Based on the Monterey Peninsula, Araya is a Thai self-taught oil painter creating expressive landscapes and still life inspired by the region’s dramatic coastline, shifting light, and natural rhythms. Living and working in a place shaped by generations of artists, she draws from the traditions of plein air and still life painting, using vibrant color as an emotional language to capture fleeting moments.

Araya began painting outdoors in 2022, teaching herself through observation, experimentation, and instinct. Her work has evolved into a contemporary impressionist style characterized by bold color and energetic brushwork. Influenced by artists such as Joaquin Sorolla, Alex Katz, and Paul Wonner, she focuses on capturing atmosphere, movement, and the feeling of a place.

Working primarily in oils for their richness and luminosity, Araya paints both in her small garage studio and outdoors along the Monterey coast. She produces only original paintings and often works in the alla prima method, allowing her to respond directly to the light and energy of the moment.

Her paintings celebrate everyday beauty—coastal landscapes, wildflowers, simple objects arranged in still life, and moments of quiet presence. Through color and gesture, her work invites viewers to slow down, notice, and reconnect with the joy of the present moment. Araya’s original paintings are available through her studio and on Instagram, and she also accepts commissions.

P.S. If you’re on the Monterey Peninsula, I’d love for you to visit my studio during Open Studio and see the paintings in person.