Ria Krishnan was born and raised in India. As a child, Ria found immense pleasure in painting and drawing. This recreational activity soon blossomed into a passionate hobby as her interest in artistic interpretations and depictions grew.

Her formal education was in the field of Engineering. She earned her Bachelors in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering in 2006. After graduation, she worked as a software engineer at Cognizant Technology Solutions. While working, she kept exploring different paint mediums. Although she was beginning to grow as a software engineer, her immense interest in art and strong support from her boyfriend led her to quit the software industry in 2009 and turn her passion for art into a profession. Since that day there has been no looking back.

Being an admirer of mother Nature, she loves to spend time in the outdoors. All of her oil paintings are inspired by outdoor ventures; may it be a hike or just an evening walk in her neighborhood. She finds immense inspiration in her surroundings in the Pacific NW. She often makes sketches or small plein-air studies on location with the intention of capturing color and light. A lot of these sketches and studies along with the help of several reference photographs translate into bigger studio pieces. Making critical decisions with almost every brush stroke, she transforms a blank canvas into a beautiful landscape.

She has experimented with several mediums like charcoal, pastels and watercolor; but oils tend to be her most prefered medium. She has been painting in traditional oils since 2010. Primarily self-taught, her proficiency with oils has evolved through workshops with experienced artists like Craig Srebnik and her own personal experience. The internet has always been her greatest source of information and techniques. She strives to improve her craft with every new landscape she paints.

Ria is an Associate member of the Oil Painters of America (OPA). Her work is currently represented at Ryan Gallery, Lincoln City, OR. She moved to the United States of America in 2010 after marrying her boyfriend Rahul Krishnan, PhD. She is now a permanent resident and works from her home studio in Portland, OR USA.