There is something deeply magical about the moment when two colors meet on a canvas. That instant where separate tones begin to blend, push against each other, and slowly settle into something entirely new, that is the moment I fell in love with painting.
Where It All Began
From the very first time I picked up a brush, it was never really about the subject or the composition. It was about the colors. The way a warm ochre could sit next to a deep teal and somehow create a conversation. The way layering soft pinks over bold reds could produce a texture so rich, you almost want to touch it. Mixing colors and watching them find their own harmony in the final result, that has always been my thing.
I never plan my palettes too carefully. I let the colors guide me. Sometimes I start with one shade that speaks to me that day, and then I build around it, testing combinations, layering textures, scraping back and adding more until the painting feels alive. Every piece is an experiment, and every experiment teaches me something new about how colors relate to one another.
Finding Inspiration Everywhere
One of my greatest joys as an artist is seeing how color lives beyond the canvas. I find inspiration in the most unexpected places, and two sources in particular never fail to spark my creativity.
The first is seeing my work in my clients’ homes. There is nothing quite like walking into a space and seeing how one of my paintings interacts with the room around it. The way the colors in the artwork echo a cushion, catch the light from a window, or contrast with a wall, it gives the piece a whole new life. It reminds me that color is not just something we see; it is something we live with.
The second is the world of fashion and design. I love diving into seasonal color trend reports, scrolling through fashion moodboards, and studying how designers pair unexpected shades in their collections. A runway look that mixes dusty lavender with burnt sienna, or a design moodboard that layers sage green with warm terracotta, these combinations find their way into my paintings. The language of color in fashion and the language of color on canvas are not so different after all.
The Pursuit of Harmony
What I have learned through years of mixing, testing, and layering is that harmony does not mean everything has to match. True color harmony comes from balance, from knowing when to let a bold shade take center stage and when to soften the edges with something quieter. It comes from trusting the process and allowing the colors to settle into their own rhythm.
Every painting I create at Eli Studio carries this philosophy. Whether it is a vibrant Birkat HaBayit alive with energetic splashes of color, or a more serene piece where muted tones whisper rather than shout, the love of mixing colors and finding harmony runs through every single brushstroke.
And that, to me, is what makes art so beautiful, the endless possibilities that live inside a simple mix of colors.