Baroda-based painter Ajay Sharma hails from Kharagpur in West Bengal. He has studied painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts, M S University in Baroda. Sharma feels that he is in a state of flux, as he feels torn between love for his native town and in trying to make a home in his adopted city. The painter sees himself as a pessimist who has a ready eye for the darker side of human existence. "I cannot explain exactly what it is. So many things about human existence disturb me. For example, I feel depressed when I observe migrant labour in Baroda where I live. These people come from far-off places to earn a living; they build beautiful homes for a different class of people," he says. Sharma draws all his themes from the city. Sharma's paintings are an amalgamation of divergent genres ranging from the figurative to abstracts. Though he is strongly feels that he is a colorist "I like to explore the possibilities that color affords, it is very important to me."