Born in 1979 in Nasik, India. He has long been recognized as one of the foremost realistic artists in the world. He is best known for his plein air atmospheric landscapes that capture light to create mood and depth within the scene. He is highly sought after internationally for his demonstrations, workshops, lectures, and exhibitions. He is frequently invited to conduct plein air workshops, serve as a juror for international competitions, and participate in prestigious invitational exhibitions and events such as 3ème Festival International de peinture de plein air sur grand format in Paris, France (2019, 2020), Moscow International Watercolor Festival in Russia (2017), 10th Festival International De L'Aquarelle in Aiguillon, France (2017), Artlife Fest in Moscow, Russia (2018, 2019), 5th Lushan International Watercolor Festival in China (2014), Qingdao Art Museum in China (2014), Festival De International Aquarela in Peru (2019), Fabriano In Aquarello in Italy (2016, 2018, 2019), and many more.
He has held solo exhibitions in China at the Shanghai Quanhua Watercolor Art Gallery in Shanghai and the Xufeng Art Museum in Qingdao City. To date, he has presented 15 solo exhibitions and more than 70 international exhibitions by invitation. He has won 45 awards and scholarships at the national and state levels, as well as 42 international awards for his watercolor, oil, and acrylic paintings.
In 2015, he became the first and only artist from India to win the 148th International Exhibition of the American Watercolor Society award, held in New York. Other awards include:
- First Prize at the 10th Festival De L’Aquarelle in Aiguillon, France (2017)
- Silver Award at the Dawei International Art Exhibition, organized by Qilu Art Museum, Jinan, China (2017)
- First Prize for Oil Painting in the Artistic Excellence International Painting Competition by Southwest Art Magazine, Colorado, USA (2011)
- Palm Art Award, Leipzig, Germany (2011, 2014)
- Northwest Watercolor Society’s 72nd International Exhibition, Washington, USA (2012)
- 34th International Watercolor Art Society Exhibition, Houston, USA (2011)
- San Diego Watercolor Society, USA (2009, 2011)
- Fabriano In Acquarello Maxi Paint Performance Award, Italy (2016)
- International Watercolor Triennale, Varna, Bulgaria (2017, 2019)
- Tsseilenoki Watercolor Festival, Greece (2017)
- International Watercolor Museum, Toluca, Mexico (2018)
- 1st Prize ($4000) at the International Watercolor Society’s Homer Love & Peace International Watercolor Festival in Bornova, Izmir, Turkey
His works have been featured in leading international watercolor magazines and books. Articles about him include a feature in Watercolor Artist magazine (USA) with his work on the cover and a ten-page special article (Feb 2013), Southwest Art Magazine (USA), The Art of Watercolour and L’Art de l’Aquarelle (France, 2012 & 2019), Splash 12, 13, 14 (USA), International Artist (Australia), Masters of Watercolors – East to West (St. Petersburg, Russia), and Artlife magazine (Moscow, 2018, 2019), among many others.
He has traveled to more than 21 countries for invitational exhibitions, demonstrations, lectures, and workshops, often spending more than seven months a year outside India for these engagements.
He is the Brand Ambassador of Daniel Smith Artist Materials (USA). In October 2019, Daniel Smith launched a Master Artist Watercolor Set under his name: “Daniel Smith Prafull Sawant Master Artist Watercolor Set.” He is the first and only artist from India to receive this honor.
He is also the only Indian artist invited as an Honorary Member of the International Masters of Watercolor Alliance (IMWA), registered in Sweden.
His works are highly sought after by private collectors, art museums, and galleries worldwide.
