It holds both halves of how the work is made. The tangles are the drawing itself: in Zentangle®, a tangle is a pattern built from repeated lines, and it is those lines, arranged together, that resolve into one cohesive piece. The monk is what the practice asked of Preetie — drawing and arranging tangles channelled a monk-like patience and calm, and it was Zentangle® as a method of mindfulness and art that led her to the pieces you see today. Hence the motto: where chaos (“tangles”) meets creativity (“monk”).

Preetie Kohli, a Singapore-based artist. Art had always been a quiet constant in her life, and while she was building a demanding career in finance she returned to making art in Singapore as a way to slow down and reset. Everything Tangled Monk sells begins as her original hand-drawn artwork. The studio is at 170B Joo Chiat Road, Level 3, Singapore 427441, and the company is Tangled Monk Pte. Ltd.

During the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, painting and pottery became an anchor for Preetie. In 2020 she rediscovered art through Zentangle®, where the measured, repetitive lines offered a sense of calm that resonated deeply. What began as a daily ritual became Tangled Monk, established in 2025 — a Singapore studio creating original wall art, bespoke artworks, and handmade art translated onto objects designed to be lived with.

Zentangle® is a drawing method built on measured, repetitive lines, and it is where the calm in this work comes from. In practice it becomes tangles: structured yet fluid patterns built through simple, repetitive strokes, laid over an intuitively built colour background. It is the reason the linework rewards looking closely — the pattern is drawn stroke by stroke rather than printed. If you would like to try it yourself, we hold Zentangle® Workshops at the studio on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00am to 12:00pm and 3:00pm to 5:00pm, at SGD 50 per person with materials included.

Close observation of nature, and in particular the sea and floral forms. The sea shapes Preetie's sense of movement, depth and colour; flowers draw her to structure, variation and fine detail, where looking closely always reveals something new.

Every artwork begins with colour. Backgrounds are built intuitively using inks, gouache, sprays, stains or watercolours, and then the tangles go on top — structured yet fluid patterns formed through simple, repetitive strokes. The work evolves slowly and mindfully, often without a fixed outcome; the final result is rarely known until the last stroke and shading. From there, fragments of an artwork find new life on ceramic, wood and textile surfaces, so the essence of the original exists in new, functional forms.

Inks, gouache, sprays, stains and watercolours for the colour backgrounds, and ink for the linework. Beyond paper and canvas, the work extends into functional forms across ceramic, wood and textiles — which is how one artwork becomes a coaster, a tote or a silk scarf.

As long as it takes. The process is slow and unhurried by design, and Preetie rarely knows the final outcome until the last stroke. For a bespoke commission, where the timeline matters to you, most artworks take between 2 and 6 weeks from brief to completion depending on size and complexity — the Bespoke page sets out how the process works.

Every piece begins as original hand-drawn artwork by Preetie, and the studio works in short runs or one piece at a time. Because of that, natural variation in pattern, linework, texture, glaze or material is inherent rather than a flaw — it is the evidence that a hand made the piece.

The wall art is Preetie's original work. Each original artwork carries an A7 certificate of authenticity attached to the back of the frame and signed by Preetie, recording the story behind the piece, the year it was made, its price, the framed dimensions, and the artist's name and signature. The ceramic coasters, cotton and canvas totes and silk scarves are different by design: they carry fragments of an original artwork translated onto ceramic, cotton and silk, so the artwork is original even where the object is made in a small run.

Four. Song of the Tide, her largest work, inspired by the Himalayan foothills and the shifting Ganges. Anant Shakti, a Divinity Series piece bringing together Lord Shiva's trishul, damru, serpent and Ganesha. Symmetry of Silence, her first work on a black base, which evolved into a modular mosaic that can be arranged intuitively. And Gajamukha Leela, reimagined from memory of three Ganeshas given as a childhood housewarming gift in 1990s Bombay.

A body of original artworks inspired by the stories and deities of Hinduism. Anant Shakti gathers Lord Shiva's symbols — the trishul, the damru, the serpent and Ganesha — into a single piece, while The Trikaal Ganesha, Leela Ganesha and Gajamukha Leela each take a different approach to Ganesha. They are original works rather than reproductions of traditional iconography.

It goes back to a childhood housewarming gift: three Ganeshas from 1990s Bombay, since lost. Gajamukha Leela reimagines their forms through memory, and each later iteration — The Trikaal Ganesha and Leela Ganesha among them — returns to that same feeling, refining a sense of comfort and presence rather than repeating a design.

Song of the Tide. It was inspired by the Himalayan foothills and the shifting Ganges, and it reflects transformation — like tides washing over river pebbles, its layers slowly reveal familiar emotions.

Original wall art, bespoke commissioned artworks, and handmade art translated onto objects designed to be lived with — ceramic coasters, cotton and canvas totes and silk scarves. Everything traces back to one artist's hand-drawn work rather than a stock pattern.

Yes. A commission begins with a conversation about your space, your story and what you have in mind; from there the work is developed, refined and framed. Most bespoke artworks take 2 to 6 weeks, and pricing depends on size, complexity and materials, quoted once the brief is clear. Start on the Bespoke page, or write to studio@tangledmonk.com or WhatsApp +65 9772 1902.

Yes. The studio is at 170B Joo Chiat Road, Level 3, Singapore 427441. WhatsApp us on +65 9772 1902 to book an appointment, and you are welcome to come and look without any expectation of buying. Our Zentangle® Workshops are also held at the studio, if you would rather come and draw.

Licensing enquiries are welcome. The artwork and images are owned by Tangled Monk and the site is for personal, non-commercial use, so any commercial use needs prior written consent — write to studio@tangledmonk.com and tell us what you have in mind.