“Painting Small and Often” Collection, Acrylic on Stretched Canvas, 9” x 12”
I had recently came across Carol Marine’s book “Daily Painting: Paint Small and Often to Become a More Creative, Productive and Successful Artist”. It was exactly what I needed, as I was starting to feel stagnant with a botanical painting I’ve been reworking over and over. I wanted to break out of the rut and dive into more dynamic, expressive work full of quick, energetic and textured brushstrokes, which is my favorite way to paint.
Sketchbook-ing and perfectionism
For many years now, ever since I started my art journey, I’ve kept sketchbooks. Those sketchbooks were my mini canvasses when I just didn’t feel up to painting something large scale.
Noureen, portrait, acrylic on canvas board, 12” x 12”
A few days ago I took an old 12” by 12” canvas board on which I had done a painting from a tutorial years ago and I applied a layer of gesso to it in preparation for a new painting
RAW Artists Showcase Levitate February 2024
"Soul of the Soul", Acrylic on stretched canvas, 12" x 8"
This next piece, "Soul of the Soul", acrylic on stretched canvas, 12" x 8", is based on the viral image and video of the Palestinian man holding the body of a little girl in his arms and calling her the "soul of his soul".
Raw Artists LEVITATE Art Showcase Feb 3, 2024
Once again, I’ve been selected to showcase my work in the upcoming RAW Artists Levitate Art Showcase on February 3, 2024 at Theatre Paradoxe.
Still life with Cactus, Acrylic on Stretched Canvas 12” x 16”
I find myself increasingly drawn to still life, perhaps due to its relative feasibility. After all, I do not really have to contend with atmospheric perspective or portraying distance as I would with landscapes.
Magnolia Studies - Garden Blooms Collection- Acrylic on stretched canvas 10” x 12”
My next paintings is a set of 2 small magnolia studies painted with acrylic paint on stretched canvas that I stretched myself, both 10" x 12". The first painting is called "Magnolia Study I", loosely based on a royalty free image.
"Garden Blooms" - Acrylic on stretched canvas, 20” x 20”
The "Garden Blooms" set consists of 4 floral acrylic paintings, the first 2 of which are on 20" x 20" square canvasses. I wanted to experiment with different painting techniques and compare and contrast them. One painting was a relatively tight painting with more visible details and texture and the other is a looser more dynamic painting with quick brushstrokes and minimal texture.
“Into the Blue” - Quadriptych Seascape - Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
I love recycling old paintings, which is exactly what I did with my latest collection. It is a quadriptych painting (a 4-piece painting) of a seascape. Originally it was a heavily textured floral abstract panting that I was given as a gift years ago.
RAW Artist Showcase "Manufacture" July 8, 2023
In July 2023, I was invited to participate in an artist showcase called Manufacture held by RAW Artists Canada, a Canadian organization that represents local artists. This was my first physical art show here in Montreal and it was held at Theatre Paradoxe.
"Mellifluous" Virtual Art Exhibition 2022
I am super happy to announce that 3 of my paintings have been selected for Capital Culture House's virtual art exhibition "Mellifluous". The 3 paintings selected are "Moonrise Over Stonehenge", "Crowns Mine, Cornwall" and "Cacophony".
The IKOUII Creative "100 under $100" Art Show 2022
I am pleased to announce that two of my watercolor art prints have been selected to appear in IKOUI's "100 under $100" art show, a virtual exhibition showcasing 100 small artworks in all media and all priced under $100.
My Illustrating Poetry Series
For the past couple of years, I have been working on a passion project, a series of illustrating lines from my original poetry. I take a line from a poem I wrote and I create an illustration based on that line with that particular quote written in brush lettering style as part of the illustration. I have only done around 3 so far but more will be coming soon.
Sketchbook Practice
Even though last year I went on a months-long art break, I still managed to do a few illustrations here and there in order to maintain my sketchbook practice. These are mostly finished pieces based off Skillshare classes I took done on my Canson sketchbook.
A Subjective Review of All My Sketchbooks
My art journey has been marked by an ongoing sketchbook practice. In fact, I've painted on sketchbooks more than canvasses. Painting on canvasses (no matter the size) was a more formal affair and needed more mental prep. There was also certain amount of pressure and expectation for me to produce something good whenever I painted on a canvas.
Lessons from my long art break
Over the past year, I haven't been painting much. Sporadically, now and then I would dust off my sketchbook and do a few half-hearted sketches but otherwise, I've been in a creative rut.
My Favorite Online Art Resources...
When I started painting a few years ago, I became hooked on YouTube as it quickly became the greatest and most accessible (not to mention free) resource for learning art. I started off with mainly YouTube tutorials and through a few YouTube artists I was following at the time,