Hello from the other side
A reintroduction, integrations, and obeying the painting
Dear friends,
Hello to new subscribers, I met some of you in person at The Other Art Fair and some have found me through other newsletters over the past few months - welcome to the sporadically written diary of an artist-poet. I thought it might be time for a quick re-introduction. I’m Sana - I have been writing here since the beginning of the pandemic. This space has moved through many transitions, starting as ‘Found Poems’, the only space the artist/poet part of me could exist in a deeply burnt out existence. It was the drum beat that allowed me to return and reconnect with the creative part of me that had fallen to the wayside.
This part of me learned to walk here, learned a new language. I started ‘Diary of an artist’ – what you’re reading now – to document the journey of learning that vernacular. At this moment, very much in the toddlerhood of this journey, I feel like the child that sees a rainbow and wants to share with everyone: ‘look at this new thing I have never experienced before, admire it with me?!’
It’s always exciting when someone wants to share space with, and take home, something that you have created – that’s the thrill of selling or giving your art. But the art fair was meaningful in a way I hadn’t quite foreseen, in the conversations and connections that were being created right in front of me. Seeing people interpret, connect (or not) in real time, or share how it made them feel – it was so incredibly enriching to my practice. The physical object I create is just a conduit for this connection, and the process of getting here is what holds value for me. Some of the pieces are still available here – or you can DM for a catalogue and small paper works.
Since then, I’ve taken some time to integrate the learnings, rest and return to the studio with more clarity. While continuing my central thread of working with ungovernable mediums like ink and raw pigment, I am following my instinct to experiment with more vivid colours and natural pigments. Spring and sunshine in my new studio are gently guiding my hand.
I am painting on a larger scale, exploring its portal-like energy, and finding expansions that feel like they are unlocking a new kind of movement in my art. Mostly, I am obeying the painting, obeying what’s asked of me by my internal wisdom, and obeying what appears.
I am savouring this phase of transition, of discovering new materials and pigments, all the while getting just a bit more of daylight to enjoy longer painting hours. It’s inevitable things will speed up again, but for now I’m letting my spirit move in the same gentle pace that inks move across my canvas.
x
Talk soon
Sana
(PS: If you’re interested in enquiring some of the work you see above, or for a commission, drop a comment or DM me directly on instagram @sanarao)