{"title":"Prints","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"what-end-of-summer-feels-like","title":"What end of summer feels like","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI had no plan or reference image for this painting. I started out with the neon pink underpainting (like I start most paintings), and then just intuitively drew my pencil sketch. I wasn’t setting out to make anything identifiable; the initial pencil sketch consisted of a couple of abstract shapes meeting on the canvas, but as I kept building on the painting layer after layer, this small surrealist landscape emerged. Almost every time I have made a piece of art with no plan and just tried to listen to the painting, I have ended up with something that is so clearly representative of what I am experiencing at the time.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe end of summer has always presented me with a strange feeling. As a child, I thought it was because I had to go back to school, but in adulthood, I know it is because my body is responding to the natural transition taking place all around me. I think this painting so clearly depicts the feeling this change brings.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI intentionally painted the flowers in this painting a solid color to convey a sense of overexposure; when so much light has shone on something that it begins to disappear. The flowers represent the coming season, and the grass surrounding them symbolizes the lush summer months that have passed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTo me, the spirals in the sky are the seasonal cycles turning, and the central star is the point they intersect at to evoke change.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eThe original is 11×14\" in size and was created using acrylics on canvas.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pooja Devnani","offers":[{"title":"8x10","offer_id":51339418698023,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16","offer_id":51339418763559,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51339418730791,"sku":null,"price":127.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x32","offer_id":51339418796327,"sku":null,"price":303.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40","offer_id":51339418829095,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/2022\/8391\/files\/Whatendofsummerfeelslike11x14.jpg?v=1777290370"},{"product_id":"wedding","title":"I went for a walk in the snowstorm","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThings have felt frozen lately, literally and figuratively. I think of climate as the backdrop for everything; culture changes so drastically with temperature. When I paint, heat is usually the point of origin for me. Things begin to grow under a warm light.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI think of all the places I’ve been and all the places I’ve left that reconstruct themselves in my mind. I put the same symbols in several different contexts throughout my work to mimic a daydream that changes a little each time you retell it.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMy core symbol has always been the hibiscus. It’s the flower I grew up with, it’s native to my first home, and it has always felt like the flagbearer for sun-drenched weather.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA while ago, I painted a web of blue hibiscus on the winter coat I wore for years after I first left my hometown. The coat survived so much with me and cocooned me through the turbulent transition into adulthood.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis month, I travelled from my warm-ish home to a frigid place for work. I needed to finalize something, and this trip was the first and last step in me doing so. I didn’t feel particularly strong through the process, but I got to wear my coat again and felt like it was protecting me. The hibiscus on the coat resembled snowflakes and connected the past and present on my body.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI made this painting when I got home. I layered chalk and watered-down oil pastels to create an atmosphere of frigidity. As an iron-deficient baddie I have always loved eating ice. It’s crystalline and clear, and I think we don’t marvel at it enough. Walking through a snowstorm isn’t as bad when you observe the snow, how it spirals and separates and thickens the wind.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThe original is 12x16\" in size and was created using acrylic paint and chalk pastels on canvas.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pooja Devnani","offers":[{"title":"8x10","offer_id":51339457626407,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16","offer_id":51339457691943,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51339457659175,"sku":null,"price":127.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x32","offer_id":51339457724711,"sku":null,"price":303.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40","offer_id":51339457757479,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/2022\/8391\/files\/Snowflake_d0c0999c-4cc9-41c0-9a98-93615ec80b62.jpg?v=1777383864"},{"product_id":"i-found-the-sun-in-a-flower","title":"I found the sun in a flower","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI created this painting as the first piece I ever sent out for my Print Club. The idea for both the painting and the Club came to me in the spring, after a dark winter I thought would never end. It felt as though the city had suddenly transformed; all the muddy patches I passed on my commute were now filled with daffodils. The flowers grew on hedges and spilled from people's balconies. Some were completely golden, while others had creamy shells with warm yolk-colored centers, like little droplets of sun. I knew I wanted my first Print Club painting to be about daffodils.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI’ve always felt that spring is the true beginning of the year. The natural transformation that takes place feels enchanted and powerful. This spring, especially, I felt as if I were walking into a new life. The arch or doorway in this painting symbolizes that movement and energetic shift. The daffodils rest in the doorway, neither here nor there, illuminated by the portal they are in.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eThe original is 18×24\" in size and was created using acrylics on canvas.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pooja Devnani","offers":[{"title":"8x10","offer_id":51339461460263,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16","offer_id":51339461525799,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51339461493031,"sku":null,"price":127.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x32","offer_id":51339461558567,"sku":null,"price":303.