Hemu Aggarwal (hyaggarwal)

North Bay Publication Bohemian published a two-page article on Hemu Aggarwal's work.

I sold Pour Painting titled "Glowing Amber" at the art exhibition held at the Occidental Center for art.

Hello,

POUR PAINTING. I have just uploaded my latest painting. I do it with the new technique I have used since last year. No brushes or palette knife used to create this artwork. Instead, I mixed the selected colors a certain way and poured them directly on a canvas to make this image. I hope you like it. 

Hemu Aggarwal

CAGO - Contemporary Art Gallery Online awarded 2nd place to Hemu Aggarwal's Acrylic painting DANCING PAIR.

Contemporary Art Gallery Online

Second Place awarded to Hemu Aggarwal for “Dancing Pair” In the October 2015 Art Competition “Colors”

Michael T. HarrisAnisa HarrisSharon DrinkardDorothy DrinkardKelsey HailsPortia T. WebbMichael T. HarrisAnisa HarrisSharon DrinkardDorothy DrinkardKelsey HailsPortia T. Webb

Kelsey Eder  October 10, 2019 

 Artist Spotlight // Hemu Ghia-Aggarwal

What do you enjoy most about art and what themes do you pursue in your art?

Freedom of expression. It helps me to reduce stress. The textures and colors are the themes in all of my art pieces. May it be a landscape, or figurative, of an abstract, a variety of textures and well-balanced colors are represented in each section.

Tote Bag

Where do you draw inspiration from?

It’s hard to explain why I paint or what inspires me. I have a thousand ideas in my head, and I am continually experimenting with different subjects, styles, and techniques. I do not know how these ideas come from or from where they just do. There is so much more out there in the world that I long to explore. Actually, anything and everything around me inspires me, and sometimes things that are not around but only appear in my dreams. Sometimes I surprise myself when I can transfer these imaginations two-dimensionally. I wish I could lock-up every image I see through my eyes because I feel my glance is not fully capturing what I see. There is so much beauty in this world. 

How has living in India affected your art?

India has always been known as the land of age-old vibrant traditions and folk arts. I grew up in India watching and creating Rangoli, which is is a folk art of India. They are decorative designs made on the living room and courtyard floors during Hindu festivals typically consisting of bright colors. Also, the miniature paintings of Mughal, Rajasthan, and Pahari Kalam made a profound influence on my art. The temples of Khajuraho made a lasting impression of art in my psyche. One of the reasons I was able to get a job in record album design is my strong background in Indian art and the colors.

What’s the most indispensable item in your studio?

This is a difficult question. But, if I must choose it would be my paints. Without them, I can not do anything.

Hemu’s California studio

Tell us about your graphic design firm in New York.

The graphic design firm, AQ Graphics, Inc. was started in 1980, and I ran it successfully for 25 years. I designed many Hip-Hop albums, including Grandmaster Flash and Furious Five’s “Message” album, The Sugar Hill Gang, Positive Force, Treacherous Three, Quincy Jones and many others. I also designed a series of Collector’ records of the 50s and 60s in which a few famous artists such as Dionne Warwick, Ritchie Valance, Dion, Del Shannon, and the Everly Brothers were included. I also worked extensively on re-make of the entire Chess Records Catalog which included artists such as James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Chuck Berry, Benny Goodman, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Buddy Guy, The O’Jays, Etta James, Charlie Parker, Flamingos, Bobby Womack, etc.

Click to see this web interview of my Hip-Hop designs.

http://thafoundation.com/hemu.htm

How did you construct album covers?

Each album was constructed differently depending on the music, and other factors. Sometimes I used a photograph of the singer or the group, but many times a photo was not well suited then I created the whole cover with illustration. For example, in The Beatles Song Book album, I illustrated the meaning of each song comprised in the collection. For the Sequence album, I creatively drew the trio singers to make an attractive album.

Sleeveless Top

What made you switch from commercial to fine arts?

Commercial art was a need. A need to make a living, a financial success. Fine art was a desire, freedom, a personal expression. In commercial art, it was totally different in nature. Working under pressure of tight deadlines, the focus was to please clients and to keep commercial appeal in mind. 

