It is from the intervening moments and spaces between the dreams and actualities of everyday living and the routine, repetitive events that mark the female condition from which I extract meaning.

For Naina Dalal, Indian women restricted by social and cultural conditions have been the biggest inspirations. She has worked as a documenter and her paintings tell the stories of ordinary women, who are quite heroic in their lives. “Even in the limiting patriarchal structure they emerge winners, she says.

Born in Baroda in 1935, Naina went on to do her BA in Painting and MA in Fine Arts from the Baroda University in 1959. She then studied lithography at the London Polytechnique between 1960 and 1963, before going on to formally train in etching at the Pratt Graphic Centre, New York, U.S.A, in 1977.

Naina's etchings and drawings map the journeys of the Indian women with a fine sensitivity. As a product of traditional Gujarati society she says that she herself had to fight several restrictions to do what she passionately wanted --- to paint.

For almost her entire body of work that includes etchings, drawings in pastel, water colours and oil on canvas, Naina has drawn her images from memories of her childhood and growing years in Gujarat. She grew up in a large joint family that included two widowed aunts. Early on I learnt what it means to work together, to support each other.

Yet, over the years, the women in her paintings have changed, depicting the changing women outside. Her women now laugh more openly, embrace men and link hands with each other.

Naina often uses the jewel tones and flat perspectives of Indian miniatures and folk paintings in her work.

Naina Dalal lives and works in Baroda.