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40","offer_id":51339461591335,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/2022\/8391\/files\/I_found_the_sun_in_a_flower.jpg?v=1782152651"},{"product_id":"i-found-the-sun-in-a-flower-copy","title":"Plant Guts","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI recently saw the cross-section of a plant cell under a microscope. That image seared itself into my mind; it looked like a geode rock broken open, hundreds of crystalline pieces fitted into each other to form an entity. If I squinted and edited out the details, each cell looked like a tree trunk sliced open, every circle marking a growth spurt. Two or more cells grouped together resembled the insides of an old-timey clock, gears turning to make it tick.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI wanted the viewer of this piece to feel like they are looking at the inner mechanism of a living object. The two central spirals in this piece are representative of the movement of two gears turning together, meshing in motion. Each component has its own unique shape and function, but fits into the curves of its surrounding shapes seamlessly, contributing to the greater operation.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTo create this painting, I layered two very different mediums together. I first created a base pattern using chalk pastels; this mapped out all the colors and movement I wanted to create. I then cured and sealed the layer of chalk pastels using a gloss varnish. After I was able to touch the chalk pastels without any fallout, I went in with acrylic paint to add the line work. The disparity between a wet and dry medium made painting the line work feel like I was spinning a web atop something; it brought my awareness to how several distinct phases of creation formed this one piece.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI can be a very impatient person and often question if I have chosen the right path when I don’t see immediate results, but the painstaking process of creating this painting reminded me that anything worth making is never truly finished. There are endless unseen parts that go through constant renewal to keep something running and make it whole. The real fruition is the act of making itself, and that’s a good thing.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eThe original is 22×28\" in size and was created using acrylics on canvas.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pooja Devnani","offers":[{"title":"8x10","offer_id":51339472306471,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16","offer_id":51339472372007,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51339472339239,"sku":null,"price":127.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x32","offer_id":51339472404775,"sku":null,"price":303.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40","offer_id":51339472437543,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/2022\/8391\/files\/plantgut.jpg?v=1777299217"},{"product_id":"im-always-thinking-about-sitting-under-the-sun","title":"I'm always thinking about sitting under the sun","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI spent the first fifteen years of my life growing up between Bombay and Los Angeles in two sun-drenched climates. The apartment complex I lived in in Bombay was on the north end of the city, by the beach. Almost every other street corner was (and is) adorned with a hibiscus bush; the flowers grew in shades of deep pinks, reds, and yellows. Their buds looked like sculpted dumpling wrappers, and when they bloomed, networks of floral veins lined their petals. In the home where I spent my summers in LA, my aunt grew bushes of hibiscus, rose, and jasmine under the California sun to offer to the gods during her husband's morning prayers.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMy family moved to Toronto the year I turned 15. I lived there for eight years and spent every Canadian winter dreaming of the sun. Every night, I fell asleep visualizing the patterns of hibiscus petals, desperate for the motherly warmth of the coast.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA lot of what I create is about \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003eplace\u003c\/em\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and this piece is no different. I wanted to depict how a place can live so clearly in the mind's eye despite the overwhelming renewal when you start a new life in an unfamiliar land—the connection you feel to your home upon being there and the even stronger connection you feel upon leaving.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eOriginal is 20x24\" in size and was created using oils on linen.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pooja Devnani","offers":[{"title":"8x10","offer_id":51339530895655,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16","offer_id":51339530961191,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51339530928423,"sku":null,"price":127.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x32","offer_id":51339530993959,"sku":null,"price":303.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40","offer_id":51339531026727,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/2022\/8391\/files\/Heatstroke.jpg?v=1777383752"},{"product_id":"i-stepped-outside-and-my-foot-caved-into-the-ground","title":"I stepped outside and my foot caved into the ground","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eProbably the oldest painting in my current portfolio, I created this piece at the age of 18. I remember being tired of my usual mediums and decided to experiment by using oils on wood (both of which I had never used before). The panel of wood I naturally gravitated towards had these mesmerizing patterns already present within wood. I desperately wanted to highlight these patterns and create visual unity between the medium and subject matter.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI started by collecting images of severed tree trunks, going back to the source of the medium I was going to be painting on. I spent weeks wandering my local hiking trails collecting these. I then printed out all of these images of tree stumps in a variety of sizes and affixed them onto my wood panel. I then painted upon these images, fusing the medium and subject matter together.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI am that, I am that, I am. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI am the trees, I am the ground, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eyou and I are not separate, severed, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ebut one, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003esingular, connected, whole.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eThe original is 23 x 29” in size and was created using a variety of media on a wood panel.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pooja Devnani","offers":[{"title":"8x10","offer_id":51349189919015,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16","offer_id":51349189984551,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51349189951783,"sku":null,"price":127.