Category: Art - Arimas Arts

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 :)

Steampunk- Seahorse

16/7/2017

Well, here is another Steampunk painting to stimulate your receptors. Staying with the theme, I opened up the possiblities of a mechanical seahorse submerged within a fantasy Steampunk ocean world, cool eh!

I used a plethora of metallic objects to compliment and enhance the painting. Many layers were added to make various textures and to add interest. You could be looking at the painting one day and notice something totally new the next... I love a bit of mystery.

So here it is, Steampunk-Seahorse.

Hope you like it.
Samira xx

Radiance

16/7/2017

Radiance is a painting I did some time ago, but totaly forgot I had created it until the other day, when I was looking for some paintings to diplay in Manchester at Healthy Spirit.

Well here it is. The size is 11.5" x 16.5" and is on display with 10 other paintings.

It has been a while since I displayed any paintings and with the reception I got, all the lovely comments and praises, it feels great to be back! Thank you everyone who complimented my artwork. Big hugs and kisses for you all, I love you to bits and thanks for keeping me smiling.

Hope you like it.
Samira XX

The Serengeti

6/11/2016

I have always been fascinated with wildlife and the vast ecosystem this wonderful planet of ours has to offer. I was inspired to paint the Serengeti after I was asked to show a class of infant children how to paint a silhouette of an elephant with a sunset. I instantly thought of the Serengeti and the wonderful animals that live in such a harsh land and how they manage to survive nevertheless.

Here is my latest painting, ‘The Serengeti’. This vast plain in East Central Africa, spans about 12,000 square miles and derives its names from the Maasai Language that means ‘Endless Plains’.

At the moment I have been experimenting with different mediums in art such as colour pencils, pastels and pen. This is given me an opportunity to push myself beyond my limits in a short space of time, producing art work, that I have to say, I am quite proud of. I will show the new works soon.

Hope you like it.
See yah

Samira :)

Highlights of our trip to Granada Spain.

25/8/2016

Hi everyone,

I have just come back from an awesome trip to Granada in Spain. I found Granada to be a very inspirational place, full of design features especially in the architecture in the Alhambra Palace.

Granada has such a rich history. Granada means pomegranate and is situated at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

The most famous place is the Alhambra a Moorish citadel and palace. It was declared a world heritage cite in 1984 by UNESCO.

There are many churches and a cathedral of Granada built in the early 16th century.

I loved the architecture of all the historical buildings and many of the design features that decorated them. The gardens were especially beautiful with their mediteranean flora and fauna, hidden court yards and fountains found around every corner. A lot of these little fountains were estabilished there for the people for drinking, a perfect relief from the heat of the day.

This place had my favourite things: art, gardens and scenery. So I may do a range of paintings inspired by this trip. Watch this space. Here are a few pictures to wet your apetite.

Bye...... :)

Princely Peacock

8/7/2016

Hi Everyone

This is a very quick pastel drawing of a colourful Peacock. It's a draft drawing for a friend which I will be painting soon.

Hope you like it..........:)

See yah!

Samira

Proud Peacock

28/6/2016

Hi everyone,

This is my latest painting called Proud Peacock. Just practising my birds :)
due to popular demand and the fact that I need to do this. I have not done many animals before so watch this space.

See yah!

Samira :)

PS: All my paintings are pay as you want. So email me with a sensible offer and it's yours!

Acrylic on canvas size - 11.5" x 16.5"

The Art of Healthy Eating

6/12/2013

Just sat down with my family and started talking about what is going on in the world. One thing led to another and we got onto the subject of eating. Well we watched Jamie Oliver discussing health issues affecting the people of this planet. The main culprit being the fast food industry. You can watch his talk here.

We are living in fast era where time is of the essence or should I say time is money. No one has time to prepare meals, sit down with family and friends on a regular basis and enjoy a home cooked meal, full of wholesome goodness. Instead we have microwave meals full of god knows what, packed with mostly additives, sugar, preservatives, colour the list can go on and on.... Basically what I am saying is we need to think about the future of our children and their health.

I am a great believer in cooking from fresh and like growing my own fruits and vegetables, when I can. I have taught all three of my boys to cook, because it is a life skill and will serve them well. I believe that even cooking is an Art form. If you go to a restaurant you will notice the presentation of the food is of great importance, because you eat with your eyes first. If the food is attractive you will want to sample it. Sometimes when I am preparing a salad I like to add colour to it as I would one of my paintings. I also love experimenting by mixing fruit and vegetables together in the salad, just as I would use different media in my pictures.

