A Bachelor of Commerce graduate from the University of Nagpur, Deepak Shinde later studied art at the Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai and passed out in 1972. Subsequently, over the next four decades, he has participated in prestigious exhibitions in India and internationally and has also been invited to sit on the jury at several important national exhibitions.

Born and brought up in a rural environment, nature has been his main inspiration. This makes him empathetic to the world of animals and he often uses animals to serve as suitable metaphors for human mannerisms, gestures and attitudes in his works. Referring back to Indian mythology, wherein animals and nature play many roles from being emissaries to being vehicles to transport the Gods, animals are quintessential to the Indian psyche. Shinde continues to show determination in exploring the human psyche in association with animal life, as vividly demonstrated in this early work.