Born and brought up in Belgaum and studied Art under the able guidance of eminent artist Late.Shri K. B. Kulkarni.& Late Mr. John Fernandes in Mumbai He completed his Diploma from J . N . Bhandari School of Arts , Shilnoli. He is currently based in Mumbai. Santosh is the trusty of KBK Chitramandir Art Trust, Mumbai. Former Treasurer and Chairman of The Art Society of India. He has also won Art Society of India – The Best Landscape 1995 96 and Maharastra State award by PAF Kalanand 2018. Recently he has been felicitated with Kalamaharshi K.B.Kulkarni “KALA GAURAV PURASKAR 2021.
Santosh's works, be they figures, portraits, landscapes and still life, which are displayed at the gallery, invite the viewers to revel in the joy inherent in them. Therein begins the journey, of an individual onlooker, into the depths of nature. His works , after satisfying the visual sensibilities, go beyond and manage to engage the viewer in an innocent dialogue. There is no ego clash between the two. They exude alluring warmth.
In an attempt to capture the moods of the effervescent nature, Santosh has used his skills to paint in mediums as varied as oils , water colours and dry pastels. The portraits delve into the human psyche. Appealing women are captured on canvas and paper. Each individual figure carries the grace that is certain to linger in the deep recess of the viewer's memory. They just arrest ones senses. They essence more than the form elevates the standing of his works.
Along with the portraits, his landscapes too leave a mark. Some of the landscapes, which remained with the viewer long after leaving the gallery. Santosh’s water colors landscapes are neat and crisp. He doesn't engage in technical jugglery to confuse and attract viewers. No serious art lover can afford to miss the show of wonderful paintings. Santosh has many shows to his credit and his works are in private collection in India and abroad.
Exhibitions:
Group Show at Belgaum-1994
Group Show at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai-Dec. 1998
Group Show at Sun`n’ Sand, Pune-Dec. 2002
Group Show- A Tribute to Late Shri K. B. Kulkarni-Indiaart Gallery,Pune-2008
Group Show at Nehru Center,Mumbai-April 2011
Group Show at Artist Center,Mumbai-Oct. 2012
Group Show at Dhakoji Art Gallery,Belgaum-Feb.-2016
One man Show at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai-March 2002
One man Show at Kala Academy,Panaji-Goa-Feb. 2006
One man Show at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai-April 2006
One man Show at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai-Sept. 2010
One man Show at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai-Dec.. 2017
One man Show at Kaavyaa Kreative Art Gallery, Thane -March.. 2020
Awards :
Art Society of India – The Best Landscape 1995 96
State Award for figure at PDAF 2018
Kalamaharshi K.B.Kulkarni “KALA GAURAV PURASKAR 2021
Participated :
Art Society of India.
Bombay Art Society.
Camlin Art Foundation.
Western Railway Art Competition
Gujarat Kala Pratisthan Art Camp 2017 in Vadnagar and 2018 in Junaghad.
Gujarat Kala Pratisthan Art Workshop 2017 in Somnath.
Praffulla Dhanukar Art Foundation.
Western Zone Cultural Centre Art Camp –Udaipur 2021.
Jury for Axis Bank Splash National Drawing competition 2019
Mentor for Axis Bank Splash National Drawing competition 2021
Khajuaho Artmart 2022,
Western Zone Cultural Centre Art Camp –Ratnagiri 2022.
Figrative and watercolour workshop withWZCC –Udaipur 2022.