An artist, photographer, graphic designer and short film-maker, S Jayaraj has over the past 30 years demonstrated his talent and versatility nationally and internationally in scores of products – video films, audio-visuals, drawings, paintings, sketches, posters and publications of all kinds ranging from technical reports to pictorial brochures and newsletters.

As a painter, S Jayaraj has presented more than a dozen well-acclaimed solo exhibitions and taken part in more than 25 group shows in India, Austria, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Thailand. His theme-based painting series has covered the following topics: Faces of rural folk, Cycle Rickshaw, Folk Dance, Water, Figurative, LGBT community, Patterns of Indian rural, urban life, and abstract landscapes.

Development analysts and practitioners have been excited by Jayaraj’s figurative series ‘Faces of rural folk’, and his vignettes of rural development. His camera tours and travels across India have enabled him to capture and portray the country’s amazing diversity through photographs, sketches and paintings.

His simple striking painterly style uses mostly primary and earthen colours that reflect raw realism. He often uses charcoal to sketch, producing strong and well- controlled lines. Colours like red, black and yellow are his favourites; he believes that they project the Indian-ness characteristic of all his work.

He has won several honours and recognitions, national and international. These include the Rashtriya Gaurav Award, New Delhi (2009), National Achievement Award for Best Artist, New Delhi (2010), Pride of India Award, Bangalore (2012) and the International Gold Star Award, Bangkok, Thailand (2009). He was conferred with an honorary doctorate by the International University for Medicines in Colombo, Sri Lanka, for his humanitarian services through art.

Jayaraj lives and works in Chennai, India.