Priya Mehta
Portland, OR
Priya Mehta is an Indian-American painter and printmaker whose work bridges the miniature painting traditions of Rajasthan with contemporary abstraction. Based in Portland, Oregon, Mehta builds densely layered compositions using watercolor, gouache, and hand-carved woodblock prints on handmade paper. Her paintings explore themes of migration, botanical memory, and the patterns that connect South Asian textile design to the natural world. She holds an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Mehta has exhibited internationally, including at the Portland Art Museum, Asia Society, and the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
The Process
Background
Education
- 2001MFA, Painting — Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
- 1997BFA, Painting and Drawing — School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL
Exhibitions
- 2024Inherited Gardens — Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR
- 2022Roots and Routes — Asia Society, New York, NY
Residencies
- 2019Artist in Residence — Yaddo, Saratoga Springs, NY
Awards
- 2023Oregon Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship — Salem, OR
Available Work
Lattice Study, Amber
Priya Mehta
woodblock print on washi, edition of 25
Spice Route
Priya Mehta
watercolor and woodblock print on paper
Migration Pattern No. 7
Priya Mehta
woodblock print on washi, edition of 15
Garden of Borrowed Light
Priya Mehta
watercolor and gouache on handmade paper
