Gratitude Gratitude Gratitude: Grants for Khayamiya Study in Egypt
It’s been a minute but there is so much to share and be grateful for!
I am thrilled to announce that I was awarded an Oregon Arts Commission Career Opportunity Grant and Ford Family Foundation supplementary grant to support study with master Khayamiya artist Mostafa Ellassy in Egypt last winter. I was able to learn Khayamiya stitching techniques with him in January of 2024. Visiting the Street of the Tentmakers in Cairo was a dream come true as I have been immersed in studying these textiles for several years! Mostafa was a kind and patient teacher. As someone who has been teaching for 21 years, I found it humbling and delightful to experience being a learner again from such a compassionate and skilled teacher who carries a legacy of Khayamiya that has been in his family for generations. Contemporary artist Lamis Haggag supported the studies through translation, hosting at her studio, and just being her amazing generous self. Lamis hosted the online classes that first introduced me to Mostafa. Stay tuned for news about upcoming new work created and being created thanks to this amazing opportunity. I am beyond grateful to the Oregon Arts Commission and Ford Family Foundation for supporting this deepening of Khayamiya hands on knowledge!
From left: Lamis Haggag, myself, Mostafa Ellasy, and my mom, the original master stitcher in the family, Marilyn Malak.
Mostafa Ellasy with one of his incredible pieces in his shop at Street of the Tentmakers.
SWANA Showcase: Dimensions
The Center for Study and Preservation of Palestine and SWANA Artists PDX are thrilled to invite the public to celebrate our first creative showcase .
In diaspora, memories of ancestral lands dynamically cycle and loop through dreams, nightmares…and suitcases. Lots and lots of suitcases. We fill them with food, we fill them with hopes and anxiety, we fill them with electronics. We are enmeshed with whatsapp, with viber and facetime, with facebook messenger and skype (does anyone still use skype except for me?)
We look in movies, and myths, sci-fi and soap operas for traces of home that we know or want to know. We carve new narratives, we remember the old ways. Time is a flimsy piece of lace and a phyllo sheet soaked in honey. Yes war, yes repression, yes displacement and resistance have shaped us, but also thread, and tea, and loud loud laughter. We are water, we are caterpillars, we are fire and we are song. Our bodies extend these fruits for you to taste. Perhaps they will re-member you too.
-Co-curator Sa’rah Farahat
This reception is free and open to the public.
Public Reception: Sunday June 4th from 6-9:30 (performances on the opening night)
Masks Required. Gallery is wheelchair accessible. Restrooms are not.
Location: CSPP: 2942 NE MLK Blvd. Portland, OR, 97212
Gallery Hours throughout June: Thursday/Friday 4p-7p, and Saturday/Sunday 1p-7p
Follow Us: @swana_artists_pdx
Artists: Sophia Arnaout, Ara, Bint Bandora, Cathy Camper, Dina Elsibay, Sa’rah Farahat, Sheyam Ghieth, Sarah Hassouneh, Entangled Roots Press, Amirra Malak, Sanaz Masoumi, Monya Maleki, mica, Moona, Ruba, Zeinab Saab, Sahar, Linda Dalal Sawaya, Angie T
New Work Excavating Identity selected by Regional Arts and Culture Council for Public Art Purchase. Prints on Wood Panels now available.
I am so excited and honored to share that a recently created work, Excavating Identity, will now be shared in public space thanks to being selected by RACC in their recent call for small works. To celebrate, this work is now also available as prints on wood panels in my online shop. You can purchase prints of all 9 panels or individual panels.
About the work: In “Excavating Identity,” I use drawing to maintain my connection to Egypt by investigating designs found in a single Egyptian “khayamiya” applique tent textile. Charcoal is a tool for cultural "excavation." On each wood panel, I focus on a single cropped segment of the overall applique design isolated from the whole, responding to each unique section of the textile individually within each square. Each of the nine drawings is an artifact, only showing a piece of the complete design, the modular sections almost aligning but not quite. The mark making explores, digs, measures, and defines, striving to uncover identity while never quite bringing the complete image into focus.
