“My Indian father and German mother happily furnished me with two complementary artistic traditions: the Indian penchant for fantasy and a certain expansiveness in one’s inner world and the Northern European insistence on an emotional meticulousness in draughtsmanship and execution.” 

With twenty years of freelance illustrative work under his belt, Mahendra is thoroughly familiar with all creative, production and business aspects of the publications industry.

Raised in a culturally diverse household, his illustrative style was shaped by his early exposure to the great European draughtsmen of the past: Durer, Menzel, Grandeville, Dore and Cruikshank. This classical grounding, combined with the necessary sensitivity to the modern needs of an increasingly universal audience, adds a depth and resonance to both his technique and conceptual thinking.

Mahendra has created technical, editorial, fantasy and general illustrations for a wide variety of clients, including The Washington Times/Insight on the News, Realms of Fantasy, Fantagraphics, Black Issues in Higher Education, Sons of the South, and a multitude of magazines, newspapers and agencies in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.