What are the main concerns of your practice?
My practice is mainly concerned with giving calligraphy – specifically Arabic calligraphy – a monumental body. Recently this has taken the form of sculpture. Most of my work looks at the idea of spirituality.

 

 

 

 

 

What are your influences?

Well, I went on a pilgrimage in December to Saudi Arabia – that’s got to be my main influence considering where my practice has come now. I’m not sure I would’ve been making this kind of work if it weren’t for the pilgrimage. In terms of artists, recently I’ve been looking a lot at the work of El Seed. He’s a Tunisian artist who uses a calligraphy style of graffiti all over the world. I think I’m also very influenced by the paintings of Cy Twombly.

 

What is the first thing you do in your process?  

I think about colour a lot. I also like to make a lot of little sketches – just little thumb print ideas as I go around. Sometimes photography is really useful for this, when I’m out and about, in order to capture an idea and get it flowing. Then once I’ve got an idea, I just get a canvas and start working.

 

What do you enjoy most about the studio?

I think it’s really useful being able to come in and have a place where your surrounded by your own work. Recently we’ve tried out setting each studio up based on our specific media, so it’s nice to be surrounded by other painters whilst you’re painting. I guess it creates a kind of atmosphere where you all want to work.

 

How has your work changed over the course of the degree?

Initially I was a painter – that’s what I arrived at university thinking I wanted to be. Eventually, after being pushed further and further out of my comfort zone – painting on a much larger scale, and using the paint more freely – I have begun to think more sculpturally about these painterly shapes. I’m still making paintings but I now wouldn’t consider my work solely painting based.

 

What are your plans after graduation?

I’m doing a PGCE at Cambridge next year, and after that I’d like to travel and teach English and Art, whilst continuing to make art myself as well.