Excavating Identity
26x26”
Charcoal on wood panels
2022
Mother River Exhibit at the Columbia Center for the Arts in July
I will have an interactive installation piece titled Body of Water honoring the river and our connection to water and each other in this group invitational exhibit. If you are able to attend and interact with the piece, I invite you to share photos on Instagram with the hashtag #MotherRiverBodyofWater to keep the connection going in virtual space!
Exhibition July 2nd-31st, 2021
Opening Reception: Friday July 2nd from 6-8pm at Columbia Center for the Arts
215 Cascade Avenue
PO Box 1543
Hood River, OR 97031
(541) 387-8877
View Map
Hope to see you there and in virtual space!
Words
After recently applying for several grants using academic language, I have realized that sometimes I just want to tell meandering stories. In that spirit, I’ve added a blog to my website for just that! While visual language is my mother tongue, sometimes words will happen here, when there’s a story harassing me to be told.
Here’s my first post: Khayamiya Connections: Sewing a Story Across Continents
Enjoy!
Thank you! Black Artists Matter Round 2 has ended.
Thanks to everyone who bought a shirt this round, we raised another $360 to amplify Black artists’ voices! All funds raised go directly to Wa Na Wari, a center for Black art and culture in Seattle! Woot woot! Thank you everyone!
They have recently reopened and have both in person and virtual events. Follow them and check out their latest events on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wanawariseattle/
Black Artists Matter Round 2: Campaign Ends July 18th.
Thank you to everyone who bought a shirt and supported Black artists voices! Due to multiple requests from those who missed the first fundraiser, I’ve launched a second round. Use the new button below to get a shirt! Kid sizes are available too! All funds will still go to Wa Na Wari, a center for Black arts and culture in Seattle. Thanks in advance for supporting!
Black Artists Matter Fundraiser
Buy a Shirt to Support Wa Na Wari, a Center for Black Art and Culture in Seattle
Fundraiser ends July 1st.
Taking action is an act of love. One way to take action is to celebrate, support, and amplify Black artists' voices. The arts build empathy and connection and have the capacity to bridge divides. With that in mind, and with the idea of thinking globally and acting locally, 100% of funds raised will be donated to Wa Na Wa Ri, "a center for black art and culture in Seattle's historically redlined Central District neighborhood. Sited in a 5th-generation Black owned home, Wa Na Wari."
Wa Na Wari “hosts rotating exhibits by Black artists; provides space for workshops, performances and lectures; convenes change makers, elders, youth, neighbors, and artists for collaboration, innovation and community organizing; and operates an oral history studio for gathering and sharing the stories of Seattle’s historically Black Central District." Contributions are run through their fiscal sponsor, Northwest Film Forum.
You can check out their amazing work on their website:
https://www.wanawari.org
About the art:
I created this design to show the power of actions rooted in love to radiate out and effect change. I originally created the design to support the water protectors at Standing Rock but have repurposed the art to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Both movements are rooted in love and are a call to action from the heart.
Studio Sale!
UPDATE! All works below have sold! Stay tuned for another small works sale coming soon!
As I transform my studio into a laboratory for new installation work using video projection and textiles, I’m finding little gems I’d like to make available for purchase. These original watercolors are now available. Each share aspects of the Nile river and were painted while I was in Egypt last winter. The first two, Nile Beats and Nile Dance, were inspired by video I filmed of city lights reflecting on the Nile while I was on a Nile cruise filled with the sounds of a live Egyptian band. Nile Vibrations and Nile waves were inspired by a more contemplative time when I was on the Nile on a quieter spot near churches and mosques during that golden time of day in the early evening in Cairo. Each original watercolor is 6x6” and $55. Email me directly if interested at amirra.malak@gmail.com.
Moving Meditation Video Installation at Off the Wall exhibit at Columbia Art Gallery
I am so excited to share that I have completed my first video installation piece thanks to the support of everyone who donated to my GoFundMe! "Moving Meditation" is installed at the Columbia Art Gallery in downtown Hood River as part of their Off the Wall exhibit and will be up till May 30th!
