
ABHYASAM

A year-long learning circle in seeing and visual structure.
Develop greater clarity in how you observe, organise, and resolve a painting.
ABHYASAM offers sustained engagement with the fundamentals of art through plant studies, drawing, and watercolour. It is a space to look carefully, test decisions, return to questions, and deepen your understanding through practice.
12 months · Weekly online sessions
Friday or Sunday batch · 10:00 AM–12:30 PM IST
Facilitated by Richa Sirohi
Time to deepen your practice
Some understanding develops only when we stay with a question.
Why does one arrangement feel balanced?
What gives a form its presence?
When does a painting need another mark—and when does it need to be left alone?
ABHYASAM provides a framework for exploring these questions over time. Through repeated observation and studio work, you develop a clearer relationship with what you see and the decisions you make.
What we explore
The curriculum is structured around the Elements of Art, approached as practical concerns within a painting.
Through plants and natural forms, we explore:
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Line: Direction, movement, and the structures that connect a subject.
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Shape: Proportion, silhouette, and relationships between parts.
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Form: Volume and the sense of three-dimensional presence.
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Space: Overlap, depth, placement, and the spaces between forms.
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Value: Light and dark relationships that organise a painting.
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Colour: Mixing, relationships, and the effect of colour within the whole.
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Texture: Observing surfaces and choosing how to suggest their qualities.
Each month centres on a core element or an aspect of it. Ideas recur across the year, allowing understanding to strengthen through repetition and continuity.
How the learning unfolds
Spend time with plants and natural forms.
Notice their growth, irregularities, connections, and changing relationships.
Observe closely
Use drawing and watercolour to investigate what you see.
Make deliberate choices about structure, colour, space, and emphasis.
Work with intention
Return to studies and paintings with fresh attention.
Consider what is working, what remains unresolved, and what another approach might reveal.
Revisit and refine
Build your ability to recognise what a painting needs and decide how to move it forward.
Weekly sessions provide continuity. Your independent studio practice gives you time to test and absorb the learning.
Develop independence
Who is ABHYASAM for?
This learning circle is suited to artists who:
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Already have a working relationship with their medium.
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Are comfortable spending time in the studio independently.
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Want to strengthen their fundamentals.
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Are willing to revisit ideas and practise over time.
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Want to make and evaluate their own artistic decisions.
You do not need to be a professional artist. You do need curiosity, commitment, and a willingness to work with questions that may take time to resolve.
If you are new to watercolour, the WATERCOLOUR MASTERCLASS or 2 DAY WATERCOLOUR WORKSHOP offers a more introductory starting point.

Meet your teacher
Richa Sirohi · Artist behind UHAAPOH
I am Richa Sirohi, a painter and the artist behind UHAAPOH.
My work begins with spending time looking. I return to plants and animals around me, noticing how forms grow, bend, overlap, and occupy space across days and seasons.
Working primarily in watercolour and oil, I pay attention to structure, spatial relationships, and the overall liveliness of a painting.
ABHYASAM grows from this studio practice: staying with a subject, asking questions, and allowing understanding to develop through continued engagement.
In the words of those who learn with me

Prabha
Noida
The photos of your work on social introduced me to your work. It has something very soft and sublime quality to it. Nature in its true form. I am hoping to learn to see nature likewise and represent it too. Free and raw, colourful and beautiful. Every bit of class and beyond is a rich experience. You have always had our eyes filled with wonderments and hearts with the joy of painting. Tackling overwhelming subjects with ease and fun yet encouraging me to do the same work in different ways to attain knowledge and skill. It’s an experience I am enjoying. Right from photography sessions to tools-experimentation, to letting go of any constriction of body and mind and freely yet observantly painting. I can go on and on. Absolutely, I enjoy, form, shape, colour, and nature mindfully. I tend to enjoy and Love my work more now. A long way still to go but loving the process and the pace. Art on the whole itself. I would describe Richa as a true artist and a wonderful person. Down to earth, encouraging, sharing and helping in every way to see you achieve what you dream. She can go all out to teach and yet be very straight at telling where you are faltering. If you are considering learning with Richa, you will truly love it. It’s immersive. Absolutely. Wish I had known and started earlier. But blessed to have at least now. I am a stickler for perfection and wanted to be more spontaneous. What she told me, which I shared with my other friends in the group, has helped me a lot. Still moving slowing ahead and waiting for more of such eye opening experiences. It’s a teaching of almost half a year of everyday art college sessions in a few classes with Richa. It’s not the speed, it’s the intensity and the hard work she puts in to help us gain skill and independent thinking. Before doing this my confidence and skill level was very low but after this I can understand where I went wrong and how it is ok and how I can almost draft my work in my own way and that especially I can THINK and DREAM. To Richa this is not just work or art classes it is her sharing her training, learning and experimentation with us. She blows life into her sessions. It does not start and end like a two hour class it’s a wholesome experience. She gives simple instructions, helps us to think in a structured manner, encourages us to experiment and enables us with the skill training. To me, the change cannot be quantified. It’s a whole experience only to be experienced. One of the things Richa has taught me is that art is an expression of oneself, and that I ‘am not a printer’ who is just copying or printing what is that I’m painting.

Megha Manhas
Mumbai
“A really comprehensive workshop covering basics just not restricted to the class but a continued support and guidance till date. Like I have reiterated again n again that its just not about the class or the subject she taught ...she would hold your hand and guide you beyond the class. She is very approachable and the connection just doesn't end with the class. I still have a long way to go but I can see improvement in my work after her continued guidance and support. I also learnt about the lifting technique in painting and the myth about expensive art supplies. I have already given her reference to many of my friends.”