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x32","offer_id":51349190017319,"sku":null,"price":303.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40","offer_id":51349190050087,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/2022\/8391\/files\/Isteppedoutsideandmyfootcavedintotheground.jpg?v=1777384116"},{"product_id":"uhh-im-feeling-a-lot-of-things-at-once","title":"Uhh I'm feeling a lot of things at once","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe intention behind this specific work is to depict a period of sensory abundance. The base layer of the piece is composed of several circular orbs that mimic migraine visuals, auras of light that form upon sensory triggers during a headache episode. Multiple bursts that encompass and absorb. The upper layer, or the web of the piece, is meant to be ambiguous, simultaneously depicting nerves within the face, neurology, pulsing, beauty, flora, confusion, and abundance. The disconnect between both layers is intentional and alludes to a change in sensory perception abilities, moving between the past and the future. How the senses are altered with and without the presence of pain, the contrasts between the bitter and the sweet. It is not only the range of mediums and textures used to create the piece that supports its message of sensorial abundance, but also how these mediums are layered over one another and the varied results they bring about through these combinations of layering that enhance the work's feeling of profusion. The use of oil pastels on textured canvas creates a backdrop of roughness that rests below a web done primarily using a dull matte gouache; certain sections of the web are done in acrylics and reflective ink to create tension. The shadows of the flowers were done using water-based pencil crayon over the oil pastel to create hostility between the two layers. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe piece was created with the concepts of noise, chaos, and excess in mind. It visualizes the sensation of these concepts on a spectrum, neither good nor bad, but experiencing noise, chaos, excess and abundance with and without physical strain and pain, the idea that pain can only begin to be processed once it's over, not at the peak of it but in a valley, a valley where your senses are highly enhanced, there's a music festival and a whole new life, and you're beginning to process the past at the same location. Confusion is usually considered a negative feeling, but to be truly confused, you have to have pain, joy, and something in between, many choices with the paths leading up to them blurred out.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eThe original is 30x40\" in size and was created using acrylics, pastels, gouache, and ink on canvas.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pooja Devnani","offers":[{"title":"8x10","offer_id":51349210923303,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16","offer_id":51349210988839,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51349210956071,"sku":null,"price":127.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x32","offer_id":51349211021607,"sku":null,"price":303.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40","offer_id":51349211054375,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/2022\/8391\/files\/UhhI_mfeelingalotofthingsatonce.jpg?v=1777384669"},{"product_id":"three-months-in-a-beach-town","title":"Three months in a beach town","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI made this piece after spending three months living in a small beach town in the middle of nowhere. The town has a nickname, Hibiscus City. Hibiscus is my favorite flower because it reminds me of SpongeBob. Hibiscus grew everywhere in my hometown of Mumbai, and it is only fitting that I ended up in this small Florida beach town named after the flower.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn this small beach town, I wake up every morning and drive over a bridge to an island where I sit on the beach. I lie under the sun, and when my skin begins to sweat, I walk into the ocean. Sometimes the ocean is angry, sometimes it’s calm. When it’s calm, I stand on my tiptoes and bounce with the waves. I see stingrays jump and get seaweed caught in my feet. If I am lucky, I see the fin of a dolphin. This is my first-ever work that I created with the intention of making prints. I created it after spending three months in a small beach town.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eThe original is 18x24\" and was created using a mix of gouache, acrylic paint, and pencil on paper.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pooja Devnani","offers":[{"title":"8x10","offer_id":51349231796519,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16","offer_id":51349231862055,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51349231829287,"sku":null,"price":127.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x32","offer_id":51349297266983,"sku":null,"price":303.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40","offer_id":51349297299751,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/2022\/8391\/files\/Threemonthsinabeachtown.jpg?v=1777385387"},{"product_id":"my-love-letter-to-a-lucky-land","title":"My love letter to a lucky land","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDuring September of last year, I moved to South Florida. A series of circumstances beyond my control led me to make this move. Too often, when I tell someone who’s not from Florida that I live here, I see them visibly wince a bit—they ask me about alligators, theme parks, and strange people. I usually hold my tongue when this happens; through my experiences as an immigrant, I know that trying to change the narrative you hear about a place in instances like this is futile.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBut if I didn’t hold my tongue, here’s what I would say: There are all kinds of people everywhere. I’ve had the rare privilege of living in and traveling through many different places, and I can say with confidence that if you get to know the people around you, their uniqueness and individuality become increasingly apparent. Also, living in a place, visiting a place, and hearing about a place through the media are three extremely different things. The first one is comparable to having a sibling; the way you know someone you’ve shared a home and the humdrum of daily life with is a kind of knowing that can’t be replicated. The second one is comparable to having a good extroverted friend you like to party with—it’s almost always a good time when you get together, but you rarely see each other during daylight. The last one is the equivalent of having an acquaintance you’ve never met - everything you know about them is acquired through eavesdropping on someone else’s lunch-hour gossip. Before I moved to Florida, my relationship with it sat somewhere between a good extroverted friend and an acquaintance I’d never met, but after moving here, I think we’ve entered a romance. I am in love with the true Florida, the natural Florida, with its delicious turquoise water and lush vegetation. The past decade of my life has felt overturned by uneasiness, but something about being in this place has injected me with a sense of calm. I’ve always had terrifyingly bad health, but here, among the sea and sun, I seem to have found unexpected strength. Things I struggled to do for years in other places—things I avoided out of fear—I feel like I can move through with ease here. On this controversial peninsula, I was finally able to commit to being a fine artist instead of letting my desire to paint remain just a desire. I was (and am) met with so much kindness and support from the people around me (so many complete strangers) who have helped me unconditionally on my journey as a young emerging artist.