In fine art, you have to please yourself. No restrictions, no deadlines, full freedom. After a long career in commercial art, it was a time I wanted to just please myself.

View Hemu’s VIDA CollectionSixty ShadesWild FlowersDream TreeLike this:Posted in Artist Spotlight. Bookmark the permalink.5Comments Add yours1ashwin trikamjee on November 3, 2019 at 10:42 am Reply

wow ! truly outstanding and inspirational !
mridula and ashwin

2costambar on November 3, 2019 at 10:46 am Reply

Hemu, I couldn’t read all the text because it was covered with pictures

3Yash on November 3, 2019 at 11:27 am Reply

Truly an accomplished artist with a variety of skills. Her paintings are vibrant, full of colors, and flowing strokes for which she recently received 2 awards. Her dress designs are contemporary and imaginative that reflect the vibrancy of her paintings.

4Gloria Montenegro Chirouze on November 3, 2019 at 1:21 pm Reply

Fine artist, Hemu’art is an expression of the beauty she look and dream of the world . Soft curves, sweet colors, harmony
the oportunity of being unic in a piece of cloth.

5Phil Zarlengo on November 4, 2019 at 12:41 pm Reply

Hemu,
Great as usual. What an exciting career you have- you are accomplished and successful in so many venues! Such talent. Congratulations to both of you.
Phil & Charlotte

HEMU AGGARWAL INTERVIEW with JayQuan
By the time that I (Jay Quan) was 11 years old, I had memorized the credits on the records that I owned, as well as my parent's records. I knew that if Larry & Fonce Mizell’s names were on a Jazz record that it was going to be good. I knew that if a rap record was mastered by Herb Powers Jr. that it was going to be loud, and I had memorized most of the names of the key people behind the scenes at one of my favorite labels – Sugar Hill Records. Jiggs Chase, Sylvia Robinson, Steve Jerome, Doug Wimbish, Reggie Griffin, Eric Thorngren, Chris Lord- Alge and Tom Lord Alge were all names that were stored in my brain before I was a teenager. There was also the name Hemu Aggarwal who was credited with the graphic design work on many of my favorite albums and some of the Sugar Hill posters that I had acquired. I had many questions regarding her work even back then. I would have never thought it possible that I would one day have the opportunity to ask so many of these people, who all greatly changed the course of my life, the many questions that I have pertaining to their groundbreaking work. It was my pleasure to speak with the woman behind so many iconic images: Hemu Aggarwal.