Janus
Mumbai
Richa helped me to notice and analyse things in a well-informed and non-conventional manner. Finding more meaning in what I intend to draw and, importantly, the importance of knowing oneself first is another important teaching that greatly influences what we create. Richa simplifies every subject in the best possible way and this is mainly because of her understanding of it. She is one of the few Teachers one could be privileged to learn from. It is difficult to enlist every aspect with which she helped. But, the bottom line stays, she is an amazing Teacher! A blessing! It is a privilege to learn from Richa! Observation, what to notice, what to ignore, what to work on. Her wisdom, knowledge, curiosity, honesty and dedication. Depth of knowledge, expanse of wisdom, humility while correcting, level of understanding. Her influence in approaching the subject has been significant in shaping my outlook on art.”

Meenakshi
Mohali
“A really comprehensive workshop just not restricted to the class but a continued support and guidance till date. Like I have reiterated again n again that its just not about the class or the subject she taught ...she would hold your hand and guide you beyond the class. She is very approachable and the connection just doesn't end with the class. I still have a long way to go but I can see improvement in my work after her continued guidance and support. I also learnt about the lifting technique in painting and the myth about expensive art supplies. I have already given her reference to many of my friends.”

Aavni
Mumbai
I came to the learning experience with Richa for colours, refinement and authenticity. The most important learning experience for me has been how Richa always tries to push, try to open minds to new worlds, ideas and theories. You go above and beyond to help your students. 💗 The way I look at things has changed a lot. I see the basic structure, angles and shape, and light and darkness, values, which I had 0 clue about before. My approach to painting has changed million times. I see more, observe better. Your quick response and knowing what the blind spot is is spot on. I struggled with values, shapes, and how to draw. I was clueless to be honest. I would describe Richa as inspiring, hardworking, sincere, authentic and open-minded. It is a very immersive experience. Sky is the limit if you are open to learning. So many lessons have stayed with me. Art is hardwork, discipline. It’s okay to be where you are in your journey. Don’t go after fancy stuff; real artists can use anything and everything to make art. Breaking down of shapes and imagination in imagery beyond reality, and creating new with currently available tools. Freedom from jargons and show off. Raw hardwork and authenticity.

Richa
Hyderabad
I had dabbled in art at school, but I always wanted to learn much more. Watercolor, in particular, was something I wanted to explore so I could build my skills and become a more confident artist. Initially, it was simply about learning to paint with watercolors. But along the way, you taught me so much about colour, observation, and my approach to art. Most importantly, you helped me break many preconceived ideas and taught me to truly observe and feel, which has slowly become a way of life. I’ve realised that observing the subject is as important as the act of painting it. I now pause to notice the light, colours, shapes, details and emotions before I pick up my brush. I’ve learned that when you truly observe, you don’t just paint what you see, you begin to see what you would have otherwise missed. Yes, completely. I’ve become less focused on getting the painting “right” and more focused on understanding and experiencing what I’m painting. I now observe, experiment, embrace imperfections, and trust the process much more than I used to. I used to struggle with trusting my own artistic instinct, especially with colours and letting go of perfection. Your guidance helped me understand that there is no single “right” way to create art. It is about observing, experimenting, and finding my own expression. You have been a phenomenal teacher. As I always say, you are a university in yourself. Your depth of knowledge, observation, and the way you make us see art differently is truly inspiring. I would wholeheartedly recommend learning with you. My own journey has been so much more than learning watercolor. It has changed the way I observe, think, and connect with art. If you’re looking for a teacher who will not just teach you techniques but help you discover the artist within you, I would say, go for it! The 30-day observation challenge has stayed with me the most. Those small exercises made a huge difference in how I see and notice things. I also loved learning that watercolor doesn’t always have to be transparent. You can make it whatever you want it to be. And, most importantly, to enjoy the process and, as you say, “dance with it” when you have to. The works I’ve uploaded include my Gulmohar digital painting along with a couple of watercolour paintings I created during my learning journey with you. Together, they reflect how much my practice has evolved. What started as a desire to learn watercolour gradually changed the way I observe, understand colour, and approach an artwork. Surprisingly, those learnings have also transformed my digital painting. I now bring the same sense of observation, colour, and expression into both mediums.

Roopali
Noida
At first, I was hoping to learn watercolour techniques as a beginner that would help me use the medium. Also botanical art as that fascinates me. I think the most important learning experience would be observing subjects more closely, breaking down a piece before starting to put it on paper and consistency for sure. I learned to look more closely at the light or values in a subject. I am learning to first break down my subject in shapes, values and also somewhere my intention for wanting to paint or draw a subject. For me this course was just the beginning, but I have understood a lot of basics. Richa is a warm, knowledgeable, and inspiring art educator who brings both depth and enthusiasm to her teaching. She encourages her pupils to experiment, explore, and find their own creative voice, while giving them the space and confidence to learn through the process. At the same time, she is firm when needed, providing the structure and guidance that helps students grow with focus and discipline. Her approach to art goes beyond simply teaching techniques or concepts. What I especially value is that she looks beyond just one technique. She brings in different references, ideas, and perspectives, which can really broaden the way you see and understand art. I would wholeheartedly recommend spending time, sharing learning with her. Richa creates the kind of space where you feel comfortable exploring and experimenting. She doesn’t impose a particular way of creating. Instead, she encourages you to discover your own approach while gently guiding you when you need direction. It would be an enriching experience for both. Many conversations have helped me gain confidence and enjoy the watercolour medium more. But I think the breaking down of the subject in my head before starting on paper has helped, then making notes and loyalty to the subject first are some. This is an exercise in learning landscape, and water using watercolours. It was a class where I also understood that every little detail need not be captured and values convey a piece best.
Give your practice time and attention.
If this way of working resonates with you, I invite you to enquire about ABHYASAM.
12 months · Weekly online sessions
Friday or Sunday · 10:00 AM–12:30 PM IST