About

artist Statement

Painting saved me. It gave me a voice when I couldn’t talk. I was sick growing up for over ten years with an undiagnosed autoimmune condition. My body shut down, and I did too. It was painting that made me feel alive again. It’s that aliveness that I crave in a painting. It’s why I can’t stop. 

Artist bio

Sheila can't stop painting. She will literally paint with anything she can get her hands on. And when she paints, "whatever comes out works". She prepares her body for painting through meditation, walking, and yoga, because opening up the body opens up the paintings. She also started intuitive writing where she describes this greedy, jealous, and intimate relationship with her paintings. Sheila is a natural mark maker. She goes for awkward color palettes. And she likes her paintings messy.

REPRESENTATION

Vivid Art Gallery, Winnetka IL
Prairiebrooke Arts, Overland Park KS

education

Princeton University, BA Economics and Finance, Phi Beta Kappa
University of Chicago Booth School of Business, MBA, High Honors

Features

Solo show, “Limitless”, Vivid Art Gallery, Winnetka IL, August 2024

Workshop, Visionary Projects, “Works on Paper”, NYC, June 2023

Chicago Booth Magazine, “Balancing Logic with Intuition”, June 2021

The Left Brain Artist podcast Episode 180 “Sheila Arora: Intuitive Abstract Painter” September 2020

Blick Art Materials Facebook Live, September 2020

Liquitex Instagram campaign, Fluid Acrylics, Spring 2020

Luxe magazine, “Chicago Artist’s Abstract Art Channels The Soul Of The City” May/June 2019

Solo show, “Dreams Come True”, Thomas Masters Gallery, Chicago, April 2018

Chicago Booth Treehouse Series, “Leadership Lessons from Abstract Painting”, June 2017