She is better known as the wife of Scottish historian and author William Dalrymple, but artist Olivia Fraser’s brush with India goes beyond the illustrations she made for The City of Djinns. It is reflected in her vivid miniature watercolours, the diaphanous strokes and the themes that are always Indian.

Olivia, whose exhibition is currently on at the Triveni Kala Sangam, says India is embedded in her canvas and consciousness. It is a heritage, actually. “My ancestors James and William Baillie Fraser came to India in the 19th century and were associated with the Company School Painting,” she says. The Fraser brothers captured on canvas the vivid landscapes and architecture of India and even commissioned local artists to work for them. These masterpieces were later published as Fraser Album, which enthralled a young Olivia.

So, when work brought Dalrymple to India in 1989, a 22-year-old Olivia followed, clutching a copy of Fraser Album. But it was a visit to the National Museum that fascinated her the most and to an extent that it transformed her style of painting. “I saw the Mughal miniatures and immediately fell in love with them,” she says. Olivia, who had till then been captivated by Gauguin, realised there was a lot she had not seen and her style had never been the same. “From then on whether I stayed here or in London, I only painted India.”

The Mughals are there in the imposing facade of the Jama Masjid and Muhammad Shah Sayyid’s tomb in the Lodi Gardens — all in subtle, watery hues. Then there is an explosion of colours — a mahout perched on a painted elephant in Goa; a woman surrounded by dancing peacocks; a minstrel playing the ektara; a heavily decorated bull pulling a cart. Fraser’s miniatures are a journey across cultures and a vibrant palette.

The love for bright colours could be another heirloom. This one, then, is from her great-aunt, surrealist painter Eileen Agar, who was friends with Dali and Picasso and an inspiration for Olivia.

After spending almost 18 years in India, Olivia reminisces about the first contact with the country, “I used to be very shy. I’ve had people eve-teasing me and little boys monkeying around when I went out to paint.” But she stayed on, captivated by the hues of the country. “I love it because each state, with its diverse culture, is a small country in itself,” she says. The City of Djinns did cast its spell on the couple — and it is not broken.

The exhibition is on till March 27