Rashmi Rao Designs

Friday Stories ✨
Where It All Began
These sketches and drawings take me back to the years between 1993 and 2012—hours spent exploring light, shadow, and tonal values with 2B and 4B pencils, soft pastels, charcoals, and Conte crayon. From live model studies to learning through the works of famous artists like Botticelli and Paul Gauguin, each drawing became a quiet step in a lifelong creative journey.
The mediums have changed, the style has evolved, but the joy of observing, learning, and creating remains the same. Every artwork I make today carries a little piece of where it all began.

A lovely afternoon at the Fresh Works XIV reception!

I’m delighted to have my artwork, Magical Pansies (Alcohol Inks on Nara Paper), included in Fresh Works XIV juried exhibition alongside the work of so many talented artists for the third consecutive year.

Thank you to the Harrington Gallery and Firehouse Arts Center for supporting artists and creating opportunities for our creative community to connect, share, and inspire one another.

The show runs June 5 – August 1 at the Harrington Gallery, Firehouse Arts Center, located at 4444 Railroad Avenue, Pleasanton, CA.

It was also a joy to reconnect with fellow artists, meet new creative friends, and share conversations, laughter, and a few memorable photos throughout the afternoon.

Gallery Hours:
Monday–Wednesday: 10 AM – 5 PM
Saturday: 10 AM – 3 PM

I hope you’ll stop by and enjoy this inspiring collection of work. 🌸

A quick 8–9 minute study from my backyard—where greens and ochres unfold the quiet complexity of a single plant using watercolor concentrates. 🌿✨

Meet Kulfi 🐾 — happy at heart, full of mischief, and always the most fun companion to have around. He’s a natural at posing for the camera, but his true talent is chasing squirrels across the yard like it’s his full-time job. 🌿😂

Our little bundle of puppy love turns 5 this June, and every day with him is a reminder of how much humans can learn from pets — living in the moment, loving unconditionally, finding joy in the simplest things, and greeting each day with excitement.

Wishing everyone a beautiful, joy-filled weekend from me and Kulfi. 💛

One of the most meaningful parts of the exhibition at One Art Space in New York was not just the art on view, but the conversations that naturally formed around it. The space became a meeting point where works — including mine and those of others — opened up dialogue, bringing together stories, memories, emotions, curiosity, and shared human experience.

I’m deeply grateful for every person who paused, engaged, and contributed to those exchanges. There were moments of inspiration, reflection, and joy — each one adding to the quiet richness of the experience and reminding me of the deeper purpose of sharing and creating art.

Thankful for the people, the connections, and the collective energy that made this journey so memorable. ✨ A special thanks to Grant Milne for making this possible! 💫✨

Photo credit:

Backyard miniatures created live during my Tri-Valley Studio Tour demo sessions—right there, in the moment. I made four of these during the event.

One went to a raffle winner, a young girl who ran straight from swim class just to pick it up—pure joy in that moment.

Art, made and shared in real time.