Arimas Arts - Blog

Madhubani/Mithila Art

28/4/2019

Madhubani Inspired-Fish

Madhubani or Mithila art is an ancient folk art found in Bihar in the Mithila region of India. Its roots are found in the Ramayana (ancient Indian texts) where King Janak ordered many artists to decorate the whole village with paintings of Rama and Sita’s wedding.

Originally these paintings adorned the walls and floors of houses and were formed mostly by women during religious ceremonies or weddings. The practise of Madhubani art has been passed down from person to person and is now widely recognised throughout the world. You can see images painted on paper cloth and canvas.
Traditionally the paintings are constructed using mainly matchsticks, fingers, nib-pens, twigs and brushes, however, now more modern tools are used to create these beautifully elaborate paintings. Natural pigments are derived from plant material to create two dimensional paintings that contain geometric designs depicting scenes from ancient mythology, as well as folklore and nature.

I found Madhubani art very exciting and colourful. Its intricate designs remind me of henna art commonly painted on hands and feet during holy festivals and weddings. For me painting in a two dimensional format felt very refreshing a huge change from what I usually paint. I love how this art form illustrates everyday life in a simple yet unique way, capturing the hearts and minds of both adults and children.

I will be doing a series of these paintings loosely based on this form of art. For the first in this series I have made a painting based on the natural aspects of Madhubani art. It shows a fish. Madhubani has some associations with Feng Shui philosophy. The fish represents prosperity and fertility. I’m heading more towards the prosperity side of it though lol. The sun is very important in Madhubani design as it signifies life giving energy. Although this art form uses natural pigments and colours, I have opted for a more colourful approach and used acrylics for a very vibrant, eye catching painting. If you love bright colours then this painting is for you. I have named it ‘Prosperity’.

Farishta

5/3/2019

The Luminous Angel

No day is left unheard, no voice falls silent.

Where shadows beset your eyes and ghosts snatch hope, there will the angels’ wings fall, to douse the discord.

Unconditional and selfless.

A poem by my son, Hasan.

Happy New Year !

10/1/2019

Wow it’s already 2019. These years seem to be flying by… 2018 felt like a couple of months ago. Isn't it funny how days seemed to go on forever as a child? I think it’s because children know how to live in the moment and absorb all the details around them. As adults we are more preoccupied with worrying about the future, never fully occupying the present. I love this quote from Bil Keane ( an American cartoonist);

“Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.”

I think we can all learn a lot from children and Bil Kean. From now on I will try to live my life savouring each minute, focusing on the brilliance that exists within each moment and be grateful for the time that has been given to me.

Enough reflecting on time, let’s move on to a painting I did in the summer last year from a photograph I took in Cornwall, a few years back. My husband and I were taking a walk along the Cornish coast, during a warm but breezy morning. The sea was a beautiful turquoise colour with waves making a thunderous noise as they crashed onto the rocks. We came across a narrow path which led down into a small ravine with boulders covered in moss and flowers and a bubbling stream. It was quite magical. The sound of the waves disappeared as we descended further down into the hollow. We found a narrow path and decided to follow it. After a few minutes it led us into a type of tunnel that was made of rambling plants, it was striking and mysterious. Of course childlike curiosity got the better of us, we were captivated by what we might see at the end of this dark tube. Upon entering the tunnel the ceiling was quite low and specks of light peered through the gaps in the leaves leaving a mottled effect on the floor. As we walked along the path the anticipation of what we might see was in the front of our minds. At last the light was visible so we rushed to get to the end and were greeted by a stunning cottage surrounded by a luscious garden and a breath-taking view. I immediately took a picture of it as I knew I would want to paint it one day.

So folks, here it is ‘A quiet corner of Cornwall’, I hope you like it. I will end this blog by saying I really hope that this year is a special year for all of us, bringing us health, wealth and wisdom and where we are given the opportunity to live in the moment, gathering many joyful memories of 2019.

Much love
Samira :)

Birthday Surprise

12/11/2018

Hi everyone,

I have been very busy with a project over the past couple of months. My eldest son is an avid D&D gamer and commissioned me to make scenery for his miniature models. Well my mind went into overdrive. You may recall I made a fairy house a while back which was a big hit with everyone who saw it. I thought why not make a multi-tiered scene.