It’s an honor to speak with you, I’ve admired your work for quite some time. When and how did you get into graphic design?
It’s my pleasure. Up until I was 15 years old I’d never drawn a single line or any done any art, then my father got transferred to a bigger city and I went to a new school. This new school had an art teacher and art classes and it was part of my curriculum. This art teacher discovered that I had some kind of talent, and I loved doing it. During that first year, I excelled quite a bit. That art teacher wasn’t a graphic designer, but he was a commercial artist. I was very much under his wing, and I wanted to be able to do what he was doing. He had his own studio, and part-time he was the teacher at my school. He would often take me to his studio and show me what commercial art was all about and I liked it. After 2 years when it was time for college, I insisted that I wanted to go to school for art.
The nearest school was about 200 miles away so I had to stay in a dormitory, and that’s how I got into fine art in India. Students at the school had to take fine arts, commercial art, and sculpture. In the 2nd year, you got to find out what your major would be, and I decided to go into commercial art. Mind you, in those days no girls went into commercial art. Even the dean at my college tried to discourage me from going into commercial art. I was determined, and there were only 2 girls in a class of over 200 boys. So I got my first degree in commercial art, and I decided to go to some other countries because in India it was very limited for girls to study further in that subject or get any kind of job in art. I applied to college in the USA and in France. There was a very famous college in France for art. I decided to go to the USA because my Sister was already in the U.S. I got accepted in New York, Florida and somewhere else. I can’t remember right now. I chose New York because it was the center of commercial art. There in New York, I took a major in graphic design.
How did you connect with the Robinsons? Were you already doing work with design in the music business, or was that your first entry into the music business?
I was already involved with the music industry. After finishing my Master's degree I started looking for a job, and this was the late 60’s when times were very different. The Vietnam war was still being fought, and I would go with other students to demonstrations. At the same time, there was a great influence of The Beatles, and the Beatles went to India and brought back a lot of Eastern cultures. It was a time when people wanted to know about Eastern and Indian culture. I happened to come in at that time and my portfolio and my illustrations were very much in demand. It was easy for me to get a job in the music business at that time (with my portfolio and background). That’s how I started in New York and this was 10 years before I met Mr. & Mrs. Robinson. I had already designed record covers for many famous artists before I met the Robinsons: artists such as Tom Jones, Mantovani, Engelbert Humperdinck, Frijid Pink, Marmalade, Brotherhood of Men, Ted Health, Frank Chacksfield, Will Mitchell, one of the last albums of the Beatles, singles for John Lennon and Yoko Ono and more.
I left that job and got married in 74 and had my first child in 75. I didn’t want to go back to New York City to work. We were living outside of Manhattan and it would have taken me away from my baby for a long period of time, so I decided to start my own company. I was looking for clients, and I sent out about 150 letters to different companies that were in driving distance. Remember back then we didn’t have computers, there was no Wifi or email. Sugar Hill as a label started in 1979, I started my company in June of 1980. I sent them a letter describing my work, and that’s how I got an appointment with Mr. Joseph Robinson. When I met him for the first time, I took my whole portfolio with me and he wasn't interested in seeing it. He refused to look at it. I asked him “please see my work”, and he said that he didn’t want to see my work – he wanted to see what I could do for him, then he would decide whether I was the right person for him or not. He gave me 3 albums to design. It took me a week, and when I went back and showed him he said: “you are going to work for me”. I stayed with him for a long time – 15 years or so.
That’s interesting that he didn’t want to see your portfolio.
Yes! I had been on several interviews before, and he was the first person that didn’t want to see my portfolio.
So was AQ Graphics was the original name of the company that you started and was it an acronym?
Yes, AQ Graphics Inc. It didn’t really stand for anything. My last name starts with an A – Aggarwal which sounds very foreign, so I didn’t want to use the whole name. I was going to use ACCU which is short for accurate – and that means precise or perfect. I didn’t like ACCU so I just used the letter Q.
Mr. Robinson asked you to design 3 record covers. Do you remember what they were?
Oh my, I knew you were going to ask me this question. I can't remember, but I don’t think that they were ever published. He just wanted to see what I could do. Then he gave me a real assignment that was actually published, and that I believe was the Sugar Hill Gang. Not the Rappers Delight album - that was already done when I arrived, along with the candy stripe logo for the label.
So you’re talking about the 8th Wonder album, where they are standing with the artifacts?
Yes, and most of what I did was on the Sugar Hill label. Then Victory came, and I designed that logo and the Positive Express record that was on Victory. I also designed the Jersey Connection logo.
Rap was so brand new then, and the Robinson brought it to the rest of the country and later the world. Did you enjoy it at all, and did you understand it?
I was in the music of Tom Jones and The Beatles. Rap was very new to me. They were talking rather fast and I couldn’t understand all of their lyrics. But what I liked best was that these were young people who were full of energy and enthusiasm and I knew that they were bringing a new message to society. These kids were also rebellious. You have to keep in mind that I come from a country where they don’t even educate women, forget sending them alone to another country without marriage, so I was kind of a step up in that society. I was a bit rebellious and breaking that society’s norms and rules, and that is what these young people were doing and I liked that very much. Mr. & Mrs. Robinson were very nice to me, and I would ask them for the lyrics so that I could understand what the artists were saying. The music was very new to me & everyone was saying that it was a fad that wouldn’t last.
Did you have much communication with the artists at all, or was it strictly with the Robinsons?
Yes, I was with them all the time whether it was going out to photo shoots together or waiting in the reception area for Mr. or Mrs. Robinson to be free. There were always artists hanging around. I used to talk to The Sequence girls all the time, and Wonder Mike from The Sugar Hill Gang – really all of the Sugar Hill Gang members. Big Hank was the most friendly.
