Quiet Space At Home

The right painting can create the perfect space. Your home should be a retreat from the hustle and bustle of daily life but that’s not always the case. I shared my advice along with a few experts on the Redfin blog to provide you with a few tips and tricks to creating a designated quiet space at home.

The suggestions covered all aspects of the senses including layering colors, adding calming elements, and having a variety of textures and plants to help you relax. Of course, my tip for creating the perfect quiet space is all about the art on your walls!

Art is Essential

The right painting can add a calming presence to your room. I would recommend a large piece with an open composition that allows for a lot of breathing room in the piece. In addition, a lighter color palette with white and pastel tones creates a soothing space to let your mind and body rest after a long day. – Sheila Arora

Sketchbook Basics

Today I’m answering questions on my sketchbook! I get a lot of questions about my sketchbook and these are some of the most common ones. I’ll also talk about some of the misconceptions that people have around the sketchbook!

Why do you use a sketchbook?
I like to keep a sketchbook as part of my painting practice. It is not a substitute for larger paintings, but rather an enhancement to improving my larger work. The sketchbook allows me to keep painting even when I have limited time or energy. The best way to improve your paintings is to paint, paint, paint. Small paintings are a great way to keep painting if you aren’t able to get to the larger pieces. The constant repetition of painting will help improve your work!

Do you sell your sketchbook paintings?
I do not sell my sketchbook paintings. The sketchbook practice is for me to experiment and improve my skills. It is not designed or intended for selling work. I have many other paintings for sale, and that also tends to be larger work. I recently got the question, “But what if there is a sketchbook page that is so good, that you want to sell it?” And another one was along a similar line, “Why paint in a sketchbook if it’s just for yourself?” I think a lot of artists are focused on sales—which is important—but equally, if not more critical, is the creative process and becoming a better painter.

What sketchbook do you use?
I am both very particular about my painting materials, and at the same time, not particular at all. What I mean by that, is that I will paint with anything you put in front of me. I can use any materials, whether it’s student or artist grade, and create a good piece. Yet, if given a choice, I am pretty particular about what I like to use when I paint. I have used multiple sketchbooks ranging from inexpensive ones to pricier ones. All of them I have loved and used to create great work. Again—it’s not the paper —it’s the painter that makes the difference. Currently, I am painting in a Moleskine for my small sketchbook and a wire-bound mixed media pad for my larger sketchbook.

What paper do you use?
If you are painting in acrylics, then either 90lbs or 140lbs would work fine. If it’s a lower weight (90lbs), then I would recommend gessoing the paper first if you use a lot of paint and water. You can gesso the 140lb paper, although I don’t for the small sketchbook pages. As always, try and experiment. See what you like and what works for you!

Smaller paintings are so hard!
The sketchbook is somewhat deceptive. It looks easy, but it’s actually pretty difficult to make the paintings look good. If you’re working on a small space, every mark and layer gets a bit more attention. Therefore, all of the elements have to work together on a smaller scale. The best way to improve your sketchbook paintings is to keep painting them. The more you do, the better feel you will get for the smaller size paper.

What pencil do you use?
I use a regular drawing pencil. To be precise, I will use any pencil that you put in front of me! In fact, I often like to use unusual materials because it gives a different feel and texture to the piece. I have a lot of experience drawing and painting, so I’m also familiar with the different types of pencils. If you want a darker look, then use a softer pencil (e.g. 6B). There are other types of pencils and one is not better than the other!

More questions on my sketchbook? DM me on Instagram and I will feature some in upcoming posts!

Quick & Loose

I find there’s something beautiful about painting quickly. It gives the work a sense of immediacy and freshness. There’s a certain energy that radiates from the work. The paintings are bold and make a statement. I like to challenge myself to develop a range of skills in my painting practice. Some pieces are tight and delicate, while others bold and loose—and some paintings a combination of the two.

