Raja Ashraf
Portraits and figurative abstracts
California

I have been creating art since I was a 5 year old in Pakistan and eventually studied studio art while a student outside of Boston. After selling a collection of art in Boston, I moved to California in 2006.  My paintings were primarily in abstract floral and figurative art. In 2010, my focus has shifted to creating portraits of women.  

I was taught  to love paint- to love color shades, hue, luminosity and that the way paint is applied is just as important as the image being created. I make great use of these lessons in portrait making by taking  great care in picking the color and building the texture on the canvas to bring life to the painting. I pick colors based on the mood and expression of my portrait subject and will often spend days mixing colors and rubbing  them on a canvas before starting to put down the lines of someones face.

In focusing on portraits, and especially bridal portraits, I hope to capture a sense of who my subject is  and how they felt when the photo I am working from was taken. If you are interested in having a portrait of yourself or a loved one created,  please visit my COMMISSION webpage. I welcome more questions about my work and process. I hope you enjoy my artwork.

 Thank you for your interest.

Raja Ashraf.