Artists – Maina Foundation

Laya Joseph

My name is Laya Abraham Joseph, born in Kerala, India and residing in New York for the last 15 years. A self-taught artist, since the last 5 years, I have taken up painting as my profession. My professional background as a botanist influences and inspires my art. Nature and landscapes are a common theme in my paintings. I work primarily in acrylic and mixed media. My paintings are mostly abstracts and semi abstracts, expressionistic in style and often rooted in memories and experiences.

Lisa Miceli

Lisa Miceli lives in Mystic, CT and is a plein air painter and art teacher with a focus on expressionist watercolors, oils and multimedia approaches. She teaches studio classes and workshops at the Lyme Art Association, Mystic Museum of Art and on Fishers Island. . Lisa developed her expressionist watercolor style and use of the hake brush studying with British plein air watercolorist Ron Ranson. A significant early influence on her painting was her grandmother, Lucille Gauthier who was an illustrator, watercolorist, and a WPA artist.

Lisa is an elected artist at the Lyme Art Association, Mystic Museum of Art, and Madison Art Society, a member of the Noank 9 plein air painting group, and co-chaired the New England Watercolor Society plein air painting program. Lisa’s paintings have been in numerous juried shows and her works hang in galleries throughout New England. Lisa has received watercolor awards at the New England Watercolor Society NorthEast Regional and Plein Air shows, awards at Mystic Museum of Art and Lyme Art Association, and she was winner of the JMW Turner watercolor competition at the Mystic Seaport Museum. Her work can be viewed on her website at www.lmiceliart.com

Galleries include; , Westport River Gallery in Westport, CT, Arnould Gallery in Marblehead, MA, Mystic Museum of Art, Lyme Art Association in Old Lyme, CT, Bird’s Nest Gallery and Salon, Guilford, CT Madison Art Society, Willow and Birch in Madison, CT, Avondale Arts in Rhode Island, and Thames River Gallery in New London. Her plein air work and expressionist watercolors hang in 1515 Lincoln Gallery in Oklahoma City, and her watercolors are included in the Maina Foundation on-line sale to benefit breast cancer awareness.

Smita Nerkar

Smita Nerkar, Founder & CEO of TANAG by Smita, is an artist and jewelry designer carrying forward a rich family legacy rooted in India’s jewelry business for generations. Growing up surrounded by gold, silver, and traditional craftsmanship, she developed a deep passion for jewelry and design from an early age. Today, through TANAG, Smita blends her heritage, artistry, and contemporary vision to create timeless jewelry that celebrates craftsmanship, individuality, and the beauty of tradition.

Geeta Pathak - Soul Art Story

From the innocent doodles in school books, to priceless canvases. It has been quite a journey. An artist by chance, i did not realise i loved painting so much. Life with all its precious moments of love, angst, heartache, amidst playing different roles of daughter, sister, friend,wife, and mother all came together one day as art became my lifeline. That’s why you will see that i paint everything and anything i perceive to be “in the moment.”

Natalie Sambamurty

Natalie is a self-taught artist who works with acrylic, watercolors and oil paints. Her inspiration comes from conservation of wildlife, traditional Indian art and lifestyles, serenity of nature, and different cultures of the world. She is passionate about children’s and women’s health. She has been involved for several years with Maina Foundation, whose mission is to increase awareness and to promote early detection of breast cancer in women around the world. She hopes that through her passion for art, she is able to contribute to the cause she wholeheartedly believes in.