I adore trees especially old ones because, as I have said before, they have witnessed the passing of time and generations. How I wish I could pick their brains and find out what they have learned over their lifetime. Also, I love Lord of the Rings and was inspired by Lothlorien, a beautiful woodland valley where the Elves live in harmony with nature. The thought of living amongst majestic trees with the spiralling staircases and bridges linking the different levels, just got me thinking. I could use wood from my garden. We just trimmed our trees and I had some awesome branches drying out for such an occasion like this.

After many sleepless nights thinking about how I was going to do this, I finally came up with a plan. It involved card from empty cat food boxes, clay, paper mache, twigs, leaves, sawdust from my sons wood work projects and last but not least fairy lights, thanks to Christmas. As usual my husband bless him helped me with the foundations, then left me to it. The whole project took just over two months to complete. I have to say I was happy with the end result.

I learned a lot from this experience, for instance, do not agree to do anything like this for my eldest son again as I now have a long list of projects to do for him. Moreover, under no circumstances use tacky spray glue to secure artificial grass, made from sawdust, as it will never dry. Also, a glue gun deserves more respect otherwise you end up burning a hole in your hand. Lessons learned time to move on….

Ok folks enough of my rattling on, here are the stages of development. I have to say the pictures do not do it justice, but, oh well I presented it to him for his birthday present. He was overwhelmed with happiness. His face was priceless when I switched the lights on…. Will they ever grow up?

Much love
Samira 😊

Siberian Husky

23/8/2018

I was commissioned, a short while ago, by a friend, to paint a beautiful Siberian husky named ‘Bo’. This was a challenge as I had never painted a portrait of an animal before. The nerves took hold of me and the little voice in my head said, “Don’t do it, it won’t be good enough, what if she hates it.” But I have learned over the years that this voice stops me from progressing in life and if I want to develop as an artist I must put my fears aside and push myself. So, I somewhat reluctantly agreed.

I knew I had my work cut out for me. The only reference picture I had was from a mobile phone. I practised and practised, watched countless videos on how to draw animals and paint fur. Taught myself how to use the grid method for accuracy. So, this little project forced me to expand my knowledge in art techniques too… MINT.

The first thing I did was a pencil drawing of Bo, just to familiarise myself with his features. Then finally, it was time to start. I painted the back ground and sketched the outline of Bo onto the canvas. The first step is always the hardest. Once I started I couldn’t stop. I spent around 6 hours a day for a whole week adding layer after layer trying to get texture, perfecting and tinkering with details.

Eventually, it was time for the great reveal. I did not sleep all night wondering if she was going to like it or if she would wish she’d never asked me. Anyway, it was too late I couldn’t turn back now, onwards and upwards. To my delight she liked it…there is a God… sigh of relief.

So, thank you Angela for inspiring me to paint animals. I went on to do a pastel drawing of my cat, which turned out pretty good. I will be doing some more animal portraits, so watch this space.

Through this experience I have learned not to give into fear and face it head on. You will become stronger for it.

Here you go folks ‘Bo the Siberian husky.’

Much love
Samira 😊

June 22nd, 2018

22/6/2018

The Great Outdoors

It’s that time of year when you just want to sit outside, delightfully daydreaming the day away until the sun goes to bed, listening to the bees buzzing and the harmonious sounds of the birds singing and watching the swifts playfully fly overhead.

During this time of year I try to get out as much as I can especially on weekends with my whole family if possible. One of our favourite haunts is Dovedale in Derbyshire, near Ashbourne. Here you can walk alongside the river Dove surrounded by mesmerising views of the hills. If you are brave enough you can walk on the stepping stones over the river, but just be careful if you have children. This is a place of adventure and wonder, with mysterious caves waiting to be explored and paths leading to who knows where.

I have been here many times and always took pictures hoping that one day I would use this spectacular scenery to inspire me to paint a landscape. Well, that day came and I painted a scene showing people enjoying ‘The Great Outdoors’ which is the name I gave to my painting. Whilst I was painting it I decided to throw in a splash of colour by adding a blue blossom tree. It had to be done as it was looking a little bland. You know me and bright colours… just love them…

So here it is ‘The Great Outdoors’. It is 24”x 30”, painted in acrylics. Enjoy.

