his father starting a practice from their living room, the novel explores the human cost of a broken system with compassion, wit and clarity.

Keep ReadingShow less