Category: Unity - Arimas Arts

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 :)

You're Not Alone

14/2/2016

The New Year is the bringer of possibilities and opportunities in work and your personal life. However, for some it can be the coming of challenges that need to be met. This year has been particularly difficult as quite a few close family members have passed away in such a short time.

Many people believe that when you pass away you are gone forever. Some think that they are still present even though we cannot see them. I suppose this will always remain a mystery. I, however, think that our memories and the love in our hearts keeps them alive and close to us, almost as though they are still present. When you feel lonely you can always tap into special moments that can put a smile on your face.

Often those who have moved on are thought to be our guardian angels, keeping watch over us whilst we journey on in this world. It is with this in mind that I have painted this picture to show that ‘You’re not alone.’
Here are the stages of the painting….

Love and blessings

Samira :)

A Moment in Time

5/12/2015

I often wonder sometimes what we are doing here. A few days ago, we went out, as a family to York because my son wanted to buy something for a project he was doing at school. York is a wonderful town in North Yorkshire, full of history and wonder. It was cold and very windy and later in the afternoon it rained. However, it was a beautiful day. It did not matter what the weather was like, what mattered was that we all enjoyed that particular moment in time. Me and the rest of the family.

Life goes on, things come and go, yet we as human beings tend to get caught up with work and the daily chores that come our way.

Take time out, and enjoy life. Don’t let life run you, you run your life. Enjoy every moment because it’s time to live life to the fullest. It’s time to enjoy ‘A Moment in Time’.

My thoughts on my wife’s painting, ‘A Moment in Time’.

Hanif

Meeting on the Bridge

18/10/2015

Hi folks, a couple of months ago I painted this painting called 'Meeting on the Bridge'. It showed two lovers meeting on a bridge making plans of their future together. Again this painting was based on an oriental theme. I really wanted to paint lots of trees with different colours a relaxing body of water with water lilies and a bridge to add to the beauty of this quiet secluded area where people could come and meet in peace and quiet, sit and dream together.

Well I put it up in the Healthy Spirit café until one day I received an email from my sister- in – law. She told me that a customer, who was a member of a spiritual reading group read a passage to her and then said to look at my painting hung on the wall. She said it was a very moving experience for her, so much so that they decided to print the poem out and place it next to my painting. Well I thought it would be a good idea to share it with you. It is by Nayyirah Waheed, I hope you like it.

“Someone can be madly in love with you and still not be ready. They can love you in a way you have never been loved and still not join you on the bridge. And whatever their reasons you must leave. Because you never ever have to inspire anyone to meet you on the bridge. You never ever have to convince someone to do the work to be ready. There is more extraordinary love, more love that you have never seen, out here in this wide and wild universe. And there is the love that will be ready.”

Nayyirah Waheed

By the way this painting is now sold. Here are the different stages of my painting.

Keep smiling

Samira :)

Meeting on the Bridge...........SOLD

Mindfulness

12/7/2015

Mindfulness is the act of being aware of your surroundings, being present and in the moment rather than in the future and what may be. This helps to clear your thoughts and mind from the chatter of the world. You become more focused and alert to the environment that you are in. Life slows down for you.

If we all do this everyday, I believe our lives would change for the better and we would see the beautiful Earth in its true colours. Here are the different stages of my latest painting which I have named it, 'Mindfulness'.

I have also added a link to a Youtube video aswell.

Keep on Smiling

Samira :)

Lovers Walk

20/2/2014

I thoroughly enjoyed painting this, as I experimented with different brush strokes and brighter colours to what I usually do. The sky was painted by dabbing individual strokes rather than sweeping ones. I will definitely use this method again as it was very effective and gave a different feel. The colours used were more vibrant, certainly bolder than usual which presented me with a different kind of challenge. Some of the colours used were purer than I would typically go for. Nevertheless I loved painting it and will certainly do this again.

This painting emits a feeling of relaxation, warmth and reminds me of the time when I was engaged to my now husband. We would go for long walks in the park to plan our future and dream of things to come. Little did I know that years later I would be doing this, but with my whole family, who have children of their own and plans of their future together. To find out more about the family just click the link below....

http://www.arimasarts.com/2/post/2014/01/a-special-mention-to-my-family-and-friends.html

Photography Prints

This painting was inspired by the artist known as Leonid Afremov. I love his work, it is so unique and his style easily recognisable, as he uses very vibrant colours that make your heart sing when you look at them. Leonid generally applies the paint with a palette knife. Another thing I love about him is that his paintings are just that, paintings, they do not have hidden meanings or agendas, rather they are meant to evoke emotions and feelings and often reflect his own memories. Here is a link to view his work.

By the way the original painting is for sale on my website. If you would like a closer look at it then just go on the flowers and gardens page. Thanks for your time.

Love and Peace

Samira :)

A Special Mention to my Family and Friends.

10/1/2014

I would like to thank all of my friends and family who have made it possible for me to do my magic on the canvas.

First and foremost thank you to my family without whom I would not have had the confidence to get my work out there for everyone to appreciate. You are my rock, you are the wind beneath my wings. :) I love you guys.