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI made this painting as a kind of love letter to Florida, a thank you to the lucky land that changed my course.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003eThe original is 30 x 40\" in size and was created using acrylics on canvas.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pooja Devnani","offers":[{"title":"8x10","offer_id":51349298217255,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16","offer_id":51349298250023,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51349298282791,"sku":null,"price":127.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x32","offer_id":51349298315559,"sku":null,"price":303.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40","offer_id":51349298348327,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/2022\/8391\/files\/Mylovelettertoaluckyland.jpg?v=1777386750"},{"product_id":"i-went-swimming-in-the-sun-and-met-a-lizard","title":"I went swimming in the sun and met a lizard","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOne of my investment purchases this year was a fancy white beach chair that goes completely flat (the old ladies on the beach in my retirement town are low-key jealous). I haven't been able to use it as much as I'd like, between my job, my art practice, and being a professional daydreamer, I've been pretty # locked in and pressed for time. But during the last week of November, I forced myself to take a morning off and go swimming before it got too cold.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhile I was swimming, I noticed a tiny baby lizard perched on the pool filter, as if it were stranded on an island. I rescued it and gently placed it on solid ground in the sun to dry off (don't worry, I checked that he was alive). I laid out my beach chair beside it, and we sunbathed together. Sitting there in silence, I was able to tune into the sounds of the natural world around me and felt calm for the first time in months. I looked into the sun, closed my eyes, and amid the flashes of light, I visualized my surroundings floating with me in the water. When I felt like I was on the verge of a sunburn, I got up, and the lizard departed at the same time. I think he understood what I was feeling and needed that moment too.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI spend so much time chasing the sense of satisfaction I've been taught comes from productivity that I forget peace doesn't depend on progress. It can be found in simply being, like sitting in the sun, in silence.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIf the colors in this painting seem more saturated than usual, it's because I got myself a new Japanese gouache set as an early birthday present. Before this, I was working with only six colors and mixing all my shades by hand. This new set is much richer, with colors that feel potent and smooth. I think gouache on paper might be my new favorite medium. After painting the base of the composition in gouache, I went in with colored pencil to add a fragmented aura to each element. I wanted them to feel as though they emerged from a celestial vision or a daydream, because in a way, they did.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e The original is 18x24\" in size and was created using gouache and color pencil.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pooja Devnani","offers":[{"title":"8x10","offer_id":51349334688039,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16","offer_id":51349334720807,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51349334753575,"sku":null,"price":127.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x32","offer_id":51349334786343,"sku":null,"price":303.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40","offer_id":51349334819111,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/2022\/8391\/files\/Iwentswimminginthesunandmetalizard.jpg?v=1777387952"},{"product_id":"i-walked-into-a-wave-and-it-spit-me-out-on-the-other-side","title":"I walked into a wave and it spit me out on the other side","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI find it extremely challenging to stick to one medium when painting; a single medium feels so restrictive, like someone randomly plucked out the keys on my keyboard and then told me to write a heartfelt poem. I love chalk pastels because of the way they blend; they almost feel like mixing gas station slushie flavors. I love acrylics for their plasticky precision. I love gouache because of its tactile matte finish. I love pencil crayons because of their texture. I could go on and on forever, but most of all, I love observing how each of these mediums interacts with the others. I itch to see the final outfit they create when layered together.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn this piece, I layered acrylics over chalk pastels. The trick to doing this is sandwiching the layers of chalk between varnish before introducing the acrylic. The feeling of painting on fixated chalk with a synthetic medium is so delicious; if you use a longer brush, the paint just sails across.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMoving closer to the ocean has significantly influenced the subject matter of my work. While my pieces have always been described as fluid and botanical, now, instead of being at the shore, they are submerged in the ocean. I spent a lot of time in bodies of water while growing up. For years, I had dreams of being wedged into a swimming pool. I think my fascination with water revolves more around its buoyancy or flotation, its lightness, rather than its movement. Vivid pool dreams are quite common in those who have been under anesthesia, representing the in-between — neither here nor there, neither a child nor an adult. It's a kind of nothingness. The idea of nothingness is often approached with negativity, but my intention is not to portray it that way. I believe many of our answers are found in nothingness — staring at the ceiling, during long car rides where all you can do is sit, in hot showers, while lying in hospital beds, in bathtubs. Not when you think about something a lot, but when you finally don’t think about it at all.