It is often said that after the rain comes the rainbow, and I can confidently say that I’ve lived such experience. Having been diagnosed with endometriosis in the past, I have not experienced any health issues in relation to this since 2013. Until recently, the disorder came back and it was almost like everything was being shattered, excruciating pain and spending days in the hospital, I was on the list to undergo surgery. Then came a glimmer of hope, as I checked my email inbox, my eyes followed the most fulfilling words, a message from Parallax, asking me to be part of the Parallax Art Fair, 22-23 July 2017. The more I thought about it, the more I felt motivated to get on with my surgery, this was my rainbow.
After having a successful surgery and being released from the hospital I immediately responded to the email and accepted the offer. Having come to the realisation that I was representing Australian art my mind was bombarded with a gush of thoughts and ideas as I grew more and more anxious to present my best work in respect to my country. Being a representative of Australia among other artists from around the world is an honour, so I knew that the pressure was on. I was running through various ideas from depicting my environment, incorporating my photography into my pieces and taking inspiration from the beautiful sites of London. After much deliberation, I decided to focus on my current series which had truly become the pinnacle of my artistic expression thus far. My current series “Fluid” expresses the ability to remain grounded and allow the art to exist as is- nothing more, nothing less. In retrospect, more often than none, we tend to let our life choices be influenced by other people’s expectations and societal pressures. This can sometimes hinder us from reaching our true potential and forces us to conform in order to be liked or accepted. With this in mind, my Fluid series is a reminder to stay grounded, never to fall prey to those pressures and expectations, and be true to oneself even if it feels uncomfortable in an unkind environment.
When I engage in creating works of art from this series I clear my mind of all those pressures and expectations. I listen to my intuition and let my current state of mind guide and influence my colour palette. Colour is the primary element in all of my work and wax is the secondary element. The combination of those elements allows me to create free flowing artwork that captures a particular essence. Once poured, the colours and wax transforms into a beautiful coalescence, taking its own shape and form. Interestingly, when creating these pieces, the colours somehow mimic or express my current mood or state. Texture on the other hand is quite different; it seamlessly forms multiple layers of varying thicknesses and adds dimensions to the piece. My Fluid series originated out of my “Ripples” series where I like to photograph the various stages of the artwork in creation. On this initial occasion I had photographed a background layer of wax and looking through the lens I saw visualizations of horse-like formations. After reflecting upon the piece, I traced its connection back to what I was thinking while crafting this noteworthy piece. At the time I was thinking about how I was going to create a design for my mother-in-law who wanted something about horses.
In London, I will be presenting a collection that is a continuation of my Fluid series, since it has grown and developed into something quite remarkable. Importantly, in each of my creations carries with it, a piece of my soul and captures my development over time. When art enthusiasts look at my artwork they can easily identify the different shapes and pictures which is open to interpretation as with any type of art. With some of my pieces, I carve out shapes and patterns in timber that adds a third dimension to my existing art. Using 100% Australian wax, I encourage my art viewers to experience my creations more than just by looking with their eyes, but touch the textures and formulate their own interpretations.
July 21, 2017 in Creativity Exhibitions
As I scrolled through a local art group on Facebook, one particular post instantly caught my eye. It was an ad for an upcoming art exhibition called “Texture 2”. It screamed my name & of course I had to enter. If you are a regular reader of my blogs, you would know that texture has always been a core aspect of my creations; and most of my artwork is based on the variations and underlying compositions of texture. It is this very element that really allows me to not only express myself but engage art enthusiasts to connect physically, through a sense of touch, with my art pieces.
On Wednesday I submitted my piece with hopes of it being accepted. Now here’s the exciting news, my piece was chosen to be part of the art exhibition and this marks my first official exhibition ever since I embarked on pursing art full-time. With pure happiness, I must say that I am stoked to have my own art showcased at Art Studio Co-operative in Gosford, NSW. Without a doubt, words cannot describe how surreal this is for me.
As I reflected on my accomplishments within less than a year, it sparked my inspiration to continue my dream, and to move forward no matter what. It is moments like these that helps me see my true purpose, and pushes me to channel extra energy into my art.
Crafting my artwork starts from the selection of colours that will merge effortlessly into its own unique shape, form and story. The piece that will be displayed at the exhibition is titled “Blood Is Thicker Than Water”. It was done using composite colours, the soothing colour of blue, and the emotionally warm colour, orange. Somehow, I knew it needed a spark, it needed a bit more vibrancy, something to add depth and a touch more dimension, so I thought red would be the best fit. Most times when I am creating works of art it is done free from control. In other words, I don’t restrict my creativity into a specific theme or thought. When I am finished painting a piece I tune into what I have done and reflect upon it, this reveals to me its essence, the story it tells.
As with “Blood is Thicker than water”, its name only came to me after it was completed. With much confidence, I think the name is due to my recent engagement in self-reflections of my childhood experiences, self-awareness and getting in touch with my inner-youth. But, the one thing that stood out was my loyalty to my family, the unconditional love that we share for each other and the support they have given me throughout my existence. This aspect was clearly revealed to me in this piece, while all the colours intertwined into each other, the red is quite dominant. The orange and red can be seen as the “blood”, the binding element that represents the love, affection and bliss between my family and I. Ironically, the reference to “water” catches my major influence from since childhood while living on the coast that out-looked the tranquil ocean; it all came together perfectly.
Now that you know the hidden meaning in my art piece, come on down and see this piece with your own eyes. The exhibition is hosting an opening reception on Saturday May 20th, 2017 from 2 to 4 pm at Art Studios – 391 Main St, North Gosford, 2250. Unfortunately, I won’t be there, as I have another commitment however, please comment below if you have any questions.
May 17, 2017 in Creativity Exhibitions
My mind often wonders about the true meaning of creativity and what it means to be creative. As an artist, I have crossed path with friends and family who view themselves as non-creative or unimaginative. Just the thought of that makes me feel upset, but at the same time, I feel like I should also be breaking down the barrier by assisting in shifting people’s perspective on creativity. I get the sense that people who don’t deem themselves as an “artist” or as “creative” tend to get caught up in these preconceived notions which, perhaps, may have been resulted out of fear of criticism, rejection and failure. To me, being creative is not only about painting a picture, sculpting a masterpiece or turning your thoughts into a visual piece. But rather capturing your uniqueness, your expressions, your innate skills, values and morals and projecting it into something you love, or something that simply exists.
An accountant might not be able to mix colours and draw landscapes, but he can work with numbers and can analyse information differently from an artist. My mum does not view herself as the creative type but she possesses the skills, the knowledge and values to be the incredible homemaker she is. She knows how to beautify the home with colours and textures to create a light and joyful atmosphere. My dad owns his own construction company, therefore he has the ability to see shapes from a whole different view, know how materials work together, and is able to make people’s ideas transform from a plan into supporting the foundations of buildings & tunnels.
One of my friends invested her time into learning about being creative; she thought that she needed to be more artistic to see herself as a creative. A lot of people might share the same perspective as my friend, but we must ask ourselves, do we have to learn to be creative? I think we are all born with different skills, traits, thoughts, expressions; we share different experiences and observe things in various ways. We should not be learning how to be creative, but discover ourselves, our strengths, enhance what we already have and develop our own art form, our own sense of creativity. I think that what my friend was trying to accomplish was to learn new skills which would have allowed her to enhance her creativity. If you want to pursue artistic ventures, sure, but in order to be creative you must first reach down to find the creativity that is already embedded within you.
Please comment below and tell me some ways in which you are creative or use creativity in aspects of your life.
January 23, 2017 in Creativity
