At Chashama Open Studios, the Brooklyn-based artist shares how color, music, and a lifelong commitment to creativity have shaped a practice rooted in optimism and wonder.
Walking through Chashama Open Studios in Brooklyn, certain artworks immediately command attention. Some do so through scale, others through complexity. The paintings of Avani R. Patel stand out for a different reason: they radiate joy.
Filled with vibrant colors, rhythmic patterns, playful forms, and organic movement, Patel’s work feels like an invitation into an alternate world where nature, music, and imagination exist in perfect harmony. Her paintings possess an energy that is difficult to ignore. They encourage viewers to pause, breathe, and experience a sense of happiness that can often feel rare in everyday life.
For Patel, that emotional response is intentional.
An abstract expressionist painter, she draws inspiration from nature, sound, music, textiles, and the countless visual experiences that shape our understanding of the world. Her work is not meant to replicate reality. Instead, it translates feelings and sensations into color, pattern, and movement.
The result is a visual language that feels both spontaneous and deeply considered.
Although Patel primarily works with acrylic paint and paint markers, experimentation remains central to her practice. She enjoys exploring different surfaces and materials, incorporating paper, plastic, and whatever unexpected medium captures her curiosity. The willingness to play and explore has become one of the defining characteristics of her artistic process.
Inside her studio, the day begins quietly.
Rather than rushing immediately into painting, Patel takes time to sit with her work. She studies her ongoing paintings and revisits what she calls her “vocabularies” — hundreds of color studies and drawings that serve as an evolving archive of ideas.
Over the years, she has created between 300 and 400 of these studies, using them as a visual reference point before beginning a new work. They function almost like a personal dictionary, helping her explore relationships between color, shape, and movement.
Once the process begins, music becomes an essential collaborator.
Sound, rhythm, and movement influence the direction of her paintings, creating an atmosphere where intuition can take over. There is a dance-like quality to the way she describes making art, allowing color and pattern to emerge organically rather than through rigid planning.
Patel considers herself very much a morning person.
Most days begin around 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning, with studio time extending into the afternoon. For her, the early hours offer clarity, focus, and creative energy that are difficult to replicate later in the day.
That sense of intuition carries into the way she develops ideas.
While she keeps sketchbooks and notebooks, much of her creative process remains spontaneous. Paintings evolve naturally as they are made, often revealing their final form only after multiple layers, revisions, and discoveries.
A single painting may take several days to complete. As layers dry, Patel returns to the canvas to introduce new patterns, colors, and visual relationships. Rather than forcing a conclusion, she allows each work to develop at its own pace.
This willingness to embrace evolution extends throughout her practice.
If an exhibition is approaching, she may work on multiple paintings simultaneously. During quieter periods, she prefers focusing on one piece at a time, giving it her full attention until it reaches a point of completion.
That dedication has resulted in a remarkably active exhibition schedule.
At the time of our conversation, Patel had a mural on view in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, at 89 Pacific Street. She was also preparing for an upcoming solo exhibition in Manhattan through the QArt Foundation while simultaneously participating in exhibitions at Penn State University and in Upstate New York.
After twenty-five years of maintaining a professional artistic practice in New York City, her momentum shows no signs of slowing down.
Yet despite her accomplishments, Patel continues looking toward new possibilities.
One of her dreams is to transform the playful creatures and forms found throughout her paintings into large-scale sculptures. Imagining them inhabiting public spaces, landscapes, or interactive environments, she sees an opportunity to bring her colorful visual universe into three dimensions.
The idea feels like a natural extension of her work.
Looking at her paintings, it is easy to imagine these forms becoming immersive installations, monumental sculptures, or even playful environments that invite viewers to physically engage with the world she creates.
Underlying all of this is a philosophy built on perseverance.
When asked what advice she would give to young artists, Patel’s answer was simple and direct: believe in yourself and keep going.
After twenty-five years of building a career in one of the world’s most competitive art cities, she understands the challenges artists face. Yet she also understands the importance of persistence. Success rarely arrives overnight. It emerges through years of dedication, experimentation, and continued belief in one’s vision.
That mindset is reflected in another aspect of her practice.
Unlike many artists who discard unsuccessful works, Patel never throws a painting away. As someone deeply connected to environmental values, she sees every canvas as an opportunity for transformation. Paintings that do not initially work become the foundation for new ideas, new layers, and new discoveries.
Nothing is wasted.
Instead, each piece remains part of an ongoing conversation between artist and artwork.
Even today, Patel frequently revisits older paintings, studying them to understand past decisions and rediscover techniques that can inspire future work. The dialogue between past and present remains active, allowing her practice to evolve while maintaining the distinctive visual language that has defined her career.
Throughout that evolution, one thing has remained constant: color.
The joyful energy present in her earliest works continues to flow through her newest paintings. While her themes have expanded to include deeper explorations of nature and humanity’s connection to the environment, the sense of optimism remains unchanged.
In a world often dominated by noise and uncertainty, Avani R. Patel offers something increasingly valuable: moments of wonder, playfulness, and joy.
Her paintings remind us that creativity can be both serious and uplifting, thoughtful and spontaneous, complex and welcoming all at once.
About Tarik Talk Podcast
Tarik Talk Podcast is an international arts and culture podcast hosted by Tarik Mendes, featuring conversations with artists, curators, designers, cultural leaders, and creative entrepreneurs from around the world. With more than 200 episodes across 50 seasons and interviews recorded in over 10 countries, the podcast explores the stories, inspirations, and ideas shaping contemporary culture today.