I started a new series of quick and loose paintings. I set the timer for an hour, pick up my paint brush, and just go for it. There isn’t time to overthink. I just paint fast, quick and loose. I go with anything that comes to mind. The bolder the better. I’m feeling into the energy that I put on the paper. I’m painting over beautiful passages. I’m trying to save other ones. I keep going until the timer goes off. And then I stop.

It’s like a sprint to the finish line.

My next step is to look at the painting and slow down. I ease back into the piece with a gentle tone this time. I ask the painting if it’s done and where it would like to go. I work a bit slower and more thoughtfully. I don’t give myself a time limit. I just fall into the painting and get lost in a totally different way. It’s the opposite of how I start the piece. I keep going until the painting feels finished. It could take me five minutes or a few hours.

I like this contrast of working quickly and then slowly. The fast start gives the painting a solid base and infuses a lot of energy into the piece. The quieter layers after the initial rush feel necessary and calming. It’s like the painting winds down until it finally settles into its completed form.

These paintings are 14x17” on paper. I like this size for this exercise. The first piece I did had these bold white marks, multi-colored etched triangles, and soft blended spaces (see photo above). It had this energy and intensity that demanded attention. It made a statement. I posted the painting on Instagram and it did indeed “stop the scroll”. I loved the reactions to the painting. My favorite comment is always “wow”. That means that I hit the mark.

I’ve done six pieces so far in this series. Each painting is bold and fresh in its own way. I’m using acrylics along with oil pastels. I like the immediacy and definitive nature of making marks on the painting. I’m loving how fresh these paintings feel and how much energy they can deliver in a relatively small space. My goal for this series is to capture the energy that comes from painting quick and loose, while at the same time maintaining that elegant sophistication.

Setting Goals

I always have goals as part of my painting practice. It’s the start of the new year, and I wanted share what I will be working on over the next few months. I like to think about both the painting and the business side when developing goals. In this post, I’ll focus on the goals for my paintings.

Large Canvas
I will be working on a series of 3x3ft canvas pieces. I did a lot of work on paper last year ranging from large paper (3x4ft) to small paper (9x12in). It’s important to keep working different sizes and substrates. It keeps the paintings fresh and improves your skills. I am excited to get back into canvas as it has a very different feel than paper. The canvas has a slight texture and also a little more give—so it’s not as firm as working on paper. I started a series of canvas pieces towards the end of last year. For the first painting, it took a little bit of time to settle into the space. I painted the piece and when I looked at it a few weeks later, I was like “I LOVE IT!!!” You can see a section of the painting in the photo above.

I have done three canvas pieces so far, and I am really enjoying how this series is developing. It has a different feel than the last set of 3x3ft canvas pieces that I did a few years ago. This set of paintings has more expression and organic shapes. It feels alive and vibrant. I just finished a piece and it’s a bit darker with blues and purples. It has a mysterious quality with the layering of the lines and marks. I am quite pleased with the direction of this series! It’s nice to work a series so you can see the progression of the paintings. It also gives you room to explore once you feel comfortable in the space. I plan to do nine paintings in this series.

Works on Paper
I will be finishing the set of 18x24in works on paper that I started last year. I absolutely love this size and substrate. These paintings have so much joy and energy in them. I love how you can pack so much excitement into a relatively small space! This is the third set of works on paper that I have done of this size. I have fifteen paintings in this series so far, and I plan to finish it up to thirty. I find that the works on paper are a nice balance to the larger canvas pieces. The 18x24in works on paper are definitely my sweet spot!

I still plan to work on my sketchbook on the days when I’m not doing the larger work. The sketchbook is a nice way to maintain my painting practice if I only have limited time or energy. I am about fifteen pages into my new sketchbook, so I will be looking to complete some more pages in the upcoming months. Hopefully I will finish the sketchbook soon as well!

Those are my goals for the next few months. I like have a specific size, substrate and series in mind when I’m painting. It gives you direction for your work as well as a consistent space in which you can then explore. Once I am done with both series of paintings, then I will see where I go next!