Much love
Samira 😊

Black Lace Elderflower cordial

8/6/2018

Hey everyone,

It’s been a long time since I have written anything. Had a lot on my plate, another story. Just wanted to say the sun has got his hat on hip, hip, hip hooray… Finally… it has been a long grey winter and it feels wonderful to go out into the sunshine and enjoy the warm weather.

As you may already know I have a tradition where I make elderflower cordial every summer. Well this year my husband made a discovery at work. He found a pink elderflower tree. WHAT!! I never heard of it before, but yes it exists… well you learn something new every day… It is called ‘Black Lace’ or the Latin name is Sambucus nigra. The flowers are exactly the same, but have a pink hue. However, the leaves are completely different and resemble a Japanese maple leaf. Have a gander at this picture, it’s quite stunning, not mine though.

After a little research we realised that it was perfectly fine to make a cordial from them. Of course I was excited about seeing the splendid colour of the finished product and wow, I was not disappointed.

I found that there was no change in the taste of the cordial, but the colour, once diluted, was a gorgeous pale pink. So here it is for you folks, Sambucus Nigra cordial…Yum…

Tanzania Bird

20/1/2018

Hi there,

Well here we are, 2018. This year for me personally, started off very busy. I've had nothing but parties every weekend, mostly birthdays and so far, things are looking good.

During the holidays, I managed to pick-up my brushes and decided to try out a different background by making random brush strokes on the canvas. I believe Van Gogh used to use this technique. I knew the colours I desired and the fact that I wanted to paint a colourful bird. So after much deliberation and research, decided on painting a bird from Tanzania. So far I have painted mostly peacocks, robin and a hummingbird for my father-in-law. So this folks was a new challenge for me. Trying to get the colours to look iridescent was tricky, but I feel satisfied with the result. Also trying to get the fluff on the legs was something I was not familiar with. Oh well, after many trials and errors I accomplished what I set out to do. Also, I initially thought about painting pink flowers, but realised that blue would tie the whole picture together instead. So here are the stages of the painting.

I hope it inspires you to have a go yourselves.

Wishing you all a wonderful 2018.

Samira :)

Goodbye 2017, welcome 2018

22/12/2017

Hi Everyone

Well here we are, at the end of another fantastic year, 2017. The highlight of this year was that I managed to go and visit Rome… finally… What a great holiday an experience I recommend to everyone. My next adventure was to John o’ Groats, the top of Scotland, UK, also on my bucket list… check…

2018 is almost upon us now, let’s see what it brings for all of us. So, before I go into next year, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New year.

Take care
Samira x

Halcyon

28/10/2017

A friend asked me to paint angels a while ago. To be honest I haven’t painted many of those in my lifetime, so I looked around for some inspiration in books, online, but just couldn’t find myself to paint anything that resembled an angel. I did many sketches too, but nothing took my fancy and l left it for a while. I only like to paint something when I feel passionate about it otherwise it just doesn’t work, and the painting is left incomplete and collecting dust on my shelf.

A year had passed, I had some time on my hands and a longing to paint. Right, I thought, it’s time I painted an angel. I only knew the colour scheme I wanted to experiment with, warm and cold colours. So, I went for colours ranging from yellow orange to red, a fiery background and a blue angel. I just thought that the background could represent difficulties in life and the blue angel was the cooling, calming element that remained constant amidst upheaval and turbulence. I went into the zone and just began painting the background. When it came to the angel I just let myself go and went with the flow. I painted the face of the angel in a very serene manner, unperturbed by everything around it. I also added some fine glitter to enhance the wings.

After its completion, I couldn’t think of a name for it. I sat down one evening, with my husband, and deliberated on what to call it… nothing came to mind. I decided to sleep on it. When I woke in the morning… it came to me… Halcyon! It’s funny how the brain stores words and at the right moment regurgitates them. I had heard this name before and knew it had something to do with being peaceful, so I googled the meaning. It was perfect! The definition described it as calmness, peacefulness, and tranquillity. It was also a name for a mythical bird associated with a kingfisher that had the power to calm the wind and waves as it nested on the sea. It fitted the painting perfectly. So here it is for you… enjoy.

Much love
Samira :)