Photo Credit: Food to Palette – Yellow, Photo courtesy of Amit Kehar, 2020

Ontario Culture Days is working with artist Kanika Gupta and cinematographer Amit Kehar on a video series diving into natural watercolour paints.

This video is part of Ontario Culture Days’ Creative Residency program.


From banana bread to sourdough starters, many of us have been getting reacquainted with our kitchens – and the messes to go along with it! But have you ever stopped to think about the way blueberries turn your fingers purple or how turmeric seems to stain your countertop yellow?

Join artist Kanika Gupta as she shows us how to make natural watercolour paints out of everyday grocery store items in this video series directed by cinematographer Amit Kehar. Each mini workshop will show how to extract colour from the produce, and include some watercolour painting tips for creating your own artwork.

First in the series will be a dive into important colours in any artist’s palette – yellow, brown and grey

EPISODE 1 – Yellow

EPISODE 2 – Brown

EPISODE 3 – GREY

EPISODE 4 – RED

episode 5 – purple and green

About the artists

Kanika Gupta is a multidisciplinary artist who uses visual art and storytelling to create dialogue and foster deeper human connections. Through multi-modal and sensory based work, Kanika is passionate about engaging public audiences with art in ways that are meaningful and inclusive to them. Her artwork has been presented in public spaces, outdoor festivals, museums and galleries. She also collaborates with cultural institutions and organizations to make their practices and physical environments more inclusive through breaking both physical and invisible barriers to access. Kanika is the author and illustrator of BRAVE: Living with a Concussion (Volume 1).

Amit Kehar is a cinematographer, motion director and visual media artist who uses light as his language to tell the stories that haven’t yet been told. His practice is dedicated to the art of capturing and creating emotion to bring others into worlds that capture the reality of environments they otherwise wouldn’t experience, embodying a holistic approach to inclusiveness. Amit has worked with Academy Award winning actors and professional athletes and has produced work for clients that include Piaget, Birks, Mercedes-Benz, Puma, Estee Lauder, Sephora and The Hudson’s Bay Company. Amit was Director of Photography for the Gemini-nominated mini-series Le Tapis Rose de Catherine for which he participated in the 2015 and 2016 Cannes International Film Festivals. Amit holds a Bachelor in Communications, specializing in Cinema and Production.


Feature Image: Food to Palette – Yellow, Photo courtesy of Amit Kehar, 2020