A vibrant face of contemporary art is on display at the State Lalit Kala Akademi, Lal Baradari. 'Prarambh' is an exhibition of paintings throbbing with the youthful ideas of Jyoti Srivastava and Sarika Mishra, Fine Arts graduates from Amity University's Lucknow campus.

"In my series of paintings titled 'Nature', I have highlighted the fact that flowers can be a source of joy and peace, no matter how stress-ridden life gets," says Jyoti, who as used the acrylic medium on canvas. Her sets of two, three and four paintings each depict flowers that are not as much a type as a creation of her imagination. "I did not pick rose or dahlia or any other variety of flowers to paint...I simply let the pencil and brush follow my fancy," she says.

There is an uncanny resemblance between the work of the two artists. Sarika, who has used oil paints on canvas to etch profiles of Buddha, has shown through stairs in the background, the prince-turned-monk's ascension to enlightenment.

"We are thick friends and quite like our views, our work too matches in style," says Sarika, who along with Jyoti, is pursuing Master in Fine Arts from Agra University.

The paintings are priced between Rs 20,000 and Rs 30,000 a set and the exhibition is on till November 13.