Born and brought up in Maharashtra, Ramchandra Kharatmal completed in G.D. Art (Painting) from Kala Mahavidyalaya, Satara. He later received his Dip.A.ED from Bharti Kala Mahavidyalaya, Pune.
While growing up, Ramchandra saw his mother teach sewing classes to young girls in his town. This shaped his interest in art, the fabrics, colours, fashion and patterns, fascinated him and left lasting impressions on his young mind. Somehow, this art of stitching fabric together lived till Ramchandra’s youth and made its way to his art.
One look at Ramchandra's paintings would remind one of the traditional art of “Godhadi” or quilt making. Quiltmaking is a deep-rooted art in India, where mothers, grandmothers and other ladies in the house, stitch old fabrics together to make an oversized quilt. These quilts are often hand-stitched, where the signature running stitch is used to join the pieces of fabric together. Ramchandra gently incorporates this running stitch in his paintings.
Similar to the hand-stitched godhadi, Ramchandra’s paintings carry a deep warmth like a mother’s or grandmother’s hug, it carries the memories and sweet fragrance of childhood. His subjects are often seen embracing the quilts of various designs, bold colours and vivid patterns, thus the artist entwines his love for human figures with these traditional quilts.
The audience deeply connects with the artist and his paintings. These paintings remind them of their childhood and the unconditional love of their mothers and grandmothers. Ramchandra uses a combination of bright and rustic colours, as if filling colours in the somewhat hazy, somewhat forgotten memories, in the hope of refreshing them.
Ramchadra Kharatmal received the prestigious Lalit Kala Akademy Award in 2006 and is the youngest recipient of this award. He has also received awards from the reputable Bombay Art Society in 2008, The Art Society of India in 2007 and State Award, Maharashtra.
