I started watching the Netflix original show Abstract recently thanks to a friend’s recommendation and the superstars highlighted in the show got me thinking (yet again) about how art entered my life. My mother is the only creative person I can think of in my immediate family. She used to paint in her youth and still enjoys doing artistic activities. Other than her, I had a ceramics instructor  who could have been the one to ignite my interest.

I didn’t think I had a natural gift because I felt like I couldn’t draw a masterpiece on cue unlike others but I knew that it was something that made me feel fulfilled. I don’t recall why I stopped drawing after high school but I picked up my pastels again a few months ago. Ever since then, I have noticed that my sleep is most peaceful when I draw the night of.

The painting featured in the photo is inspired by Henri Manguin’s painting (featured above) that I saw while in Madrid with my family this December. The other is a photo of me titled by my mother as ‘Cansu and Picasso’.

In my drawing, I only capture the women with her back facing the observer. One, because the surrounding environment is often more appealing to me than faces, and two, because I love drawing the female shape and with her, all you see is her figure. I love Manguin’s use of vibrant colours and I wanted this to be the focus of my drawing and attempted to recreate that women with her back towards me. I think with future posts on my art work, you will be able to notice the trend of bright colours and women. I would love to hear your opinions in the comments and also to received any advice. Every artist has a style and currently I’m trying to figure mine out while attempting to recreate works by some of my favourite artists.