Sometimes, the more literal you art, the further you are from the truth. Truth, as it turns out, can be found in abstract concepts as much as anyplace else, and oftentimes – more accurately. Such is Maysha Mohamedi’s abstract art.
Based in Los Angeles, Mohamedi’s art translates complex ideas and observations into shapes and colors. “I want to make paintings that feel very true,” she remarked once in an interview with Matter of Hand. “I think I can do that if I don’t control the inception of the idea very much. I’m sort of like a semipermeable membrane; I just look at what’s around me, watch the thoughts that I have, listen to my children, listen to the air. I’m this filter for whatever’s happening around me.”
Her Iranian heritage also plays an important role and is present in the materials themselves. Mohamedi noted that in some cases she uses tubes of Middle Eastern paint imported from Iran. “Up until now I’ve mainly used oil paint,” she added, “but I’m starting to use more materials that are handy like pencils, crayons, and acrylic paint; anything that’s easy to apply and dries quickly.”
The process itself relies on intuition as much as it does on planning. “Everything inspires me,” stresses Mohamedi, talking about her sources of creative inspiration. “I’m a sponge and a filter.” Her work has been profiled in publications such as the LA Times and Huffington Post, on top of a substantial following online.
Below you’ll find some highlights from her Instagram page:
