Interview by Veronika
We are very excited to announce our newest resident to fill our ATIKA Art Space for the month. With our store located just off Brick Lane, we welcome Syaleen’s beautiful art. More on Syaleen and the methodology behind her art below.
Syaleen Stokes is a British-Malaysian artist and illustrator based in Oxford, creating whimsical, richly layered illustrations inspired by interiors, nature and everyday life.
Combining ink, watercolour, pastel and found materials, her playful, hand-drawn work embraces imperfections, colour and pattern to evoke nostalgia and storytelling.
Inspired by childhood favourites Quentin Blake, Little Big Planet and Charlie and Lola, she finds magic in familiar spaces and overlooked details.
Her work has featured in House & Garden, Country & Town House and Piglet in Bed, alongside commissions across the interiors and design world.
I: What is your current work about?
These four illustrations are a collection of moments that have caught my eye during my time in Oxford. From a student cycling along the canal by St Barnabas in her dressing gown, reading her morning paper, to old women dancing freely in the street; from the ancient mystical landscape of Port Meadow to a dinner table overflowing with colourful produce from the many cultures of Cowley Road.
Each piece captures a small fragment of life in Oxford, celebrating the unexpected encounters, familiar rituals and quiet magic hidden within the everyday. Through this series, I wanted to look beyond Oxford’s historic façades and celebrate the character, diversity and everyday stories that bring the city to life.
I: What feelings do you aim to evoke in viewers?
I want to spark a sense of childlike wonder and
nostalgia, inviting viewers to look at the world with fresh eyes, find beauty in the overlooked and rediscover the quiet magic woven into everyday life.
I: Is there a specific detail you hope viewers spend time with?
I hope viewers take time to get lost in the layers of patterns, textures and playful mark-making. There are little details and happy accidents tucked throughout each piece, often revealing something new the longer you look.
I: What does your creative process look like?
When a moment catches my eye, I jot it down in my Notes app, building a little library of memories and observations. I like to leave these moments to settle
before returning to them a few days later, drawing from memory rather than direct reference. My process is intuitive and experimental, working with mixed media to build up layers of colour and texture. I often begin with a watercolour base, then bring the image to life with oil pastels, oil paint and ink, adding finer details, patterns and playful marks along the way.
I: How do you decide when a piece is “finished”?
I often find it difficult to know when a piece is finished. I have a tendency to get carried away, adding layer upon layer, only to sometimes feel I’ve gone too far and retrace my steps to find the balance again.
Make sure to catch Syaleen’s art in-store in our vintage store before the end of November! We are located in Shoreditch just off Brick Lane.
If you are interested in becoming a future resident at ATIKA Art Space, please click here to fill out the application.
Syaleen’s socials: www.syaleenstokes.com / Instagram: @syaleen.stokes