Raja Guha Thakurta specializes in detailed, realistic oil and pencil portraits of people and animals. He also works in other media including wood carving, glass/ceramic painting, etc. He has been fortunate enough to receive recognition for his art, most notably the Best of Show award at the Fine Arts League of Cupertino 2007 annual show, an Award of Excellence at 2007 AVArtFest, and 2nd place in the Triton Museum purchase award at 2007 AVArtFest. Over the years, he has done several commissioned pieces. His love of art can be traced back to a family of artists: mother, sister, and especially his maternal 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 and astrophysics at the University of California Santa Cruz and UC Observatories/Lick Observatory since 1994 — his day (and night!) job.