Born in Kota on November 9, 1945, Shail Choyal is an exceptional artist, printmaker and teacher He was born into a family of artists which inspired him to study painting at the University of Udaipur, graduating with an MA in Painting in 1969 He also earned a Diploma from the Jaipur School of Art The British Council awarded him a scholarship that led him to study printmaking at the Slade College of Art, London from 1975 to 1976 Choyal followed this with a PhD from Nathdwara School of Painting which he completed in 1980

He is best known for his amalgamation of the real and the allegorical through his unique style His distinct miniature paintings are renowned in the Indian contemporary art world for blending modern sensibilities with traditional motifs from folk Rajasthani paintings 

He has participated in several solo and group shows across the country and the world including London (1976), Japan (1980), Netherlands (1983), Lisbon (1985), Cuba (1989), Paris (1990), Malaysia (2000) and Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre (2001) Among the many awards he has received the most notable are the Rajasthan Lalit Kala Academy Award for Printmaking (1969), All India Kalidas Samman from Madhya Pradesh for painting (1970), Bombay Art Society Award (1973) and National Award by Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi (1982) 

The artist currently lives and works out of Udaipur