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003eThe original is 18x24\" and was created by layering chalk pastels and acrylic paint on canvas.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pooja Devnani","offers":[{"title":"8x10","offer_id":51349352841511,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16","offer_id":51349352874279,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51349352907047,"sku":null,"price":127.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x32","offer_id":51349352939815,"sku":null,"price":303.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40","offer_id":51349352972583,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/2022\/8391\/files\/Iwalkedintoawaveanditspitmeoutontheotherside.jpg?v=1777388117"},{"product_id":"sometimes-i-pretend-to-be-an-oak-tree","title":"Sometimes I Pretend To Be An Oak Tree","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI have a favorite tree that I drive by every day. I often find myself slowing down just to look at it for a few more seconds. I imagine little tree people living in it, guarding its energy.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA couple of weeks ago, the tree was a backdrop in a dream I had. The next morning, I went on foot to inspect it closely. Standing under the tree felt like being under a blanket fort as a child, a small, separate universe.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIts branches formed a dome, and as I walked across it, its catkins brushed my shoulders. I had been feeling especially uprooted and untethered over the past couple of weeks, and I think my desire to paint this tree was my way of counteracting that feeling.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI did some research after creating this painting and found that this particular tree is a Southern Live Oak. Southern Live Oaks are native to the southeastern United States and Mexico, and have survived the hot climate because they have adapted to become resistant to wildfires. Live Oaks have an insulated bark; the tree bark has a thinner outer layer that is “dead” and a thicker inner bark layer that is living. Their roots are also especially widespread and contain food storages. When the tree appears to be destroyed by fire, the root crown sends up sprouts with the energy provided by the roots’ food storage reserve, replenishing it.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003eThe original is 30×40\" in size and was created using acrylics on canvas.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pooja Devnani","offers":[{"title":"5x7","offer_id":51349360640295,"sku":null,"price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"8x10","offer_id":51349356871975,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16","offer_id":51349356904743,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51349356937511,"sku":null,"price":127.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x32","offer_id":51349356970279,"sku":null,"price":303.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40","offer_id":51349357003047,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/2022\/8391\/files\/OakTree.jpg?v=1777388314"},{"product_id":"i-went-on-a-walk-and-saw-some-wildflowers","title":"I went on a walk and saw some wildflowers","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe original is 8x11.5\" in size and was created using a mix of gouache and acrylic paint on paper.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis painting was made for the 3rd edition of my print club in July 2025: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhen I committed to this print club, I mentally decided I was going to make a new painting every month. As someone whose work is fairly detailed, I knew this was a big ask of myself; the hours spent painting, paired with printing, packing, and many other boring but necessary admin tasks, mean I spend every day of the month in my studio (I’m not complaining).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI was especially anxious about the arrival of July because several social commitments I had made before the accidental birth of this print club meant that I would be away from my studio for the better part of the month.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAt some point towards the end of June, I took a walk and contemplated cancelling my travels or using an older painting I had already made. Both decisions felt extremely wrong. I decided to be very hopeful in my compromise by packing a small set of gouache paints, some good watercolor paper, and a couple of pencils and brushes in my purse. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor the first half of the month, I painted at whatever chance I got, while waiting to board my flight, on the flight, in train cars, park benches, in restaurants before the appetizers arrived, you get the picture. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAt the end of two weeks, I was surprised that all these little in-between moments of painting had led me to holding an almost completed piece. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI now only had the background left and decided to use it to depict another in-between moment, the contemplative walk I took before July started,  (during which I decided to create a new painting despite being away from my studio)  was at the very end of the day, a transitional time when the last drops of sunlight were about to turn blue, I remember it being oddly silent besides the heavy buzz of insects that made me feel like the warm evening air was vibrating around each blade of grass. I wanted to convey this warm buzzing texture in my piece, and managed to do so by switching my medium from a smooth gouache (used on the flowers) to a soft water-based pencil paired with an extra light hand for the sky.  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn many ways, this is my most favorite piece I have created for the print club to date. I think being out of my studio and continually interacting with the outside world while creating it enhanced its character in unexpected ways. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAs an anxious 20-something, I often feel like I have to pick between working on building my future or collecting fun memories while I’m still young. July showed me that both things are possible at once; sometimes, we don’t have to choose. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pooja Devnani","offers":[{"title":"5x7","offer_id":51349361197351,"sku":null,"price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"8x10","offer_id":51349361230119,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16","offer_id":51349361262887,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51349361295655,"sku":null,"price":127.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x32","offer_id":51349361328423,"sku":null,"price":303.