Sep 3, 20193 min read

Inspired by Gems, Driven by Color: Neena Buxani, Artist

Neena Buxani’s art is meant to be seen and experienced. Her art is inspired by artistic legends like Frida Kahlo who remind Neena that being true to herself despite any adversary she is facing can be expressed in her art.

Deep hues of magenta, turquoise, and violet are configured into various shapes in her pieces that reflect her love of fashion, nature, and gemstones. Abstract gemstones and representational styles of art are carefully patterned, textured, and layered as her work is sought after from private collectors around the world.

Inspired by Gems, Driven by Color

After Neena’s parents traveled from India to the United States, her family opened up a jewelry store in Brownsville, Texas where Neena and her sister worked on the weekends. Getting to learn the business of trade and jewels was a driving influence in her journey to becoming an entrepreneur. Her experience working with jewelry inspired her to seek out a license in gems and she opened a store in Austin, Texas where she sold gems and beads. She uses the bold colors and vividness of gems to create her “Jewel Collection,” which are abstract gemstones she paints with from alcohol ink.

Living Her Dream

Neena spent her childhood painting and had a lifelong dream to be a professional artist that came to fruition in 2014. She submitted her work in a jewelry competition and started entering in local shows which transformed her part-time job into a full-time career. As an entrepreneur, she relishes that “no day is the same,” whether she is balancing administrative duties, creating art, or organizing her showroom. “The best thing to remember as an entrepreneur is that it’s a 24/7 job, so you want to be passionate about it,” she says as her brush strokes across the black tiger stripes of her newest painting “Durga Mata.”

Maintaining the Balance

“Balance is important when you are a working mom. It’s important to be ambitious, but also to take care of your family,” Neena says as she discusses how she manages the multiple schedules of her family in tandem with her career. Family remains an essential component for Neena’s art in which she attributes to her children being her biggest supporters and #1 fans. The positivity and strength she draws from her family radiates in her paintings that she describes as “energizing and uplifting,” since she creates the majority of her pieces within a studio in her house.

Selling Art in the 21st Century

The challenge of creating and selling paintings in a rapidly evolving art business was remedied when Neena created her website. “When I first created my website, I struggled because I didn’t know what I was doing. I had to learn that the vision I had for my website takes time and constant tweaking,” she says clicking through her WordPress admin dashboard. Neena’s art is layered with positive energy, texture, and saturated colors that she wanted to be experienced on her website. “My website is a tool that can be used for people to get to know me on their own free time and look at my work,” she says. She cites her biggest website achievement was when she uploaded 20 products by herself and without the assistance of a developer. As a long-time Bluehost customer she enjoys the accessibility, support, and new products that have helped her site evolve in order her to be successful as an entrepreneur.

Neena feels fortunate to be fulfilling her lifelong aspirations to be a professional artist. As her art continues to evolve, she creates pictures that offer strength and a modern take on femininity like icons and goddesses. Her art currently hangs in local Austin businesses like the Austin Art Garage where she can build community with fellow artists featured in the space. “When I walk into my showroom, I feel a sigh of happiness because it is a space that reflects my blood, sweat, tears, and hours of work, that people can experience.”