The Deets:
Reception: First Friday, May 3rd from 6-8pm.
Where: The Columbia Art Gallery
Columbia Center for the Arts
215 Cascade Avenue, Hood River 97031
It would be great to see any of you who can make it! I have to admit, when I finished installation and actually saw the piece in action, my eyes teared up. Transitioning to video while mostly self taught has been such a growth experience. I have so much more I want to learn. This has been the most difficult piece of art I've ever worked on and is only the first iteration! I envision future pieces with surround sound and multiple projectors on a larger scale, but it feels so good to have one installation piece under my belt. I'm so excited to continue working this way. I am so grateful to the folks at Columbia Art Gallery, specifically Carolyn Smith and Mikayla Ryan for letting me use their gallery space as a petri dish as I experiment with a completely new to me medium.
In this piece, I cut fabric using Egyptian textile designs to signify the sacredness of the natural world and to create a meditative space. Colorful applique tent fabric or printed fabric of traditional appliqué patterns is often hung at celebrations, and funerals as an indication of ceremony in Egypt. I'm interested in creating liminal altered spaces by projecting rhythmic footage of water onto patterned cut surfaces. Projecting the moving footage onto a non-solid surface rather than on a screen heightens the liminal effect. The video footage was filmed at various bodies of water throughout the Northwest.
Hope to see some of you at First Friday!
With much love and gratefulness for your support,
Amirra
Egypt!
Thank you to everyone who supported my GoFundMe, “Altar-ed States!” I am currently in Egypt and have been able to film the Nile using new equipment thanks to you! You can view new videos on my Instagram: @artwithamirra. I am excited to integrate new footage into immersive installation and virtual reality art when I return to the U.S. Stay tuned for updates! New video can be viewed on my Instagram feed.
New Lower Prices On Prints!
I’m excited to share that I’m working with a new print shop with lower prices, so I’ve adjusted the pricing on my website and am passing on the savings to you! You can order prints on archival paper, and I’ve also added the option of ready to hang stretched canvas prints to many art pieces. The canvas prints in particular have really gone down in price. It’s really important to me that art is accessible, so I’m super happy to have found this new print shop and to be able to make my work affordable to more people. Thanks so much, and may your winter be filled with beauty and the warmth of loved ones!
About the prints:
Paper Prints: Printed on acid free paper with a light texture. Paper prints have a 1" white border and can be framed without a mat.
Stretched Canvas Prints: Select sizes are available as stretched canvas. Stretched on either 3/4” or 1.5” stretcher bars with the outer edge printed black. Canvas prints come ready to hang.
*Allow for 2 weeks for printing and shipping. Prints are created in an awesome small print shop in Portland, Oregon. Going local takes a little more time, but I believe in supporting our local economy!
OK y'all, I am taking a terrifying leap! I'm launching a GoFundMe! As many of you know, I have been a painter for many years and am now super excited to work to extend my art-making practice to include video, specifically meditative immersive video using VR(Virtual Reality) and projection art. My goal is to raise $2000 by the end of August so I can purchase video equipment, create new work that will be accessible in VR format online for free, and host an immersive video art exhibit titled "Altar-ed Spaces” to include VR and projection art by late fall.