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40","offer_id":51349361361191,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/2022\/8391\/files\/Iwentonawalkandsawsomewildflowers.jpg?v=1777388495"},{"product_id":"i-went-for-a-swim-and-saw-the-beginnings-of-a-storm","title":"I went for a swim and saw the beginnings of a storm","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI made this painting on paper using a combination of acrylics and colored pencils. I do most of my work on canvas, and until July of 2025, it had been a long time since I had made a fully fleshed-out artwork on paper.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJuly’s painting process made me fall deeply in love with working on paper; dragging colored pencils across a textured sheet was like finally scratching an itch, and painting patterns over the pencil felt like cold ointment on dry skin. I was chasing the same high when I decided to do this painting on paper. However, I was not in the same serene frame of mind. An abundance of admin work meant I was starting my painting a week later than usual, and to be honest, I was counting on a magical lightning bolt of creative genius to guide me through this piece. But as things often go, quite the opposite happened.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI had a lot of trouble executing the idea and started and abandoned three different paintings. When I work on canvas, I always paint over my mistakes and start over several times until the painting begins to carve itself out; but paper is less forgiving, you can’t layer too much on a paper, it will rip. If you make a visible mistake, you have to start over, and all the abandoned sheets of paper begin to visually quantify your ‘mistakes’. Having all the unfinished sheets of paper on my desk while I worked made me focus more on all the things that hadn’t worked instead of what could work.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBetween the third and fourth piece, I had one restless night of sleep, and I forcefully drove myself to the beach early morning. I regularly visit the ocean, and owe any creative success I have had to time spent swimming in bodies of water. But since it’s hurricane season, my visiting hours have been nonexistent recently.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe sun was blazing when I arrived, and the sea was a temperate sky blue. I anxiously swam past the break point and put my head underwater, but couldn’t get myself to be in the moment; my incomplete painting was haunting me, so I decided to go back to shore. Just as I was about to leave the water, I looked up and watched grey-blue spirals rapidly form. Once my feet were at the shoreline, I turned around and saw swaths of deep teal encroach on the remaining sky-blue bits of water. By the time I reached my belongings on the sand, I was completely drenched. I had a very long walk back to my car, and about halfway through, the situation became funny. I smiled like a girl at the end of a 2000’s Rom-com all the way home, I knew what I was going to paint.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003eThe original is 8x11.5\" in size and was created using gouache and pencils on paper.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pooja Devnani","offers":[{"title":"5x7","offer_id":51349364900135,"sku":null,"price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"8x10","offer_id":51349364932903,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16","offer_id":51349364965671,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51349364998439,"sku":null,"price":127.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x32","offer_id":51349365031207,"sku":null,"price":303.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40","offer_id":51349365063975,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/2022\/8391\/files\/Iwentforaswimandsawthebeginningsofastorm.jpg?v=1777388649"},{"product_id":"i-went-home-for-a-wedding","title":"I went home for a wedding","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis March, I visited my first home, Bombay, to attend a family wedding. I had planned not to create and just take a break during this trip. However, being back home brought on so many intense feelings: a lot of love but also so much nostalgia. Sometimes nostalgia is so strong it can feel almost nauseating. I needed to do something with this influx of emotion, so I took a long rickshaw ride to source some good handmade paper, but the paper stayed rolled in the corner of my room for days. I was feeling too much to start.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAt the end of the week, I was invited to a sip and paint at a friend's house. I reached the event a couple of hours too late, with my handmade paper in hand. I had had the worst hour-long (Bombay traffic) mosquito-ridden cab ride there and was generally not in a good frame of mind due to the prior events of the day. While those around me were knee-deep in their canvases, I mindlessly drew a web of flowers with a graphite pencil on my paper. When I got home, I created a makeshift easel on the wall of my childhood bedroom by covering a section of it in newspaper and layering the painting atop it. I used painter's tape as my adhesive and moved around the sections of painter's tape that held the handmade paper up strategically to allow the painting of the paper.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe only art materials (besides the paper and pencil) I had on me were an extremely small set of travel gouache paints that I had dropped into my suitcase at the last minute. I started out by going over my graphite lines with the brightest shades of gouache I had: neon blue, bright purple, and vibrant rose; toward the end of this exercise, I became suddenly aware of my lack of materials and walked down to a stationery store and purchased the cheapest oil pastels, two liner brushes, and a couple of tubes of acrylic paint—my total was about $6. I then used the oil pastels to create gradients within the gouache flowers. I used the deeper and more raw hues closer to the joints of the flowers and then spread them outward by pressing down hard and pushing outward with the pads of my thumbs. My hands were sore for a couple of days after. I then used a liner brush with acrylic paint to create the majority of the line work on the piece. Painting with acrylics on cheap oil pastels is such an unexpectedly wonderful tactile experience; it feels like rubbing two Tupperware boxes together.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI eventually carried the painting back home to my studio in Florida and completed the line work there. As a final touch, I used some bright silver water-based ink to create dimension.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is my favorite piece of work I have created to date, and I feel as if I owe its success to the lack of materials I had on hand whilst creating it. I think true creativity is often birthed under constraints, and this was no different.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThe original is 20x28\" in size and was created using acrylic paint and oil pastels on paper.