Raja Guha Thakurta specializes in detailed pencil portraits of people and animals. He also dabbles in other media including oil/acrylic painting, wood carving, glass/ceramic painting, calligraphy, photography, etc. Over the years, he has done several comissioned pieces. His love of art can be traced back to a family of artists: mother, sister, and especially his grandmother whose charcoal portraits served as a tremendous source of inspiration. He was born in Calcutta, India, moved to the US in 1985, and has been a professor of astronomy at the University of California Santa Cruz since 1994 - his day (and night!) job.