How did this desire to transition to video come to be? Last year I worked on a series of paintings exploring the nature and sacredness of water. As part of my process, I recorded multiple videos of water across the U.S. and in Egypt. My plan was to use the video solely as image research for the paintings, but, as the series progressed, I found myself more and more intrigued by video as an art form in its own right. I am finding working with actual light in video rather than simulating light in paint immensely satisfying. I am excited about the added dimensions of sound and movement as well. Several of the videos I’ve recorded have had a meditative quality through moving pattern and light, an effect I have struggled for years to simulate in painting, but which naturally flows in the moving medium of video. The feeling of a meditative space sparked the idea for immersive video, the direction I would like to take in my new work. Why meditative videos? When I have taken moments to notice meditative spaces in the world, I have come away transformed, more at peace, and feeling connected to the world. This is a feeling I want to share and give to others. As a public-school art teacher, I'm acutely aware of and passionate about the need for art to be accessible to all. This new medium will be accessible to anyone with a phone and a cheap VR headset. My goal is to produce videos that are available online at little or no cost to the viewer. Our phones, which can often be a distraction or a source of anxiety for many of us, can now become a tool for meditation and reflection. You can view my current video experiments and transition from painting to video on my Instagram: @artwithamirra
Over the next three months, I would like to create this new series of immersive video experiences entitled Altar-ed States, where the viewer is immersed in rhythmic luminous moving patterns creating liminal spaces that become perceptual altars and inspire reflection and connection. The videos will create spaces rather than be objects to look at. I envision creating a series of VR videos that can be played using a VR headset that works with most phones as well as a series of videos designed to be projected in an interior space. (If you haven’t yet experienced VR, I highly recommend purchasing a cheap Google Cardboard VR headset for about $15 online, downloading the Google Cardboard app and exploring this amazing medium).
In order to make this transition to video, I will need to purchase equipment by the end of August both for recording video and for presenting video. I would like to use my iPhone as my recording device because, as I learned from recording video of water over the course of a year, I am more likely to film if I don’t have to haul a large camera around. “The camera you use is the camera you have with you.” I have researched equipment that will both improve my iPhone’s standard video footage and will expand the capacity of my phone to film in 360 degrees for a fully immersive experience. Equipment includes a 360-degree camera that attaches to my phone, a compatible microphone, attachable lenses, and a gimbal for steadying my filming. In order to be able to present the video in a public space, I would like to purchase a high-quality VR headset, video screens, and a projector so that I can create immersive spaces in an interior space by projecting videos at a large scale. While researching and experiencing VR, I’ve realized the quality of the sound is critical to a fully immersive experience, so I would also like to be able to pay for consultation with a sound artist.
I will produce new work from September to November, and, in late fall, I will host the “Altar-ed States” immersive video experience at an event open to the public where visitors can access the VR videos and projected/displayed videos. All VR videos will then also be made available for free online.
For supporters, I’ll be offering the following thankyou gifts based on your donation amount:
All donations:Exclusive preview of 2 new VR videos viewable using the Google Cardboard headset and app.
Donations over $100: Exclusive previews and downloads/links of ALL new VR videos viewable using the Google Cardboard headset and app.
Donations over $ 200: A preview tour of the exhibit hosted by me before doors open to the public.
If you support my project, I will be incredibly grateful! It can be terrifying to take a leap in a new direction and to ask for help, but this is honestly the most excited about art-making I have been in years, and I can’t wait to get started!
Water video is now up on Youtube! This video is the result of a year of documenting the many forms of water across the US and Egypt using only my IPhone. (They say the camera you use is the camera that is with you). Pull up a chair and put aside 17 minutes to experience the full meditative effect. It has no sound because it was designed to be part of a visual display included in my exhibit "Baraka: The Blessing of Water" at the Columbia Art Gallery, in Hood River through May 29th, 2018.
Baraka: The Blessing of Water Exhibit at the Columbia Art Gallery
When: Month of May, 2018
Opening Reception 6-8pm, Friday, May 4th, 2018
In addition to the exhibit of my body of work exploring water, on First Friday in the studio, Pamela Larsen, local artist and educator, and her daughter, Sofie Larsen-Teskey, teen artist and activist, will lead an art-making activity where participants of any age can create a small flag honoring and celebrating water. Flags will be hung in the gallery studio as a collaborative public art piece. After the exhibit is over, the flags can travel to local activist events where protecting water is the focus. Come!