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eThis print is 16x20\" in size, inclusive of the print's 2-inch border. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pooja Devnani","offers":[{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51349794685223,"sku":null,"price":127.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/2022\/8391\/files\/Iwenthomeforawedding.jpg?v=1777399250"},{"product_id":"for-nani","title":"For Nani","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe process of making this painting was a long-winded one. For the last few months, I’ve been having a recurring dream of my late grandmother’s bathroom tile. I remember when I was a child, and she got the new tile installed in her bathroom. I told her I loved it, and she told me, “Pujna (her name for me), you’re just like me, you love blue!”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe older I grow, the more I realize that everything that’s cool about me was cool about my Nani* first. She taught me how to drink black tea, chop almonds on my fingertips, and how to ask the tailor to alter my clothes to properly fit me. My first introduction to craft and making was through her (we stitched tiny pillows for all my dolls lol). In many ways, our time spent together is what led me to pursue a lifetime of making things with my hands.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAt the end of January, I finally had the courage to start a painting for her. I had a very clear idea that had been brewing in my mind for some time. I wanted to make a large painting, border it with the tiles, and have a blue gradient in the center as a portal of connection. I worked on the piece for days, painstakingly color-matching each tile and getting a smooth gradient. But when I reached the portion of my piece where I began to add line work over the gradient, like I usually do, I went too far with it. The painting began to look overdone.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI was on a deadline, so I went to my printer to get it photographed and get a test print. The test print was alright. It was good, but I wasn’t fully satisfied with it. I knew if I went ahead with it as is, it would bother me for a long time. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI went home, took a fat nap, and painted over everything but the tile border when I woke up. Once the painting was dry, I put a drop cloth on my room floor and placed the painting on it. I poured a layer of water over the piece, mixed a couple of watered-down colors, and started placing the pigments gently onto the water. I watched the colors spread and merge slowly.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI realized that the mistake I made the last time was being in too much of a hurry and not listening to the painting with patience, not noticing when I needed to stop. This time around, I stayed as present as I could and carefully considered every mark. After I was done with the first layer of wet-on-wet, I propped my canvas up and followed the motions that the water had created. I carved out lines with a fan brush, and this landscape emerged.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eStrangely, I have so many memories of my Nani telling me about her childhood home that was in the mountains. I am so grateful I started over because it led me to making the painting I needed rather than the painting I thought I wanted.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThe original is 30x40\" in size and was made using acrylic on canvas.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pooja Devnani","offers":[{"title":"8x10","offer_id":51349936537895,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16","offer_id":51349936570663,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51349936603431,"sku":null,"price":127.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x32","offer_id":51349936636199,"sku":null,"price":303.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40","offer_id":51349936668967,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/2022\/8391\/files\/ForNani.jpg?v=1777402212"},{"product_id":"i-went-on-a-camping-trip-and-started-into-the-fire","title":"I went on a camping trip and stared into the fire","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI was in a trance when I made this painting. I made it in the midst of working on a bigger piece. There was a small canvas in the corner of my studio with an incomplete sketch of a very technical painting that had been sitting there for months.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbout halfway through the bigger painting, I was left with a palette of blues and purples. I coagulated them without mixing the colors completely, then took a wide brush and went over the half-done painting in circular strokes. The original painting was yellow, so the blues interacted with it and gave everything a greenish tonality.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBecause the blues and purples weren't fully mixed, each time I angled my brush differently, it produced a different shade. I used the darker sections to create the trees and the lighter sections toward the center.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhile making it, I found myself reminiscing about a camping trip I took a few summers ago with my best friends. I remember sitting amongst the trees, staring at the campfire after everyone had gone to bed. Painting has a way of acting as a portal for me; it brings up memories I didn't know I had.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI often think about how the linearity of time dissolves when you're deeply involved in a creative task. Time passes quickly, but memories simmer and boil over. Working with your hands lets the mind wander and process.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThe original is 16x20\" in size and was made using chalk pastels, acrylic, and gouache on canvas.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pooja Devnani","offers":[{"title":"8x10","offer_id":51349956526375,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16","offer_id":51349956559143,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51349956591911,"sku":null,"price":127.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x32","offer_id":51349956624679,"sku":null,"price":303.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40","offer_id":51349956657447,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/2022\/8391\/files\/Campfire.jpg?v=1777474029"},{"product_id":"i-was-looking-for-a-portal","title":"I was looking for a portal","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eI made this painting using a 60 cent eraser from the dollar store as my primary medium. Building on an earlier piece where I layered acrylic paint on chalk pastels, I took the process a step further, creating a gradient with pastels, then using an angled eraser I periodically sharpened to carve into it. Following my hands slowly through the powdered chalk, a geometric pattern of circular expansion emerged. I sealed the chalk, then went into the erased cracks with acrylic paint to form orange and yellow gradients.