I have an Elder tree in my garden and this year I decided to use its bounty to produce my very own elder flower cordial. This went down well with friends and family, who suggested I should bottle it and sell it. I produced so much I had to share it with everyone, even my neighbours loved it. I felt so proud of myself using a resource that most people would have ignored and seen as a weed. If I were to buy this from the local supermarket it would have cost quite a lot of money and would have had preservative in it too. Mine was just the cost of sugar and a couple of other cheap ingredients. I made this cordial within a day, the drink was extra healthy as the pollen from it was present too. Here is a video with the recipe. Try it you will love it.

I also have a little cherry tree, that produces lots of cherries every year. I had so many this year that I made jam out of them and a cherry pie. Here is a picture (not a very good one sorry).

If you have read my previous blogs you will know that I love trees. My dream is to own land where I can grow my own fruit and vegetables. I think I would probably cover it with fruit trees of all varieties, so that I can pick and eat them fresh every day. Can you imagine how healthy people would be if everyone could do this?

On this note here is a painting of a blossom tree, I did a year ago. Blossom trees are revered in the Japanese culture, the Cherry blossom represents splendour and the delicateness of life. When the blossom blows in the wind, it reminds me of coloured light floating around painting the landscape with its petals.

Finally why not try your own hand at the art of healthy eating. Here is a video to put a smile on your face. Look after yourselves.

Art Prints

With love

Samira :)

Encaustic Art

28/11/2013

Encaustic Art is an ancient form of painting using pigmented beeswax. It is heated and the paste is applied to surfaces such as canvas, wood and more recently card, glossy paper as well as pottery. Since the 1990's encaustic art has made a comeback and developed to include tools such as hotplates, heated stylus and mostly electric irons.

The first time I ever encountered this art was 20 years ago, when I was shopping with my family at a newly opened shopping centre.

Photography Prints

I managed to frame and sell quite a few of them, all mostly postcard size. I did however, sell a few A4 sized ones too. The feedback was really positive, as people loved the idea and the unique designs I had created.

Crafting these paintings, using this method is quite addictive because each one in individual and you never know what to expect, so the finished product is always a surprise. I remember when I first started I spent two whole days from morning till night making and experimenting.

Sell Art Online

Photography Prints

The artist was demonstrating how to make the paintings using a hot iron and pigmented wax. The designs were more like fantasy landscapes and abstract colours each one unique. I loved them very much and bought a couple to put on my wall.

The second encounter was three years ago at a local festival, where I was given the opportunity to create one of my own. I remember the artist was amazed at my skill level considering that it was my first ever attempt. This was around the time I started painting. A year later my father gave me a small iron which he bought from the local market. I decided to try my hand at this art using the small iron, and got carried away with the immense variety and use of colour, that I destroyed the iron. Nevertheless I created some awesome pieces, here are a few examples.

Photography Prints

I completed around fifty, some I kept while others were just trials which did not work out so good.

I am not making any presently, however I will be going back to it in the future. In the meantime here is a video, of another artist demonstrating the art, to whet your appetite, you may want to give it a go. Good luck :) :)

See yeh
love
Samira

Inspiration from Aboriginal dot paintings

17/10/2013

Recently I received a calendar from a friend in Australia. It had some beautiful dot paintings in vivid colours. I was so inspired by them that I had to have a go. After doing a little research on Aboriginal dot paintings, I learned that the ancients used to do these paintings on rocks and caves.
The images depicted stories and legends from their religion. A lot of them showed aerial views of rivers, lakes, people sitting around campfires and many forms of animals. Rather like looking at a map.

Well, I thought It would be a good idea to, very loosely, base the next theme for my work on dot paintings.

My first piece, ‘The Balance of Life’, shows the Tree of life standing proud in the middle of the picture. On either side of the tree are two campfires, with people surrounding each one. They represent community spirit and the unity of humankind. The tree provides them with shade and sustenance. The stars up above represent the elders and loved ones, who have moved on, but are still keeping a watchful eye on them. Everything is in harmony, perfectly balanced.

Due to problems uploading the picture, I cannot show it here, but you can view it on my Facebook album page.This painting will be up for sale soon. Watch this space!!!

See you later :) :)