Artist Bio

Mansi is Ph.D. student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, moonlighting as a watercolor artist. Mansi is a Juried Member of the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society. In addition to her passion for research and teaching she is an avid visual artist and engages in community programs in Pittsburgh for making math and art more accessible to diverse audiences. She has hosted several fundraisers with her paintings at the Pittsburgh Center of Arts and Media (PCA&M) to support inclusive art programs at PCA&M and the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank. She has served as a guest instructor at the Creative Citizens Studios and PCA&M. Mansi has been recognized with the Unsung Hero Award at Carnegie Mellon University for her contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Pittsburgh community.

Artist Statement

Painting in watercolors has been a meditative pursuit for me. Building up paintings, stroke by stroke, fills me up with the memory of the subject and how it made me feel. I perceive paintings as having a will of their own, with my role being to look within and gently guide the flow of water. The interplay of colors and water always finds a way to surprise me, and the sense of fluidity draws me to this medium. I grew up in a constantly evolving landscape, and in my mind, I have a thriving visual repository of dramatic skies serenading with the mountains, of wind and sunshine caressing leaves, a flicker of sunshine, glistening peaks and all the memories underneath the trusty Oak tree! Moving to Pittsburgh added another chapter to this repository of memories. It was my first time witnessing fall and seeing trees blossom after a long winter. From the Himalayas to the Appalachians, and all the moments in between, to me painting in watercolors is to pause, breathe and let the colors flow from within.

My long-term projects in my journey as an artist include working at the intersection of art and science to illustrate scientific concepts creatively and improving diversity and representation in visual storytelling.