Bold strokes are a feature of this artwork.

Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

Simran Makvana, 16, is in year 12 of Gems Wellington International School. Her hobbies include writing, playing squash, athletics, swimming, basketball, badminton, karate and reading. She is also an artist. Says she: “Since childhood, I’ve been intrigued by everything I see, because the world itself is art. “My art doesn’t have a specific theme, because I don’t want to restrict myself. Though I mostly love to stick to pen and ink medium, I also love to explore different mediums, such as watercolours, soft pastels and pencils to create anything on paper and canvas, be it a person, animal, or a place.

“Capturing a moment in your own special style is one of the best things about being an artist. My work reflects the emotions I feel and I hope to make people feel less alone, especially in tragic times like these.

“The tone of my art can range from yearning to despair, and relies on what the viewer feels after seeing my art. Art is passion and passion is what humans live on. “It’s what wakes us up in the morning and what inspires us all day. I choose to create art, because the ultimate driving force behind it is passion.” Makvana speaks to Gulf Today

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What inspires your art? Observation? Travel? Nature? Books? Other artists? All of these? 

I think at this point of my life, teenagehood and emotions inspire my art more than ever. I get inspired to make observational studies reflecting the overwhelming emotions I feel. The weather inspires my art too; chilly rainy weather conjures up a different image from what we are used to seeing in the warm, humid summer months in the UAE. Other artists such as Edvard Munch, Vincent van Gogh and Salman Toor have extremely detailed artworks, and this inspires me to continue making art. Travel is amazing too, because I get to gaze upon new places and get into photography.

For you, is art a therapy, a hobby or an urge?

Art is everything to me. It is therapy, a hobby, an urge, and everything all at once.

Some nights, I can’t go to sleep because the urge to create is so intensely profound. Art helps me visualise emotions. Furthermore, it helps me let go of feelings that no longer serve me.

You are adept in presenting both realistic and surreal imagery. Are both linked?   

The dreams during our slumber and events that occur during our life are linked, even if in the vaguest or strangest ways possible. Thus, realistic and surrealistic imagery is linked. Surrealistic and dream-like imagery is created out of realistic imagery. Being imaginative really helps to put down surrealistic images.

Do you like to use vigorous strokes in your work? There doesn’t seem to be too many soft lines ...

I mostly use vigorous strokes, because I want to see the piece quickly come to life. Soft lines are used when I want to see each part of the artwork form over time. Both are great for their own reasons.

Art needs external inspiration, but an artist is a lonely being. Comment.

The people and the moments that occur in an artist’s life definitely play a role in shaping the art, but it is the artists themselves who manipulate their emotions into creating their pieces. Not all artists are lonely beings. Not all lonely beings are artists! I think an artist needs to feel lonely for long periods in their lives, to make art. People need to spend time with themselves to truly understand themselves and their purpose. They need to enjoy spending time alone to grow. Moreover, it depends on your personal definition of lonely. You can still feel lonely even in a room full of people!

There is more a Western than Eastern orientation in your work. Is it so? If so, why is it so?

I’m from the Eastern world. However, my art does lean more towards the Western side, because of the media I consume.

Most of the books I read and movies I watch, hail from the West. The media we consume greatly influences us, especially artists.

Who are the contemporary artists you look up to? For what reason/s?

The contemporary artists I look up to are Alireza Karimi Moghaddam and Salman Toor. Alireza Karimi Moghaddam is greatly influenced by Vincent van Gogh, who is another one of my favourite artists. His art has an innocence to it that is rare in our world. The soothing strokes of vibrant colours are a feast for the eyes. Salman Toor portrays mundane moments with profound delicacy and intense intimacy that makes the viewer feel as though they have lived this moment or makes them yearn to live it. The colour scheme of his paintings mostly leans towards cool tones, suggesting contentment. Combining this contentment with the tranquil mundanity of life, is a relaxing sight for the viewer. I love their different art styles.

How do you see yourself as an artist ten years from now?

Ten years from now, I see myself working with various mediums and creatively progressing as an artist. I’m quite interested in 3D art forms, such as sculptures, and hope to be skilled in that art style. I want to explore various mediums such as charcoal, gouache, conté, and oil paint.  As an artist, I hope to make people feel emotions with my art and inspire others to start making art or continue making art.