Like many artists, Vanaja started painting while working a full time job, and she has studied art under many esteemed Ontario artists.

Most of her work is a visual narrative inspired by her extensive travels, or by images from nature. Her abstracts, however, are inspired by a fascination with colours and the texture of paints. These abstracts often evolve with a mind of their own! In addition, her intuitive side was inspired to paint her most successful series “Strength of a Woman – The Future Awaits”, a nod to women discovering their internal strength.

Her paintings have been exhibited in a number of juried group shows and won many awards. She has also undertaken several commissions for portraits (people and pets), and landscapes.

“Recognizing beauty in everyday life, and then recreating it with paint is doubly admirable. Well done. The light and shadow, as well as the paint handling, on the tiled surfaces is excellent.”
Critique by Juror David Wysotski – “Magical Stone Lace-(Mughal Architecture)”, 2020