Tasneem | تسنيم

Dreamscapes

I painted for the first time in months last night, and here's the result: Dreamscapes II.  It was surprisingly quick and easy, I loved the way the whole structure just flowed straight from the brush onto paper without thought.  The texture on it is pretty neat as are the violet and cool tones.

I've been itching to paint for so long and it was amazingly cathartic... each stroke easing another care and worry; flowing into the rhythm and becoming one with the painting.  This is why I love what I do.

[Also... sneak peek at Dreamscapes I.]

Crimson Beads

Just a quickie to let y'all know that the free e-book will be delayed due to the camera outtage.  I'm beginning to feel like a taped recording on loop.  Signed, one unhappy, camera-less bunny.

Just Paint!

Apart from the initial paintings at the beginning of the year, and though teeming with ideas and itching to paint, nothing has so far translated to paper - or canvas.  Or any other medium.  I have however, been giving a lot of thought to my style of painting and where (if anywhere) I'm heading artistically.  I've been battling an intense dissatisfaction with the direction and style of paintings over the last year, even though I always knew they were experimental I didn't quite get the deep-down contentment I was hoping to achieve.  Some reflection has led me to believe it's time to regress to my painting roots while still retaining an element of experimental freshness.  It'll be interesting to see what comes out of the mix!

Ceramics

Late last year, I started a new venture into ceramics.  Partly born of a spontaneous admission onto an iznik-themed ceramic tile course and partly due to a collection of naked pottery vases which have been loitering around on pine shelves and stuffed in wicker drawers for quite the long while.  Due to a set of unfortunate circumstances, and thanks to ahem my last-minute wedding, the course overran by a good few weeks and yes, months.  Yikes!  Am happy to report it is now completed and the tiles painting, glazed and fired.  I loved the look of the tiles when painted... not so much loved the look once fired.  The real colour differences in paint colours, texture etc plus the extra-painstakingly fine detailing of the iznik patterns lost me, which becomes apparent in the result.  So I've a way to go on the ceramic tiles... though as another course member pointed out, whilst admiring my tiles, my pattern was really quite complex for a first timer and they still look pretty - even if it wasn't the result I was looking for.  Pictures for the curious will follow once I've come up with a solution to my camera woes!  The naked pottery vases have all been painted and are currently back on the shelves awaiting a final cost of embellishment/patterning before being varnished and shipped to their new owners.

Photographed

Hard to believe we're fully a quarter of the way through the year and this is only my second post!  Wish I could report it being due to an overload of creativity but mostly it's due to stuff on the personal front.  A bit of movement over the last couple of days however, has meant new photies up at Flickr and Imagekind.  I love the architecturally themed ones in particular, a precious keepsake from my holiday-slash-second-honeymoon which were salvaged from my beloved Lumix DMC-FX50 which sadly drowned in a pool of mineral water.  Ouch.  I'm still reeling from the loss while covertly eyeing up possible replacements.  Am leaning towards an entry level DSLR though I always loved the simple portability of the Lumix... so the jury's still out.  And finally, to keep me out of mischief while I save the pennies for the replacement camera, I'm gonna be scanning in old photies from an ancient Canon SureShot... something I shoulda completed long ago but as with all good things, never quite got around to. 

Welcome

Welcome.  It's a new year.  I've changed the décor at crimsonsilk.com and made a few changes.  Go on, have a little peek, get comfortable.  For the first time ever, my artwork is now available to buy direct, although you may still request to have the item of your choice listed in either Etsy or Ebay if you're more familiar with those sites.  Prints and cards of my paintings and photography are now also available to buy from Imagekind and Redbubble.  And finally, look out for my published poetry and fiction The Crimson Beads (ebook) and The Photo (ebook / audiobook) available in the near future to download FREE.

Endings

It's been a crazy and chaotic 12 months.  2010 saw the beginnings of new commercial ventures as I offered my artwork for sale for the first time.  It was a year that also marked my very first exhibition.  In another line of firsts, I produced Iznik-inspired ceramic tiles, hand-painted miniature vases, and hand-painted custom designed greeting cards.  On the personal front I embarked on another first, somewhat more significant and auspicious, as I bid farewell to Miss J and became instead Mrs S.  In short, it's been a year of many new journeys and experiences, paving the way for greater blossoming and growth in the coming 12 months.

4bstraction

Proudly announcing my latest project: 4bstraction.   A gorgeous collaboration with two more talented artists and writers, each with a distinct prejudice towards abstract.  Expect a huge melting pot of zingy creativity liberally oozing with ideas, themes, art, muses, processes and so much more.  So bookmark 4bstraction and/or subscribe to the RSS feed / Atom feed.

Commissioned!

The best aspect of commissioned work is it allows full creative scope knowing the finished piece will lovingly fill a void in someone's life.  Choosing colours, dimensions and themes that complement existing interior decoration and tastes are unique building blocks that collectively define the personal signature of the commissioner, while the artwork retains the soulful imprint of the artist.  An unique merging and blending of energies to birth something desired and new. 

A new commission has emerged.  I'm über-excited about this particular set of paintings — an acrylic, mixed media arrangement on several pieces of canvas, in a blend of abstract styles.  During the course of conversation, the commissioner of the piece explained what it meant for her to own a piece of artwork.  It moved me to hear her describe the connection art provides with the artist, the extra dimension it adds to a living space, and the sense of legacy and timelessness it evokes, as something that can be passed down with generations.

Exhibitionist!

Very excited to complete my first art exhibition, showcasing my paintings as part of Luton Art Festival.  The festival itself has an established history and this year my paintings formed part of the 'Guerilla Galleries' established in the Central Square of The Mall.   The standard of artwork was simply amazing and I felt honoured to be among such distinguished company.  With over 600 people passing on a daily basis, the exposure was amazing.