Where: The Nook in the Columbia Art Gallery, 215 Cascade Avenue, Hood River, OR 97031
What:
The Arabic word baraka (بركة)is used to describe that which is imbued with sacredness. This series celebrates and explores the sacredness of water. I was inspired to visually explore water by the phenomenal actions of the water protectors at Standing Rock last year. I was moved by their use of non-violent action to protect the water for future generations and by the unifying nature of the camp where indigenous and non-indigenous people from all over the U.S. and world came together in defense of the Missouri River. Water has been a constant touchstone wherever I have lived. I find myself returning to water whenever I need to center myself and reconnect. My father grew up on the Nile River and has shared many stories about the rhythm and life-giving qualities of this river. I now live on the Columbia River and continue the connection to rivers in my father's heritage. I have also experienced what it is like to not have easy access to clean water. When I lived in Egypt, the tap water was not drinkable and the Nile was and still is very polluted. Locally, the Columbia River is under constant threat from oil trains, coal, nuclear waste from Hanford, and corporate threats such as Nestle. Through this series, I hope to call attention to the sacredness of water and inspire others to protect this essential element of life.
I have spent this past year on a visual journey exploring the nature of water. In my process, I sketched, photographed, and filmed water in its many states, from frozen and fractured, to rippling with movement. I then translated the patterned images into paintings using Egyptian tile designs, Arabic calligraphy ,and deconstructed Arabic calligraphy brushstrokes. The word barakais painted repeatedly in several paintings, the text infused in the water imagery to show its inherent sacredness. In this spirit, I often gathered and painted with water from many of the bodies of water I studied. In each painting, the unique forms of each experience with water was emulated by changing the quality of the brushstrokes, the repeated marks becoming a mantra or meditation, a celebration of the life-giving nature of water. In addition to studying the states of water, I visually explored multiple bodies of water throughout the U.S including the Hood River, the Columbia River, Goose Lake, the Twin Falls in Maui, and creeks and rivers in the Red Woods in California. In January 2018, thanks to a Scholastic Art and Writing Alumni Microgrant, I had the opportunity to return to Egypt and revisit the Nile River, the river of my childhood. It was exciting to synthesize imagery of water from the land of my ancestral heritage to complete the series.
My hope is that this series will bring the importance of protecting and honoring water into focus and that the viewer will be inspired to take action to support local and global water protection efforts. In this spirit, 5% of proceeds from the sale of art in this exhibit will be donated to the Wanapum fishing people against Nestle. They were part of the successful effort to keep Nestle from accessing Oxbow Springs and are continuing to work to protect the Columbia River and all local water sources.
This project was made possible, in part, through funding from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Alumni Microgrant Program.
Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Alumni Micro-grant Pays for Travel to Egypt!
Limited Time One Week Signed Print Sale of New Work to Celebrate!
I’m excited to share some fun news! I was recently awarded a Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Alumni Micro-grant to pay for travel to Egypt to gather visual research from the Nile River to complete my Water Is Life series! It feels so satisfying to incorporate imagery from the body of water from my father’s heritage with images of the bodies of water where I live in the Pacific Northwest. You can read about each alumni recipient here. The awards are given to practicing artists who won Scholastic Art awards in high school. It was fun to reflect on the work I created way back in 1990 that won a Scholastic Art Gold Key award. I did some digging and found the original announcement in the paper in Greensboro, North Carolina, where I graduated high school. The timing was so serendipitous! I learned of the award soon after hearing that over 100 Scholastic Art awards were won by my art students at Hood River Valley High School. I had just contacted the local paper here in Hood River to make sure my high school students’ awards were also announced and had set up a gallery exhibit showcasing their work. This magical thing often happens being both an artist and art teacher. Frequently, when I work hard to get my students’ work honored and recognized, the timing somehow aligns where my own art earns recognition as well. I never plan it that way, but this alignment of giving and receiving has happened more than once and always feels like the universe is creating a lovely balance of ebb and flow, exhale and inhale, nurturing and being nurtured. I have completed two new works based on the imagery gathered at the Nile River and will be continuing to create new Nile art over the next two months to round out the series. CLICK each image above to read more about them and to order prints. You can see all available prints in my shop.
Order Signed Prints of New Work by March 18th
In the spirit of this mutual celebration of creativity, I am launching a limited time one week signed print sale featuring three new prints: Snow, Nile Rhythms 1, and Nile Rhythms 2. Snow is inspired by the massive snow storm in the Columbia River Gorge in 2017/18 while both Nile Rhythms pieces represent my experience of the Nile River this January. You can read more about each piece on the prints page. 5% of proceeds from this print sale will be donated to Columbia Gorge Climate Action Network, a local organization which “educates, organizes and motivates Columbia Gorge activists to reduce and eliminate fossil fuel usage and climate change, at all levels from individual to global.” Like my series, this organization focuses their efforts locally and internationally.