Were you working exclusively for the Robinsons during the time that you were with them or were you working with other clients as well?
I had other clients as well during that time, especially in the record business. I was working with Laurie Records and their subsidiary 3C Records. They were releasing music by Dion (& The Belmonts), Richie Valens, etc. I designed the 3C logo and I handled their color separation and printing supervision. Same with Sugar Hill. Not only was I doing design, but I was also in charge of all of the printing, production, placing ads in Billboard and other magazines. Color separation has totally changed now because of computers, but the color separation was done much differently back then.
Yes, with Photoshop and all the technology that we have now, I'm sure it’s a lot easier…
Oh yes. Back then you had to tell the printer to use 10 % magenta or 30% cyan to make a color. Because I had my Master's degree in graphic design, I was very good at knowing what combination of screens would make what color. It’s very different today because the computer does all of the work.
Did you have your own office at Sugar Hill, or were you working from your own office at AQ Graphics?
I had my own studio, and I had 3 or 4 people working for me. I was a busy woman – not only was I doing design for the music industry, I was designing for Welch’s, Kleenex, Buddy L Toys, GI Joe and others.
Tell me about The Message album cover by Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5. That’s pretty iconic.
I didn’t take the pictures for all of the album covers, many I only designed. But I was the photographer on that. I went with the group to New York City up near 10 Avenue uptown. We were there for a few hours and I shot over 200 pictures for that cover. Mr. & Mrs. Robinson allowed me to choose the one which would make the final album. They gave me full creative control to choose the photograph that I liked best, crop it how I liked, etc. I chose those 2 pictures (front and back) and that cover became famous. But I did not promote myself as a photographer. I only took pictures when they asked me to. I promoted myself as a graphic designer.
I remember seeing your name on some Bon Ami and New Day Records (early 90s labels run by Sylvia Robinson) like Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious 5 and The New Style (later Naughty By Nature). When did you stop working with the Robinsons?
I continued working with them until 1994 or ’95. See in the mid 80’s they got into some trouble and had some financial problems (the partnership with MCA Records), and I was one of the creditors that was owed money. They worked out some kind of settlement, but Mr. Robinson told me that no matter what, he would always have work for me. Then I started doing work for his son Joey Jr. because he had his own record company.
When you first witnessed this music, did you have any idea that you were part of something that would grow to be a worldwide phenomenon?
Not at all. It would have been impossible to predict. It has become so big that you see rap in Bollywood movies, and I would have never guessed that it would grow so big. It’s international and even White singers have copied it.
I’ve seen some of your current work and it looks like you have really branched out in many directions artistically.
Yes, I don’t do much graphic design anymore. I went back to my first love which is the fine arts. I’ve started to do paintings, and I’ve entered my paintings in various competitions. One of my paintings won 2nd place on an international level. My work has been displayed around the world, and in the last year or so I’ve started to combine fine art with fashion and I started a company called Fine Art Fashions. I've put my artwork on clothes and scarves. I’ve manufactured my own silk scarves and I have been very much involved in that.
Of all of the work that you did with the Robinsons (including the reissues of the Chess catalog), what are your favorite and least favorite pieces?
Well from a design point of view artists are never happy with their work, and always feel that they could have done better. I always see room for improvement, and this one album really bothers me whenever I look at it, and that’s the Positive Express album. There are these kinds of flashing lights in the background. I didn’t really like how that album looks. I think that it’s terrible (laughs from both Hemu and JayQuan). If I had to do it again I would do it totally different.
The design on that one reminds me of the album you did for Trouble Funk on Sugar Hill. It also had that flashing light look to it.
Yes, I remember that Trouble Funk album. I don’t exactly remember what it looks like, but I remember doing it. But I hate looking at that Positive Express.
Yeah, 1 or 2 members of Positive Force went on to form Positive Express. Did you design the Positive Force album as well right?
Yes, I did design Positive Force. That’s one of the early ones that I designed for Sugar Hill. That’s the one where they are all standing in line against the wall right?
Yes, it is. So what is your favorite design?
I can’t say that I have a favorite. I really enjoyed working on all of them. There was one that I did of the Sequence, and I did a full illustration of all three girls. I really liked that one.
Yes, the one that looked like a watercolor painting almost.
Yes, I really enjoyed doing that, and it took me a while. I thought that it came out pretty nice. I also enjoyed doing this full illustration for a New Orleans Jazz lp, I can't remember the name of it though. I believe that I did 3 Sequence albums.
Yes, there were 3. Sugar Hill released more full-length LPs on the Sequence than any other group on the label. The greatest rap hits vol. 2 that you designed was special for me. It was released in 1981 or so, and it was the first time that people outside of New York got a chance to see what these groups looked like. That album was on my wall for quite a while right beside my Incredible Hulk and Super Man posters.
I vaguely remember that one.
How about Reggie Griffin and The New Guys On The Block. Do you remember those?
Yes, Reggie is holding a guitar. I took the picture for that and did the design. New Guys On The Block – yes, the guy who looked like Michael Jackson. He wanted to pose just like Michael on the album. He wanted his hair exactly like his and everything.
How about the group with Sylvia’s son Joey – West Street Mob.
Yes, that was Joey and his friend, I forgot his name.
Warren
Yes, they came to my office and I took their picture, in fact, I took several pictures of them that were used later, but not the one for the cover, where they are standing in front of the Ferrari.
How about the Philippe Wynn album?
Yes, I remember that it was just cursive type, with no picture on the front. I also designed an album for Mrs. Robinson.
It’s been really good to speak with you and get some behind the scenes insight about those labels, and those iconic images!

