Meet the Artist

Origins

A largely self-taught artist, Dr. Vajpeyi began drawing in childhood, sketching from images and the statues of Victoria Memorial Gardens in Kolkata. During medical school she honed her observational skills by drawing the human form — a formative discipline that cultivated a deep sensitivity to the human form. She further enriched her artistic sensibility by observing renowned artists such as Rathin Das, Jatin Das, and Ganesh Pyne, and by studying the lives and works of international masters.

Art as Healing

In her medical practice, Dr. Vajpeyi integrated expressive arts to support patients navigating illness and recovery. In 1997 she founded PRERAK, a cancer support group in India, introducing art therapy as a means of emotional expression and healing — an initiative that gave rise to the annual exhibition Healing Through Art, showcased at prominent cultural institutions in Kolkata.

Formal Training & Practice

Later in life, Dr. Vajpeyi undertook formal training in academic art inspired by the teachings of Charles Bargue and the old masters, studying under Fernando Freitas, Juan Martinez, and Ryan Gavin at the Academy of Realist Art in Toronto. She typically works without preliminary drawing, addressing the canvas directly with a paint-loaded brush, painting live models and en plein air to express a visual dialogue through colour and composition between subject and viewer.

Recognition & Representation

Her work is collected internationally and has been featured in numerous juried exhibitions, with paintings also supporting charitable initiatives across India, the United States, and Canada. She was formerly represented by the Hititte Gallery in Toronto and is currently represented by Gallerium, an international online exhibition platform.

Dr. Vajpeyi holds that “Art is the product of the artist and the beholder” — a philosophy that speaks equally to her life in medicine and her life on canvas.

She is a member of:

  • The Arts and Letters Club (Toronto)
  • The Portrait Society of Canada
  • The Women Art Association of Canada
  • The Society of Canadian Artists
  • Life member of the Artists Centre, Mumbai

Solo Exhibitions

Upcoming – Coast to Coast, Women’s Arts Association of Canada, 23 Prince Arthur Dr., Toronto, July 21 – August 5, 2026.

This & That — at The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto, 14 Elm Street, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1G7, April 21 – May 19, 2018.

Musings — at The Artists Centre Gallery, Ador House, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai, India, January 9–15, 2017.

Healing thru Art: My Patch of Sunshine — at The Promenade, Taj Bengal, Kolkata, India, November 24–30, 2014.

For the full current catalogue and enquiries regarding commissioned pieces, please email us at artirati9@gmail.com

Group Exhibitions

2026

  • Nudus 2026 – (juried) Gallerium, international online art exhibition
  • Spring show (juried), Arts and Letters Club, Toronto

2025

  • Selected (juried), II International Art Festival Ríos de Color, Mexico City

2024

  • Spring show (juried), Arts and Letters Club
  • Plein air (juried), Arts and Letters Club

2023

  • Mystical skies (juried), Arts and Letters Club, Toronto
  • Life and death (juried), Gallerium, online exhibition, Vancouver

2022

  • Poetry and art exhibition (online), The Arts and Letters Club, Toronto

2021

  • Next 3 (juried), Arts and Letters Club, Toronto

2019

  • The portrait (juried), O’Connor Gallery, Gananoque, Ontario
  • Plein air show, Arts and Letters Club, Toronto

2018

  • Plein air show (juried), The Arts and Letters Club, Toronto, September 1–29, 2018
  • Midsummer show, Gallery Hittite, Yorkville, Toronto, August 22 – September 14, 2018

2016

  • Gallery Hittite, Yorkville, Toronto, September 2–17, 2016
  • Toronto art blast, Indian Grove, July 23–24, 2016
  • Gallery Hittite, Yorkville, Toronto, July 9–23, 2016
  • The new masters – annual spring show & sale, The Academy of Realist Art, Toronto, May 14 – June 30, 2016
  • Coming together, Joseph D. Carrier Gallery, Toronto, April 19 – May 2, 2016
  • Life drawing show (juried), The Heliconian Club, 35 Hazelton Ave., Toronto, February 8 – March 9, 2016

2015

  • The new masters (juried), Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery, Columbus Centre, North York, Toronto, July 9 – August 24, 2015
  • The new masters spring show (juried), The Academy of Realist Art, Toronto, Canada, May 30 – June 30, 2015

2014

  • The new masters, Joseph D. Carrier Gallery, Toronto, Canada, October 1–31, 2014
  • Galleria 814, St. Clair West, Toronto, Canada, September 4–30, 2014
  • The new masters spring show, The Academy of Realist Art, Toronto, Canada

2013

  • Winter show, The Academy of Realist Art, Toronto, Canada

2007

  • Healing thru art IV, The Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata, India

2006

  • Healing thru art III, The Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata, India

2005

  • Healing thru art II, The Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata, India

2002

  • Healing thru art, Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata, India

Others

  • Commissioned to create artwork for the Multifaith Calendar 2017, celebrating 150 years of diversity in Canada.
  • Portrait commissions for private clients.

Workshops

“The changing scenes in art”, presented on December 5, 2015, at INTACH – Conservation Institute (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage), Kolkata.

Workshop, held on November 17, 2015, at Mayo College for Boys, Ajmer.

Silent auction of “Spice Medley”, Minneapolis, USA, to raise funds for cancer therapy, 2013.

Silent auction of “Loons on the Lake”, Toronto, Canada, for a fundraising event, 2013.

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