Asil Rashid
Hello, my name is Asil Rashid. I am a Sudanese-Canadian and I live in Montreal with my 7 year-old daughter and I work as an environmental consultant in the maritime industry. I started my art journey in my mid-30s a few years ago when I was living in Egypt and going through post-partum depression after giving birth to my daughter. And that was it! I was hooked. I am mostly self-taught so I feel my style is constantly evolving. Being a single mom with a full time job I don’t get to paint as often as I like. My painting time is sacred and often happens in the evenings after the little one is sleeping soundly and on the weekends.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
I am a Montreal-based artist who paints mostly landscapes and florals, with acrylics, watercolors, and occasionally water mixable oils. However, my preferred medium is acrylics. I try to be as true to my vision while maintaining a state of flow, which I usually achieve with large loose brushstrokes. Having worked as an environmental consultant for most of my career I have developed a deep love for natural world which I try to capture in my art with techniques like palette knife painting and dynamic brushstrokes to portray movement and texture. My process usually goes something like this: I start with an idea, a general image that I want to capture and the painting just takes on a life of its own and ends up being something else. After doing some research which mostly involves staring at my blank canvas for a few days trying to figure out the composition that I want, I then tone the canvas and start painting. I try to keep my brushstrokes as loose and dynamic as possible, which often results in layers of paint and lots of texture.
Hello, my name is Asil Rashid. I am a Sudanese-Canadian and I live in Montreal with my 7 year-old daughter and I work as an environmental consultant in the maritime industry. I started my art journey in my mid-30s a few years ago when I was living in Egypt and going through post-partum depression after giving birth to my daughter. And that was it! I was hooked. I am mostly self-taught so I feel my style is constantly evolving. Being a single mom with a full time job I don’t get to paint as often as I like. My painting time is sacred and often happens in the evenings after the little one is sleeping soundly and on the weekends.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
I am a Montreal-based artist who paints mostly landscapes and florals, with acrylics, watercolors, and occasionally water mixable oils. However, my preferred medium is acrylics. I try to be as true to my vision while maintaining a state of flow, which I usually achieve with large loose brushstrokes. Having worked as an environmental consultant for most of my career I have developed a deep love for natural world which I try to capture in my art with techniques like palette knife painting and dynamic brushstrokes to portray movement and texture. My process usually goes something like this: I start with an idea, a general image that I want to capture and the painting just takes on a life of its own and ends up being something else. After doing some research which mostly involves staring at my blank canvas for a few days trying to figure out the composition that I want, I then tone the canvas and start painting. I try to keep my brushstrokes as loose and dynamic as possible, which often results in layers of paint and lots of texture.
$1,250.00
Oil and acrylic on stretched canvas.
36x36"
The concept for this painting was inspired by a Navajo prayer song, "Walk in Beauty" and my admiration for Native American culture which during my high school and college years, inspired me to read everything I can about it. I wanted to portray the drama of an Arizona sunset juxtaposed with the sense of calm and pride of a Native American rider, at the end of a long day, marveling at the beauty that is his land. The painting was done with layers of acrylic paint with the final layers done with water mixable oil.
The sides of canvas are painted using the same color palette as the painting. The artwork is signed on the front and dated on the back. It is varnished and will arrive ready to hang.
$875.00
Acrylic on stretched canvas.
24x36"
This painting is loosely based on a variety of different images of lilies. My aim with this painting was to capture the feeling of light and shadow. I used subdued colors for the first few layers based on color theory and the use of complementary colors and then bumped up the contrast with vibrant colors in the final layers with added highlights. I kept my brushstrokes light and dynamic and did not overwork little details and allowed the “mistakes” to be part of the character of the painting.
The sides of canvas are painted using the same color palette as the painting. The artwork is signed on the front and dated on the back. It is varnished and will arrive ready to hang.
$100.00
Acrylic on stretched canvas.
9x12"
This is part of my “Painting Small and Often” collection, inspired by Carol Marine’s practice of painting daily and small and letting go of imperfections, in which I created small quick studies in a maximum of 2 days. Rather than finished pieces, these are supposed smaller studies where I experiment with a different aspect of color theory, composition, tonal values, shadows and highlights.
For my last painting in the series, I decided to paint a conch shell. I simplified the dips and crevices to shapes and areas of dark and light. I wanted the shell to be almost luminous and so I used gold paint in some places.
The sides of canvas are painted using the same color palette as the painting. The artwork is signed on the front and dated on the back. It is varnished and will arrive ready to hang.
$350.00
Oil on canvas.
18x24"
Monstera on Pink Background, Botanical Painting, Oil on Stretched Canvas, 18" x 24"
This botanical painting was inspired by my monstera plant and is composed of several layers. I started it off with acrylic for the initial sketch and the first couple of layers and then used water mixable oil for the last few layers.
The sides of canvas are painted using the same color palette as the painting. The artwork is signed on the front and dated on the back. It is varnished and will arrive ready to hang.
$100.00
Acrylic on stretched canvas.
12x9"
This is part of my “Painting Small and Often” collection, inspired by Carol Marine’s practice of painting daily and small and letting go of imperfections, in which I created small quick studies in a maximum of 2 days. Rather than finished pieces, these are supposed smaller studies where I experiment with a different aspect of color theory, composition, tonal values, shadows and highlights.
