Sid Katragadda
Sid Katragadda is an abstract artist based in San Diego, CA. His abstract artwork is described as “story, style and social impact”.
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Sid Katragadda Abstract Artist San Diego
What’s the main inspiration for your art?
I’m inspired by a life lived between India and America, and documenting the soul of culture through the lens of its women. My practice integrates the vivid energy of the East with a Western mastery of space and dimension. My lifelong goal as an artist is to blend these two worlds, creating a cross-cultural artistic fusion.
What is the biggest goal you try to achieve with your art?
I love to create art that not only pushes the boundaries of art with new movements, but also brings about social impact through the stories my paintings explore.
What’s your favorite thing about being an abstract artist?
My favorite thing about abstract art is I don’t need to care about reality, or replication. I can be as free as I want to be in my mind, without rules or dogma.
Why abstract art and not other styles? Have you always created abstract art or did you start out creating other styles?
I actually started out as a kid obsessed with realism and those classic Russian masters, but eventually, I realized that just painting what I saw wasn’t enough. I wanted to paint how things felt. Now, I use abstraction to break down space and geometry—sort of like a mix of Picasso’s structure and the vibrant soul of Vaikuntam. For me, it’s about moving past what the eye sees to capture the stories and emotions that usually stay hidden.
What’s one thing people might not know about you and your art journey so far?
One thing people might not know about me as an artist: that I’ve strived to create my own Art styles and Movements, to break away from the norm. Holeism and Timism are new ways to explore space and geometry in Art, and I’d love to talk more about them. It may seem surprising for someone without formal art training (I took my first Art class when I was in my 40s) to create his own art styles, but also being an engineer, I love inventing and discovering new realms.
Did you always know you’d be an artist or how has your art journey progressed?
No, I never saw myself as a full time artist, nor did fate. My parents, back in India, pushed me into Engineering, though always being supportive of my talents. It was while working busy, full time jobs at Fortune 500 companies that I rediscovered my love for art, in my thirties. Now, it’s my lifelong goal to be a full time artist and push the boundaries of Art.
In your opinion, what’s the most important characteristic needed to embark on a career as an artist?
To be an artist, you must always keep the child in your alive. Learn to look at space and color in new ways , the way kids do. Don’t limit yourself; always push the boundaries of every painting and series. And don’t take rejection to heart; every no is a step on the ladder to a big yes.
What advice would you give up and coming abstract artists?
Don’t limit yourself to plain Wall Decor. In my opinion, 99% of the art today is wall decor, just splashing, pouring, mopping etc. Art still has a form, a language. You can’t write novels or create music with random letters, you still have to arrange them into words and notes. If you want to stand out, discard following other wall-decorists, just because it’s easier to do, and build your own style. If people can’t separate your painting from millions of others, then it lacks a distinctive style, and becomes wall decor in my opinion.
What’s your most fulfilling and enjoyable experience as an artist so far?
I’ve enjoyed how Art has taken me places, to Art Fairs and Museums in distance countries. I’ve been to the Louvre, and Dali’s museum in Spain and Worhol’s museum in Pittsburg, and all these were exceptional experiences, fueling my own dreams of being in a museum some day, or just being remembered for my art.
Do you have any favorite podcasts or books that have contributed to your journey as an artist?
I love the Alchemist, and my childlike mindset as an artist comes from it. Regarding podcasts, I’ve been featured on a show on Immigrantly Podcast – Crafting Change through Art, where I speak about my artistic journey, and bringing about social change through my art.
What do you love most about abstract art?
Being a child.
Where do you see yourself and your art 5 years from now?
Establish a cross-continental artistic pipeline through a dedicated school and gallery network, fostering a permanent cultural and creative exchange between India and the United States.
Do you have any favorite quotes?
As Picasso said, every painting series has to move art in a new direction; never repeat yourself or others.
Anything else you’d like to mention?
As the founder of the “Holeism”, “Soulism” and “Technism” art styles, my goal is to avoid repetition, pioneering distinct conceptual frameworks to push the boundaries of visual art:
- Timism: A style where the passage of time is captured on a single canvas, allowing multiple eras, epochs, or fleeting chronological moments to coexist within one frame.
- Holeism: This style introduces the distortion of pace through holes and conduits from one realm to another.
- Soulism: An approach that strips away physical flesh to paint the internal spiritual essence of individuals rather than their outward human form.
- Technism: A fusion of traditional physical painting techniques with digital, engineering, and technological aesthetics.
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