Hemu Aggarwal: Creating Fearlessly After Escaping the Commercial Art IndustryBy Unknown | 7:30 PMToday I am pleased to introduce to you artist Hemu Aggarwal, Currently at Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, with a mailing address in San Francisco, California, USA. She creates paintings in acrylic on wood that is in the styles of Abstract or Subjective Expressionism. Hemu began creating art at the age of 15 when she met an art teacher in a new school. Here is how she summarizes her artistic journey:

What do you do once you make a painful decision to end your successful career in a busy place like New York and move away to a quiet island in the Caribbean? You paint. 

By education, training, and profession I am a graphic designer Having a Master's degree from New York University and working as creative designer on Madison Avenue for 7 years and then running my own creative design firm for over 25 years, now, retired and live in the Dominican Republic and has started to paint after a time gap of 35 years. Yes, I did designing and illustrative work during my business, but that was totally different in nature. Working under pressure of tight deadlines, the focus was to please clients and to keep commercial appeal in mind. Now it is different. To get a glimpse of my work visit my website.

After running a successful creative design firm in New York, USA, I am now retired and spend as much time possible doing Acrylic paintings, traveling and capturing images around this world. I wish I could lock-up every image I see through my eyes because I feel my glance is not fully capturing what I see. There is so much beauty in this world.

What things inspire you to create art?

THE DANCING PAIR, 

Copyright Hemu Aggarwal, 2015

It’s hard to explain why I paint or what inspires me. I have a thousand ideas in my head and I am constantly experimenting with different subjects, styles, and techniques. I do not know how these ideas come from or from where they just do. There is so much more out there in the world that I long to explore. Actually, anything and everything around me inspires me and sometimes things that are not around but only appear in my dreams. Sometimes I surprise myself when I am able to transfer these imaginations two-dimensionally.

What are you trying to convey through your art?

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I seek to evoke a positive response in the viewer. The painting should be pleasant to see and should leave a mark in the viewer’s mind. It should be uplifting. It helps me to reduce stress.

Are there other artists who influence you?

I admire many artists but no particular artist or work influences me, at least not consciously.