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThe original is 30x40\" in size and was made using chalk pastels and acrylic paint on canvas.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pooja Devnani","offers":[{"title":"8x10","offer_id":51349975761191,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16","offer_id":51349975793959,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51349975826727,"sku":null,"price":127.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x32","offer_id":51349975859495,"sku":null,"price":303.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40","offer_id":51349975892263,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/2022\/8391\/files\/I_was_looking_for_a_portal_and_I_found_one.jpg?v=1782152327"},{"product_id":"pink-painting","title":"I went to the park and got drenched in pink flowers","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI am writing this while sitting in the park. It's a warmer day, the sun is settling in, and the wind is bringing small pink petals toward me like confetti.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eApril has been a month filled with moments of disbelief. If I had to give it a color, it would be pink, potent, and saturated.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe pink petals are coming from a tree that has flowers growing directly out of its bark in patches. I've never seen anything like it. No leaves, just spots of bright pink, like the trunk grew a patchy beard. I looked them up, they're called eastern redbuds, and they bloom directly out of the bark in early spring. As the season goes on, they turn into little green canopies and eventually seed pods that disperse.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI know I have a tendency to look at everything as a metaphor, but I love how the buds simply emerge and then evolve from there. I follow the same pattern while painting, starting from a recurring thought and reworking until the final picture is found. I think planning can only go so far, and most answers come from just starting, even if it looks awkward at first.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI started this piece with my usual pink underpainting, and instead of using opaque paint to mark things out, I watered down several glossy colors to be translucent and layered them over one another in floral patterns. I then used matte opaque paint to add the webs and line work over these translucent forms.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor most of the time I worked on this piece, the layers looked extremely stark and awkward; nothing felt cohesive. Only at the very end did things begin to make sense. When I finished the last stroke, it felt like every line finally found its purpose.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThe original is \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e11x14\" in size and was made using gouache and acrylic on canvas.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pooja Devnani","offers":[{"title":"8x10","offer_id":51349986443559,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16","offer_id":51349986476327,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51349986509095,"sku":null,"price":127.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x32","offer_id":51349986541863,"sku":null,"price":303.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40","offer_id":51349986574631,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/2022\/8391\/files\/Pooja-5x7-1_171ac78d-38f9-47b1-b33d-f892d1c3152a.jpg?v=1777487240"},{"product_id":"blue-painting","title":"I drove to my new home and the moon followed me","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMay has always been blue to me, a soft periwinkle or powder blue on good days and a deeper cobalt on other days. I made this painting before I made April's painting, but it just didn't feel like an April painting. April is pink and loud, and May is blue and soft. She is a girl with dark hair in a pastel midi dress walking through a field.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn March, I drove from Florida to Brooklyn with all my most important belongings in the back of an SUV. I come from a road trip family, but I am still always surprised at how much of America is just highways. Thick concrete strips cutting through grasslands and forests.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA new beginning is always accompanied by a resurgence of an underlying feeling from childhood. Of not knowing and following curiosity and hope. Of sitting in the car and thinking the moon is following you.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI remember as a child I had a fiber arts class at school, they taught us how to make chains out of yarn by making a loop and then pulling the length of the yarn through the loop to create another loop, we called it pond fishing. I remember becoming so transfixed by pond fishing. My hands were never idle, I looped thread after thread, making multicolored chains and wearing multiple at a time around my neck like garlands.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhen it rains, it pours; when it rains, it really pours. My life has been feeling like it is stagnant and then suddenly accelerated and then stagnant again. Maybe it always feels like that, and I am only now describing it. Every season, there's this one point which I pass through, and then everything proliferates. Like I've been swimming through a thick soup, and the container suddenly drains, and then I am on my feet again.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMonth 13, I seriously thought about stopping at month 9 and then 10 and then 11, but I decided to keep going. I decided to keep going because I know the difference between something working and something not working is usually just that you didn't do it long enough, you didn't wait for the moment the soup container suddenly drained.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThe original is \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e12x16\" in size and was made using gouache and acrylic on canvas. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pooja Devnani","offers":[{"title":"8x10","offer_id":51349988999463,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16","offer_id":51349989032231,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51349989064999,"sku":null,"price":127.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x32","offer_id":51349989097767,"sku":null,"price":303.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40","offer_id":51349989130535,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0984\/2022\/8391\/files\/Blue-Painting.jpg?v=1777403515"}],"url":"https:\/\/poojadevnani.com\/collections\/shop.oembed","provider":"Pooja Devnani","version":"1.0","type":"link"}