In many ways, my work is an exploration of my inner self. It’s my way of connecting the my world within, with the one I physically live in outside.
In every piece I create, I unveil a different part of me that was unknown to me. And as much I see myself separated from the world, in every piece of art I create, I realize how connected I am to everyone and everything that lives outside of me.
My work allows me to unearth myself from inside, to explore the world of being a human, coasting every emotion, experiencing every bit of what I hid away from the world. And allowing myself to touch the darkness in me and see its contrast against the light. Freeing the frightened and shameful parts of me I thought I had forgotten about.
Painting allows me to birth my thoughts into existence. Brush strokes, colors, composition, and different mediums are my vocabulary to help me say what I otherwise don’t have the words to say.
I am Mona, a Canadian visual artist who lives in Québec, Canada.
My creative side is rooted in my humble childhood. I come from a creative and artistic family that did not have much and faced many struggles. But as my mother always said: “there is always a way! You just have to look for it outside the box!”
I consider myself lucky to have been born into a creative family. I believe growing up in an environment like that helped me look at everything differently, and allowing my own unique style of creativity to flourish.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been interested in art, making things out of random things, painting over things, and rearranging things! You get the idea!
I remember when I was about 12 or 13, my younger sister needed wrapping paper for a little gift for her friend, but we did not have any at home. So, being the big sister, I grabbed my watercolors and the largest piece of paper I could find, and with a splash here and a swoosh there-voila! I made her a handmade, one-of-a-kind wrapping paper!
Now I don’t know if it was any good in terms of composition, color theory and whatnot, but I felt so happy and so proud to have created something beautiful. It was an amazing feeling!
Fast forward here I am, YEARS later, and I still like to do my splashing and swishing and every time I finish a piece, I feel the same kind of joy.
I’ve studied graphic design and have taken many different art courses throughout my artistic career. I have experimented with different art forms such as photography, digital art, and collage. However, painting is my main passion.
To look at a blank canvas and imagine all the possibilities; to me, it’s pure freedom. It’s my medium to say how I feel and how I experience the world around me without using words.
Picking up a brush and painting away transports me into a different universe. Somewhere exciting! Somewhere that the unexpected is accepted.