Nadine Khalifa’s Paintings Give Off Bright Vibes With Clever Textures

Nadine Khalifa, a 21 year old studying product design at the German University in Cairo, has been creating cheerful art pieces that can brighten up any room. The paintings usually depict human figures with blissful facial expressions, alongside animal companions like cosy dogs or birds standing on alert.

“Including human figures and animals creates a fun balance in the canvas,” Nadine Khalifa tells #SceneHome. “It’s all really random, I just try to combine cool and chic aesthetics.” Without receiving any art training, Khalifa’s been swerving brushes since she was two years old. Her works aren’t necessarily meant to be interpreted in any larger than life way. “It’s vibrant, bold and abstract, with most of the story being put together after a painting is completed, unless there were specific requests.”

When clients spot a style of painting and ask Khalifa for a similar artwork, she tailors and tweaks it for them to fit their preferences at home. “Clients show me the colour scheme of their space and then I figure out how to approach a painting,” Khalifa says.

Sometimes, Khalifa ends up depicting the clients themselves in her paintings. In one case, a client recently asked Khalifa to depict her while reading and sipping on wine. "Some ask for specific styles and others ask to be depicted doing their favourite activities,” Khalifa explains. Aside from the crowns, wine and evil eyes – which are signature features in her paintings – the one thing common in her work is her depiction of women. “I really like painting ladies,” Khalida says. “Can’t really put my finger on it but it feels empowering.”

“Using unconventional materials like sand add texture to the artworks,” Khalifa says. “I feel like my paintings are happy, maybe not in every depiction but always in colour.”

Khalifa is random in her approach, but always manages to tie the story of her clients into her work and convey it in vibrant colours that are facilitated by her clever texturing. Quirky figures and blissful ladies having a dinner party would make for delightful backdrops to dinner parties. Forget about going around in circles trying to act all deep - Khalifa’s work just likes to have fun.