Eight Years of Candour on Canvas: A Creative Life (And What's Next)

When I started Candour on Canvas, it was never meant to be a business.

It began in the in-betweens of a 21-year-old living in an unfamiliar city: a place between leaving one path and searching for another.

It was a quiet experiment in storytelling and at the time, I thought it was just a self-meditative exercise. Back then, I wasn’t building a anything outside myself.

One of our very early days . 2019

And yet here we are — 8 years later.

What started as meditative art, grew into commissioned works, then evolved into something deeper.

From Hobby to Human Business: Major Milestones That Got Us Here

In the last 8 years, we’ve grown from small tea-stained art pieces to full products and concepts that reflect identity, memory, and meaning. We’ve launched custom commissions, collaborated with thoughtful brands and expanded what we thought possible:

• The Candour Calendar Series

• Commissions and Custom Teabag Artwork

• Original & Crafted Products On Our Ecommerce Store

• Illustrated Books & Features Celebrating Beloved Communities 

  
  

Candour Calendars . 2022 & 2023

Here’s the Thing No One Tells You

When you make art long enough, it starts making you.

Somewhere between painting my roots and illustrating joy, I realized the power of this work wasn’t in just aesthetics.

It was in helping people slow down, to see themselves. To gift reflection in a world wired for distraction.

The art you create begins to show you your path.

And that is when we found our direction.

2023 . And Beyond

What Does It Mean to Live a Creative Life?

To us, 'a creative life' is not just about owning art. Living creatively means staying curious, embracing the in-betweens and choosing meaning over perfection.

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Our new direction embraces this fully.

That the in-between is where real creativity happens.

Upcoming Series & Announcements

Over the next few months, you’ll see Candour on Canvas expand in new directions:

New Faith Series

Art inspired by quiet strength, grace and the symbolism of faith in everyday life. For those navigating their faith-led lives.

Expanding the Meghalaya Series

A tribute to home — creations that celebrate the untold wisdom of Khasi culture, from a Candour perspective.

Cause-Based Art Drops

Launching limited edition drops that support and fund Women-centered and human causes close to our hearts. Because art should show up where it counts.

The Real Lesson of Year Eight: Art Is Stewardship

We're using art to serve life. To care. To use this work to reflect a gentle faith, the cultural and the deeply human.

To help people be seen.

And to help them see themselves.

As AI reshapes the creative world with faster, cheaper, synthetic images, our mission feels even clearer:

Art needs to stay human.

And so do we.

One Last Thing: Thank You

Whether you bought something 5 years ago or just stumbled across us today.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

If you're new here, welcome. And if you’ve been with me since the teabag days — you know how far we’ve come.

With Care & Candour,

Samanda

Samanda Nora Pyngrope is an industrial designer, visual artist, illustrator and founder of Candour on Canvas—a creative studio rooted in Meghalaya, India.

When she’s not painting, she engages with students at NIFT Shillong and consults under her venture, Karaki Design Lab on creative avenues like cultural sustainability, design innovation and building meaningful narrative-driven products.

Join the Conversation!

We celebrate great stories. Have a project where storytelling and art meet? Let’s collaborate and bring your story to life.

Get in touch today!