Reflections On Paintings

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

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“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.

Playful Abstraction Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Playful Abstraction Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Elope

‘Elope’ is dappled coral flickers across shadowed green, drawn from the Playful Abstraction collection. Each layer pulses with breath and restraint.

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Playful Abstraction Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Playful Abstraction Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Band Aid

‘Band Aid’ is crimson tension woven into silence, drawn from the Playful Abstraction collection. Lines that whisper across thresholds of knowing.

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Playful Abstraction Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Playful Abstraction Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

On the Court

‘On the Court’ is a quiet echo of saffron and slate, drawn from the Playful Abstraction collection. Its rhythm stirs the unsaid.

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Playful Abstraction Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Playful Abstraction Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Abstract Still Life

‘Abstract Still Life’ is dappled coral flickers across shadowed green, drawn from the Playful Abstraction collection. A canvas holding both stillness and storm.

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Out of Darkness Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Out of Darkness Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Still Life at Night

‘Still Life at Night’ is cerulean meets bone-dry sienna, drawn from the Out of Darkness collection. Forms collapse into reverie and return.

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Out of Darkness Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Out of Darkness Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Flower Vase

‘Flower Vase’ is a drift of moss and ember, drawn from the Out of Darkness collection. Not an image — but an encounter.

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Out of Darkness Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Out of Darkness Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Eye in the Sky

‘Eye in the Sky’ is cerulean meets bone-dry sienna, drawn from the Out of Darkness collection. Not an image — but an encounter.

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Out of Darkness Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Out of Darkness Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Desert Landscape

‘Desert Landscape’ is drenched in stormy indigo and sunlit ochre, drawn from the Out of Darkness collection. Here, wonder dissolves into the seen and unseen.

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Out of Darkness Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Out of Darkness Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Cosmos Interstellar

‘Cosmos Interstellar’ is molten lines in arctic white, drawn from the Out of Darkness collection. Structure flickers into emotion and back again.

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Out of Darkness Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix Out of Darkness Ritu Raj | Contemporary Abstract Artist | Phoenix

Attention Span

‘Attention Span’ is plunging through celadon and smoke, drawn from the Out of Darkness collection. Balance tips toward awe and ambiguity.

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