Reflection on Paintings

Collection of Abstractions

Abstraction of Self: Reflections on Individual Paintings

Exploring Inspiration, Process, and the Artists Who Shape My Vision

“I create to shift how we see and feel through abstraction—opening space for reflection, connection, and quiet transformation. Change begins not with certainty, but with listening.” - Ritu Raj | Abstract Artist

Abstractions of Self is a living journal of my painting practice—where each post unravels the hidden layers behind a single work. These reflections explore how abstraction emerges not just from paint and gesture, but from memory, mood, and the invisible threads of influence. Here, I share the intuitive process that unfolds on the canvas, and connect each piece to the broader world of contemporary abstract art—honoring the artists, ideas, and philosophies that inspire and shape my creative journey. This is a space to look beneath the surface, to understand what cannot be explained in the work alone, and to discover how each painting becomes both a question and an answer.

Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Work in Progress

‘Work in Progress’ is drenched in stormy indigo and sunlit ochre, drawn from the Black and White collection. Here, wonder dissolves into the seen and unseen.

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Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Visual Echoes of Vermont

‘Vermont’ is molten lines in arctic white, drawn from the Black and White collection. Balance tips toward awe and ambiguity.

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Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Sticking Out

‘Sticking out’ is a drift of moss and ember, drawn from the Black and White collection. Each layer pulses with breath and restraint.

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Black & White, Recent Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Black & White, Recent Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Moon Over Lake

‘Moon Over Lake’ is molten lines in arctic white, drawn from the Black and White collection. Not an image — but an encounter.

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Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Mona Lisa in a crowded Louvre

‘Mona Lisa in a crowded Louvre’ is humming with obsidian and gold, drawn from the Black and White collection. Every mark a memory half-remembered.

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Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Diagonal Shadow

‘Diagonal Shadow’ is cerulean meets bone-dry sienna, drawn from the Black and White collection. Lines that whisper across thresholds of knowing.

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Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Canvas in Canvas

‘Canvas in Canvas’ is cerulean meets bone-dry sienna, drawn from the Black and White collection. Here, wonder dissolves into the seen and unseen.

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Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Threshold of the Black Door

‘Black Door’ is molten lines in arctic white, drawn from the Black and White collection. Structure flickers into emotion and back again.

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Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Black Church

‘Black Church’ is humming with obsidian and gold, drawn from the Black and White collection. Here, wonder dissolves into the seen and unseen.

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Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Abstract Window into Nothing

‘Abstract Window into Nothing’ is plunging through celadon and smoke, drawn from the Black and White collection. Its rhythm stirs the unsaid.

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Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Moving Through Space and Time

‘Moving Through Space and Time’ is a quiet echo of saffron and slate, drawn from the Black and White collection. Lines that whisper across thresholds of knowing.

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Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Expression of Self

‘Algea’ is humming with obsidian and gold, drawn from the The Pulse of Life collection. A canvas holding both stillness and storm.

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Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Black & White Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Yoga with Kat

‘Yoga with Kat’ is dappled coral flickers across shadowed green, drawn from the Black and White collection. Its rhythm stirs the unsaid.

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