The intricate patterns that form in Patel's kaleidoscopic paintings evoke the mysticism of traditional Indian lore, reflecting Patel's Gujarati background. Constellations of iridescent dots like tiny stars are laid over strokes of rich colour on an inky dark ground, creating works that shimmer and dance. As Virginia Were notes, their ornate detail has "an unmistakable Eastern feel, evoking ritual and repetitive small acts."

However, viewed up close, Patel's works are also in some ways a kind of abstract act, dissolving into a series of painstakingly restrained dots in abstract arrangements. Patel works with mathematical precision, executing meticulous lines of dots with his brush to create fields that spread into larger grids or geometric forms. For Patel, this abstract quality of the repetitive structuring of space and the vibrating relationships of colours are almost spiritual in themselves: "the paintings become meditative and hypnotic... I want to create works that soak up your gaze, that make you fall into them".