I always say “Everyone can paint!”

Hi everyone! My name is Arale and I’m a self-taught silk artist and have been offering workshops since 2009.

I did a little bit of drawing when I was younger, but did not start painting until 2008. What got me started was moving to Doha Qatar. I went to a bookstore and decided to buy supplies: my first set of Marabu silk paint set and outliners.

Why did I choose silk painting?

Quite simply, I chose it because I never heard about it before. I thought it will be fun to try something new. And if my silk paintings didn’t work out, I could try something else.

I didn’t have any experience or professional training. I just started by searching it on the Internet and watching videos on YouTube. At first I made a lot of mistakes, such as rough outliner lines and paint running through the outlines. I continued practicing and improved as I got more of a feel of the paints and silk.

Today, I use dyes for my work and paints for workshops. Paints are easier to handle and set, so students can take their finished pieces after class.

Why did I start teaching?

I had my first “workshop” in 2009 with a few friends who were interested to try silk painting. Soon after, I started to receive a lot of requests to do workshops. Offering silk painting workshops became popular enough that I turned my hobby into my career.

Much of my painting career was lucky circumstance, and I am still amazed by the journey every time I think about how I got here! With 10+ years teaching silk painting, I truly see the power of nurturing creativity for wellbeing. This became my passion to help others to be creative and feel a sense of achievement in life. Also it is a great way to relax and refocus too!

So I invite you to be part of my silk painting workshop and to experience and find your own style of painting on silk. Painting is a pleasure and should never be a struggle.

I want you to enjoy it as much as I do. Everyone can paint!