The Deets:
When? All prints ordered by March 18th will be signed and shipped by the end of March. Signing each print takes time, plus I’m working with a small local print company Gango Custom Printing in Portland with a 3-5 day turn around. Know that you are supporting a local artist, a local small business, and a local non-profit when you purchase prints! #artequalslove
What? Signed by me Gicleé prints on archival cotton rag paper. Prints will include a one inch border. Small prints will be shipped flat. Larger prints will be shipped in a tube. All prints ordered during this time frame will be signed! Other prints are available in my print shop.
Thanks for celebrating with me!
Give the Gift of Art and Give Twice! (Or Thrice?)
1. Give Art: In honor of Small Business Saturday, I’m excited to share that 4 more works from my Water Is Life series are now available to order as fine art Gicleé prints which make lovely gifts. Several of you have requested that these new images be made available as prints, so here they are! I am running a limited time one-week signed print sale for the holiday season. All prints ordered in the next week will be signed by me. Orders will be shipped after the first week in December. Prints will be available in a variety of sizes to keep art accessible to all.
2. Give to a Nonprofit: But here's the coolest part! In the spirit of honoring water and water protectors, 5% of all print sales will be donated to the non-profit Columbia River Keeper, an amazing organization that works tirelessly to keep our water clean for future generations. Donating a portion of proceeds appeals to my artist activist heart and is a model I will be following in future sales campaigns. I'll be choosing a different non-profit each run, so stay tuned!
3. Support Small Business: Your purchase will also support the local small business Pearl Printing, the stellar print shop I order from in Portland, Oregon. Maybe I should have titled this email "Give Thrice"! :) Remember to order by DECEMBER 2, 2017 to get SIGNED prints and for donations to go to Columbia River Keeper. Prints don't have to be from the water series, they just need to be ordered in the next week. Thank you for supporting small local businesses, artists, and our rivers!
Everybody wins! Click below to start shopping and give twice! (Or Thrice?)
Shows, Shows, So Many Shows!
I'm excited to share that my work is being featured in several shows in the next couple of months! I applied to shows on the east and west coast recently. What's truly wonderful about getting into this particular group of shows is that they each represent a different part of my multi-faceted artist self: art teacher, artist activist, and artist of color. Now if I can get into a show involving artist mothers, I will be truly complete. If you think you can make it to one of these shows, it would be great to see you there! I will be at the Maryhill Museum reception and the Artists of Color Expo in Seattle. I won't be able to be at the reception for the New Jersey show. If you're able to attend any of the shows, it would be so awesome if you could post a picture of yourself at the show and tag me, @artwithamirra, on Instagram.
Teachers as Artists: Beyond the Demos
Where:
Maryhill Museum of Art
35 Maryhill Museum Drive
Goldendale, Washington
When:
October 6 – November 17, 2017
Reception Sunday, October 22nd, 11am-1pm
I'll be there! Come!
What:
Teachers as Artists is a juried exhibition in the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center showcasing the state-wide talents of Oregon’s arts educators. Presented in partnership with Oregon Art Education Association.
Water is Life
Where:
Raices Cultural Center
Downtown Highland Park
Multiple locations along Raritan Ave btw. 3rd & 5th
Highland Park, NJ
Art will be though out the area in various storefronts. For locations of art and more information about the show, click here.
When:
October 23rd-Mid November
Reception October 28, 5-8pm
I won't be able to attend, but New Jersey folks, check it out!
What:
All art being displayed in the exhibit aims to bring an awareness about the detrimental affects the natural environment is undergoing and inspires a desire to protect our water, land and air. More than 50 local and international artists, and a dozen community partners will a part of the opening reception of the Water Is Life Art Exhibit Series. Meet some of the local and international eco-warriors working on the front lines to protect our waters and mother earth.
