There is a unique satisfaction in printmaking because of how manual and laborious it is, far from digital processes. In my practice, I use two methods: etching and linocut. If you want to find out more about the processes involved, follow me on Instagram where I show each step.
My work predominantly focuses on nature - where I feel most at peace and grow fascinated. I use my artwork to advocate for change and as a source of hope.
Sea stars are often depicted as traditional 5 pointed stars with their legs straight and with equal distance between them; however, they are often contorted and misshapen to fit a certain space or to avoid heat and sunlight. I wanted to depict this through focusing on their visual forms through colour, while also providing detail of their surroundings. I am currently working with three plates to explore these shapes and the ecosystems around them.
Sea stars are also suffering from a sea star wasting disease which causes mass die-offs. Researchers are unsure what the cause is, but it has devastated populations in the Pacific North West. It affects the whole ecosystem. When the prints are ready, a percentage of the profits will go to this research and conservation efforts.
Contortionists - I
Sepia ink, chine-collé sea stars on gampi smooth Japanese washi paper
Printed area: 12 x 12 inches
Paper: 16 x 16 inches
Contortionists - II
Sepia ink, chine-collé sea stars on gampi smooth Japanese washi paper
Printed area: 12 x 12 inches
Paper: 16 x 16 inches
This Summer I became captivated by fig trees. Over the process of creating this print, my thoughts evolved from exploring figs and their forms, their relationships with various cultures, and then to our global yearning for peace and self-determination.
My curiosity began when I made fig leaf syrup for the first time - becoming overjoyed by the surprising and delicate notes of pandan or coconut - much unlike the fruit itself. I then drew fig trees from memory, but when I started drawing from observation, I was surprised how small the figs were in comparison to their wide leaves. I was tempted to distort the figs’ proportions, making them more prominent than the leaves, until I came across this Persian poem by Rumi which made me honour their original form:
Just as the fig is hidden within the tree,
So too are soul and knowledge concealed within you.
Etching is a very time-intensive, manual process with many steps yet limited control. While working through this process - over many hours and weeks - my mind was often focused on the devastating genocide of Palestinans. I then found that figs are also a significant symbol in Palestinian culture and a staple in their diet - fresh figs being a symbol of abundance, and dried figs showing the resourcefulness of Palestinian traditions through preservation. With a traditional saying being - ‘if we have qutteen (dried figs), we are safe from hunger.’ (The Palestinian Museum).
Therefore, “figs / anjeer / teen” is dedicated first to my partner’s Baba who loves figs so much and to those who yearn for peace and fight for self-determination.
How it works:
Black ink on gampi smooth Japanese washi paper
Printed area: 6 x 5 inches
Paper: 12 x 10 inches
1 of 14 - Sold
2 of 14 - Sold
$170 CAD
Maroon ink, chine-collé figs on gampi smooth Japanese washi paper
Printed area: 6 x 5 inches
Paper: 12 x 10 inches
3 of 14 - Sold
4 of 14 - Sold
5 of 14 - Sold
6 of 14 - Sold
7 of 14 - Sold
8 of 14 - Sold
9 of 14
10 of 14
11 of 14
12 of 14
13 of 14
$200 CAD
Maroon ink, chin collé on white washi paper
Printed area: 6 x 5 inches
Paper: 12 x 10 inches
14 of 14 - Sold