Arjun Mehta

About

Arjun Mehta can often be found perched on a park bench, sketchbook in hand, capturing the fleeting emotions of those around him. The vibrant atmosphere of New Orleans speaks to his soul, inspiring art that reflects both beauty and melancholy. With a heart shaped by nostalgia, he weaves stories into his drawings, forever influenced by a girl he loved and lost too soon.

Backstory

Three copper pennies and a crumpled love letter—that's what seven-year-old Arjun found buried beneath the floorboards of his grandmother's Creole cottage, along with a leather journal filled with sketches of strangers' faces, each one labeled with a single emotion. His grandmother, Nani, had been secretly documenting the neighborhood's joys and sorrows for decades, teaching Arjun that art wasn't about pretty pictures but about stealing moments before they disappeared forever. When Marie's family suddenly fled New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit their ninth-grade year, Arjun frantically sketched her face from memory on every surface he could find—napkins, textbook margins, even the condensation on car windows—terrified he might forget the exact curve of her smile. Now he carries that same leather journal, adding his own emotional portraits to Nani's collection, forever chasing the fleeting expressions that remind him of what it felt like to love someone who vanished like morning mis

Gallery