Artists of Color Expo
Where:
Seattle Center
Armory Lofts
Seattle, WA 98109
When:
Fri, Nov 17, 2017,
Sat, Nov 18, 2017
9:30 AM –7:00 PM PST
What:
ACES is a two-day, POC-led, community-curated program with performances, exhibits, presentations, workshops, listening opportunities, and open forums. Our vision is to establish a space for us to celebrate and center ourselves. We are coming together with intentionality to value our work and to see each other as resources, while focusing on the challenges and and solutions we face as artists of color in the Pacific Northwest.
For more information, click here.
Solar Eclipse Water Color Featured on Scientific American's Blog! Signed Solar Eclipse Prints to Celebrate! Order by October 13th.
I am so excited to be featured in this fun article with seven other artists! To celebrate, for a limited time, I will be offering signed Solar Eclipse prints. I normally just have Pearl Printing in Portland ship my prints directly to you after printing, but for the next week, I will collect print orders, have them shipped here, sign them and send them to their new homes! Order online from my Prints page by October 13th. Orders will take a little longer, but your print will arrive signed by the end of October.
About the article:
The author, Kalliopi Monoyios, is a science illustrator herself and scoured Instagram for solar eclipse art to feature. Check out the blog post aptly titled "Out of the Shadows" here: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/out-of-the-shadow/
I am beyond thrilled to be featured considering I was torn between art and science as a major in college and have always loved the connections between the two worlds. I often tell my students that science and art have so much in common; both involve discovery, a sense of wonder and understanding your world. Speaking of sense of wonder, check out my video experimentation where I created a time-lapse video of a bowl of water during the eclipse then overlaid the actual sounds my family and I made during the brief moment of totality. The solar eclipse infused water was then used to create the Solar Eclipse water color.
I am so grateful to live in Oregon and to have been able to witness this awe inspiring event! I went with my family and closest friends to a remote location in Oregon.
I first video taped the changing light of the eclipse in a bowl of water. I've been enjoying experimenting with video lately. I then created a time-lapse video of the water and edited in sound from those of us who were at the eclipse together including my children. You can't miss the gasps and sense of wonder! I then used the solar eclipse infused water in this water color painting. I was struck by the multiple solar crescents projected in the shadows of trees, a million tiny projections of the phenomenon above. The painted crescents remind me of the millions of viewers who turned their eyes to the heavens in wonder, their eyes also filtering, perceiving, projecting this amazing event. One sun, millions of shared experiences.
You can check out my process, view the water video, and see the time lapse video of this painting on my instagram feed! https://www.instagram.com/artwithamirra/
If you love this work, please share!
Students Respond to the Presidential Election Through Art
April 2017
OEA Magazine highlighted my work with students post election. Read full article here.
Benefit for Standing Rock
Benefit for Standing Rock
January 19th, 2017
7pm-10pm
911 Pine St, Seattle, Washington 98101
Work from my new Water Is Life series will be displayed at this event.
Seattle Theatre Group is pleased to invite you to the exhibit launch party for Re:definition 2017! FREE & open to the public!
Hors d'oeuvres, beverages and music provided.
Kindly RSVP here: http://bit.ly/2hQsU4p so we can prepare for the event.
The evening will focus on fundraising for the Water Protector Legal Collective, the on-the-ground legal support team for Standing Rock. In addition, there will be an exhibit of artworks by both Native and non-Native artists from around the country. Artists were asked to submit artworks that thoughtfully consider and comment upon issues addressing threats to the environment and the connections between land, culture and identity. Artists will also be transforming the large mirrors scattered throughout the Paramount Theater. The night will include music, speakers, information booths and worktables to create artworks that will hang from the balcony.
In The Paramount Theatre Gallery
All Ages / bar with I.D.
Doors at 6:45 pm, event from 7:00 to 10:00 pm.
As a person with PTSD, I have found that water is an element that can soothe the nervous system. In this piece, I used water imagery, softly curving marks, and a subdued color scheme to serve as visual tools to create calm.