Tell me about your creative process, from the beginning of a work to its completion:

An answer to this question is a difficult one. Each of my works has gone through different processes. In general, however, a concept comes to my mind and I try to apply this image straight to a prepared wood panel (I have rarely used canvas) where I create various textures using all kinds of tools and instruments. I rarely draw a full image, but prefer to work with colors directly. Many times more than one image overlaps and the final result is very different than the initial idea in my mind-this surprises me and if I like it I am happy with it, otherwise, I apply gesso all over and start afresh. Some of my paintings have one or more different paintings underneath. Aesthetics are a major consideration in designing each piece. The focus is to create paintings, which have visual beauty, harmony in colors and interesting composition.

What exposure have you had?

My work has been displayed at Waldorf Astoria in New York, N.Y.; The Exposure Award at The Louvre Museum in Paris France; The People’s Choice Vox Populi Award in Paris, France; and Costambar, Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. In the process of granting an international license to print one of my photographs on their products to a company in Belgium.

SIXTY SHADES OF RED, Copyright Hemu Aggarwal, 2015

What is the most unexpected thing that has happened to you because of your art?

By sheer luck, in 1969 I got a job in New York City with a design firm specializing in record album

designs where I reached the level of senior designer and got the opportunity to design many albums of well-known artists like Tom Jones, Montovani, Englebert Humpernickel, Brotherhood of Man, Frijid Pink, one of the last albums of the Beatles, and a single by John Lennon and Yoko Ono titled ‘Radha Krishna Temple.’ This experience enabled me to start my own company, AQ Graphics Inc. in New York, and I continued in this line of work. I designed many Hip-Hop albums including Grandmaster Flash and Furious Five’s “Message” album, The Sugar Hill Gang, Positive Force, Treacherous Three, Quincy Jones and many others. I also designed a series of Collector’s records of the 50s and 60s in which a few famous artists such as Dionne Warwick, Ritchie Valance, Dion, Del Shannon, and the Everly Brothers were included. I also worked extensively on re-make of the entire Chess Records Catalog which included artists such as James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Chuck Berry, Benny Goodman, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Buddy Guy, The O’Jays, Etta James, Charlie Parker, Flamingos, Bobby Womack, etc.

SIXTY SHADES OF GREY,  Copyright Hemu Aggarwal, 2015

Do you have any regrets in your life as an artist?

None what-so-ever.

What plans do you have for the future of your art?

None really, I just want to continue creating new work.

Do you have any advice for artists who are just getting started?

Do what your heart desires. Be patient. Create fearlessly because fear is one’s worst enemy.

THE GIRL,

Copyright Hemu Aggarwal, 1975Share a story from your life that relates to your art.

I was born and grew up in India. Back in the days, higher education in India was looked upon as a ticket to a financially successful future that was important for sons but not for daughters. So boys were expected to go to a school of medicine, engineering, or the law. If by any chance my brother had decided to graduate in art, I am sure my parents would have been very upset but were happy with my choice. My interest in the arts was fully supported, encouraged and appreciated by my family. But art was not considered to be a career path and my obsession with art was seen as a hobby – a situation that happily gave me a free hand to do whatever I pleased without interference from the elders.

Luckily, I got an admission into one of the finest art schools of the region, Faculty of Fine Arts at M.S. University of Baroda. But my being female, I had an uphill battle to sign up for commercial (applied) art department as girls were not expected to go in commercial line.

Along with applied arts, I developed liking for photography and early on I started experimenting with many different aspects of it. I shot a wide variety of subjects, experimenting with different lenses, with lights and exposures. I spent hours in darkroom perfecting making prints and creating photograms. My work was included in the national exhibition in India and received an honorable mention (no prize!).

BIRD OF PARADISE IN PARADISE, Copyright Hemu Aggarwal, 2015

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

Recently I have started to study my new passion which is to create art aligned with Vastu Shastra/Feng Shui: an ancient science with a tradition dating back 5000 years (India) and Feng Shui 3000 years (China), Feng means wind and Shui means water. The ancient philosophers knew a lot about the five elements that made the universe. These five elements are Earth, Water, Fire, Air (wind), and Space. There is an invisible relation between these five elements. 

Understanding these five natural sources and coordinating with them in harmony can certainly attract positive energy and assure better health. I am convinced that anything we see around us affects our thinking and how we feel.