For my sixth painting, I wanted to explore the use of complementary colors for the background. I chose a reference image of Alai Ganuza (www.alaiganuza.com), of a still life of tomatoes. I like the gradation effect of shadows, midtones and highlights on the tomatoes, using gestural, flat brushstrokes and the shadows they cast around them.
The sides of canvas are painted using the same color palette as the painting. The artwork is signed on the front and dated on the back. It is varnished and will arrive ready to hang.
$100.00
Acrylic on stretched canvas.
9x12"
This is part of my “Painting Small and Often” collection, inspired by Carol Marine’s practice of painting daily and small and letting go of imperfections, in which I created small quick studies in a maximum of 2 days. Rather than finished pieces, these are supposed smaller studies where I experiment with a different aspect of color theory, composition, tonal values, shadows and highlights.
For my fifth painting in the series, I wanted to explore monochromatic tonal values using a very limited color palette. I chose different combinations of ultramarine blue and cyan blue for the background, and phthalocyanine blue for the pear. The varying degrees of blue gave the whole painting a very moody atmosphere while still showing the different values of blue.
The sides of canvas are painted using the same color palette as the painting. The artwork is signed on the front and dated on the back. It is varnished and will arrive ready to hang.
$100.00
Acrylic on stretched canvas.
9x12"
This is part of my “Painting Small and Often” collection, inspired by Carol Marine’s practice of painting daily and small and letting go of imperfections, in which I created small quick studies in a maximum of 2 days. Rather than finished pieces, these are supposed smaller studies where I experiment with a different aspect of color theory, composition, tonal values, shadows and highlights.
For this painting, I was inspired by the disco ball trend, popularized by Sari Shryack (Not Sorry Art). I used a small disco ball that my daughter had as a reference. Disco balls are colorless and often reflect the color of the space they are in. I wanted mine to reflect happy bright colors of purple, pink and yellows.
The sides of canvas are painted using the same color palette as the painting. The artwork is signed on the front and dated on the back. It is varnished and will arrive ready to hang.
$100.00
Acrylic on stretched canvas.
9x12"
This is part of my “Painting Small and Often” collection, inspired by Carol Marine’s practice of painting daily and small and letting go of imperfections, in which I created small quick studies in a maximum of 2 days. Rather than finished pieces, these are supposed smaller studies where I experiment with a different aspect of color theory, composition, tonal values, shadows and highlights.
This painting is based on my coleus plant and is more of an impressionist rendition rather than an accurate representation. The blue background contrasts well with the green foliage and the magenta interior of the leaves.
The sides of canvas are painted using the same color palette as the painting. The artwork is signed on the front and dated on the back. It is varnished and will arrive ready to hang.
$100.00
Acrylic on stretched canvas.
9x12"
This is part of my “Painting Small and Often” collection, inspired by Carol Marine’s practice of painting daily and small and letting go of imperfections, in which I created small quick studies in a maximum of 2 days. Rather than finished pieces, these are supposed smaller studies where I experiment with a different aspect of color theory, composition, tonal values, shadows and highlights.
This painting was another experiment in color theory and how sometimes an object might not be the color that you think it is. For example, the white rose has various values of pale yellows and cream with only touches of bright white as the main highlights. I painted the background a complementary color of purple to make the yellows and creams pop even more. I used quick expressive brushstrokes to add movement to the swirling petal shapes.
The sides of canvas are painted using the same color palette as the painting. The artwork is signed on the front and dated on the back. It is varnished and will arrive ready to hang.
$100.00
Acrylic on stretched canvas.
12x9"
This is part of my “Painting Small and Often” collection, inspired by Carol Marine’s practice of painting daily and small and letting go of imperfections, in which I created small quick studies in a maximum of 2 days. Rather than finished pieces, these are supposed smaller studies where I experiment with a different aspect of color theory, composition, tonal values, shadows and highlights. This painting is based on a reference photograph by Martateron on Dreamstimes Images. I wanted to explore color theory and match as close as possible the colors of the nectarines by using complementary colors and playing around with values.
The sides of canvas are painted using the same color palette as the painting. The artwork is signed on the front and dated on the back. It is varnished and will arrive ready to hang.
$100.00
Acrylic on stretched canvas.
12x16"
Still Life with Cactus, Acrylic painting on stretched canvas, original artwork, 16" x 12". This is a variation on Van Gogh's Still Life with Almond Flowering Branch. I used similar elements in the composition (such as the bright magenta book and the background and table top) but I decided to use my Easter cactus plant instead of Van Gogh's almond branch. This is varnished with a satin varnish and will arrive ready to hang.
$75.00
Acrylic on canvas.
12x10"
This mini painting, Magnolia Study II, of a pink magnolia flower blossoming on a tree branch with buds and green leaves is painted with acrylic paint on a bright teal green background. It is painted loosely with dynamic brushstrokes that portray movement and energy. This would make a perfect addition to a nursery, bedroom or hallway, especially when paired with the other magnolia painting in the set, Magnolia Study I.
The sides of canvas are painted using the same color palette as the painting. The artwork is signed on the front and dated on the back. It is varnished and will arrive ready to hang.