Hanif, you are my husband and I love you so much. Even though we have been married for Twenty six years, it feels like yesterday. You are the one who has kept me going with this project even when I was about to give up. You are also my biggest critic, and full of ideas like putting U.F.O's into my paintings and a few animals here and there. Always up for a laugh and your dad jokes are amazing too. Like I said you should start up a facebook page with your unique jokes. Here is a picture of one of our finer moments full of fun and frolics ....

My boys what can I say you are a part of me and always will be. All those sleepless nights, tantrums, dirty nappies and me taxiing you around were worth it. You have grown up to be talented and creative individuals in your own right. You have taught me to take life with a pinch of salt and a heavy dose of humour and patience. Your never-ending advice on how I should paint and promote myself has always been welcomed. Living with you all is like living in a soap opera, full of drama and intrigue, you make my life joyful and interesting. Thanks for choosing me to be your mum. Life would be incomplete without you.

My dear daughter-in-laws . You are the daughters I never had and wished for often. I feel more like a friend to you than a mother-in-law. Even though you are like chalk and cheese, you are the best of friends and much needed female companions for me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for marrying my sons and loving them unconditionally, but also increasing the female vote in family meetings. My wish for all of you is that you remain happy, healthy and content for the rest of your lives. I would also like to say a special thank you for liking my facebook page and asking others to as well. One day I will get to 100 likes.

Must not forget my cutesy grand-daughter. Even though you learnt my name the last of all and now cannot stop saying it, I love you. you have brought joy, laughter and playfulness into our lives. You have definitely made us a lot fitter since being born with your insistence on dancing and playing ringa ringa roses. I am enjoying all the pleasures of having a baby daughter without the nappy changes and sleepless nights. Thank you for your surprised look every time I show you a new painting :O . We are honoured to have you in our family. Bleeeeessss you.

Now a big thank you to my paint brushes for being there when I need you and allowing me to cover you with paint and swish you about making all kinds of pretty little things on a canvas. Without you this would be a waste of time and a heck of a lot messier if I used my fingers. I promise to look after you the best way I can. Oh I must not forget to mention my paint knives for adding another dimension to my paintings .

Furthermore, thank you my paints for adding colour to my life, and allowing me to express myself when I feel like it. Without you there would be not painting, life would be dull and colourless.

Last but not least I would like to thank the corner of my kitchen for allowing me to create and support my equipment. you have been there for me ever since we had the extension, but I did not acknowledge your importance until I realised I could paint. Sorry for that and for splattering your walls with paint. I am trying my best not be a messy painter. I also promise to paint your walls one day, until then forgive me.

Bless you all for making my dreams come true. MAY YOU ALL LIVE LONG AND PROSPER!!!

Love Samira.

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 :)

Sacred Union

22/11/2013

I thought I would talk about one of my new paintings, called Sacred Union. It illustrates the coming together of the female and male energy. This was the third of the series 'Inspired by Aboriginal Art'. It celebrates the union of two people in love. How their energies affect the environment and in turn the universe. The energies start off as separate and then blend into one as their hearts and minds unite.

I decided to keep the couple as silhouettes so that it can represent anyone rather than specific people. The multicoloured rainbow represents the chakras, which are illuminated as their bond deepens. The white dots above them portrays the energy reaching out to the universe and in turn changing their environment.

This painting has proven to be a popular one on Fine Art America. It has been featured, and people have commented on it as being, "Beautiful artwork", "Very creative and imaginative". To buy the original please click this link:

http://www.arimasarts.com/store/p18/ID%3A_82_Sacred_Union.html

If you prefer a variety of prints and canvases to cater for your tastes then click here:

Photography Prints

This painting reminds me of a book called 'The Celestine Prophecy', by James Redfield, which was also made into a film. It teaches you about using your intuition to improve your life. Coincidences are merely guidance and opportunity presented to us by the universe. If we take these opportunities then our lives can greatly improve and blockages can be released. In order for any of this to work one must have faith in it and an open mind to accept that nothing is impossible.

I thoroughly recommend this book as it also explains how relationships work and how to deal with the universal energies that surround us. Here is a clip from the film 'Celestine Prophecy', to illustrate what I mean.

To see the full movie trailer see link below:

With love

Samira

My Aboriginal inspired dot art paintings

26/10/2013

I have just finished the paintings Inspired by Aboriginal dot art. There are four paintings.

The Balance of Life is the first, depicting harmony on Earth between man, nature and the Universe.

The second painting, 'The Awakening', conveys the message of the hidden Gaia, the forgotten spirit of Earth. The picture shows this underappreciated energy blasting through Earth and awakening its children, the human race.

The third of the series, 'Sacred Union', celebrates the sacred union of two people in love. How their energies
affect the environment and in turn the universe. The energies start off as separate and then blend into one as their hearts and minds unite.

Last of all, 'Elements Combine', portrays the melding of two elements, water and fire, into a synergistic relationship - harmonizing in form and colour.