Israeli digital artist Aviad Sajevitch shares how spirituality meets painting

images of man in his artist's studio — (Image credit: Aviad Sajevitch)

My studio is located in my home. As a self-employed artist and digital creator, I spend most of my day in this workspace. I live in Rishon LeZion, a city not far from Tel Aviv, Israel.

I’ve always had small work corners, whether in the living room or my bedroom, but in the home where I’ve been living for over two years now, I finally built the studio I had dreamed of. Given the reality of life in my region, I set it up inside the reinforced security room of the house, so I can continue creating even during times of danger.

image of Aviad Sajevitch's studio - drawing tablet set up on desk with fake fire behind — The entrance and reinforced door. The energy really shifts when entering (Image credit: Aviad Sajevitch)

My daily routine is quite steady. I usually wake up around 5am. There’s something about those quiet early hours that lets me begin the day calmly and without pressure. A ritual of black coffee, meditation and gratitude is always how I open the morning, along with greeting my two cats who share this space with me.

After that, I head out for my morning workout. Strangely enough, that’s often when many creative ideas come to me – physical movement seems to get the creative wheels turning, whether it’s for my personal paintings or commissioned work.

Aviad Sajevitch's painting — Christianity – one of six paintings depicting religions through fabrics (Image credit: Aviad Sajevitch)

I usually start working around 10:30 or 11am, and continue until about 2pm, which is when I have my first meal. I’ve found that intermittent fasting really enhances my creativity and helps me stay deeply focused on the work itself. After a short break, I return to the studio and work until around 7pm.

Sound space

Music is an inseparable part of my day. There’s always something playing in the background, usually classical music or something that matches the theme or energy of the painting I’m working on.

As part of my spiritual path, I also guide people through past-life regressions and energy healing, so I have a small corner in my studio dedicated to crystals and purification tools. I feel these elements – the crystals, the incense, the sage and the overall atmosphere – are deeply woven into my creative process.

image of Aviad Sajevitch's studio - crystals on a table — The spiritual section of the studio: some of my crystals, sage, incense, and of course, my Tarot deck that I’ve been working on for two years (Image credit: Aviad Sajevitch)

Beyond the desk, paintings, crystals and shelves displaying children’s books I illustrated in the past, I chose to paint all the studio walls black. People often think black is a colour that closes in or feels heavy, but for me, it’s the exact opposite. I believe black holds within it the entire spectrum of colours, which makes the walls the most colourful they could possibly be.

An added benefit is that there’s no light reflection from the walls onto the screen when I work, so the colours appear much clearer and more accurate during the creative process.

Aviad Sajevitch's painting of a woman with flowers over her eyes — This painting was born from the realisation that we are all connected (Image credit: Aviad Sajevitch)

There are many challenges, pros and cons to being an artist who works alone from home. At times, it can feel lonely or frustrating, but on the other hand, it offers an incredible sense of freedom and flexibility. Painting, for me, is a deeply intimate experience – a process of exploration. Because I mostly work in a hyperrealistic style, the act of painting requires deep focus and research.

Aviad Sajevitch's studio - crystal painting — I believe that paintings contain as much energy as crystals, so I combined the two (Image credit: Aviad Sajevitch)

As I mentioned earlier, my spiritual life has become a very strong part of who I am, and it naturally finds its way into my art. This house feels alive – you can sense another kind of presence in almost every room, especially in the studio.

When I paint, it often feels like a pure meditative state. Sometimes it even feels as if it’s not me painting at all, but rather that I’m serving as a channel for something beyond myself to move through me. These experiences tend to appear while I’m working – small, almost magical moments.

Like any artist, there are times when I’m unsure about a piece or doubting how it’s progressing. Then, out of nowhere, something falls off a shelf behind me, or the TV suddenly changes channels on its own, right to something that gives me exactly the message or inspiration I needed to move forwards.

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image of Aviad Sajevitch's cat — Kiara, the lady of the house(Image credit: Aviad Sajevitch)

This article originally appeared in ImagineFX. Subscribe to ImagineFX to never miss an issue. Print and digital subscriptions are available.

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Aviad Sajevitch is a 36-year-old Israeli artist and digital painter, who for over a decade has been creating exclusively in digital media. He signs his work under the name Ascendious.

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