Featured Artist: Blair Vina

Ms. Vina was born in 1988 and raised in Johor, the southern part of the Peninsular of Malaysia, a place where one would be able to realise the beauty of nature and at the same time tapping into busy daily lives of a city. This unique environment has perfectly shaped Vina into who she is now and enable her to see the surrounding through her artistic eyes. Conceptualising the daily life she encountered into colour patterns and surreal images are the subject of Ms. Vina Lee’s paintings. She sees herself as an observer, having a deep affection towards the nature, emotions, feelings and spirituality that she encounters along the way and turn them into paintings.

Her compassion in the arts has driven her to excel in photography and paintings. Largely a selftaught painter, she believes that art is an effective communication tool that could touch others’ hearts. She combines different techniques of art, to create layered surfaces and strong palette, allowing them to flow together and create a lyrical, yet deeply concrete image. She also uses exquisite photo manipulation techniques to create surreal images that are thematically focused on identity, relationships, emotions and dreams. Her immaculate technique and subtle conceptual ideas create beautiful evocations of universal emotions, desire and despair.

How would you describe your work?

Creative models, diversified manifestations.

How do you select your subject matter?

Themes that are full of philosophical speculations.

What inspires your creativity and art work?

Mingle memories, meditation, life an artistic creations into a style of my own.

How do you create one of your works/what’s unique or unusual about your technique/process?

I use brushes, scrapers to create long lines and shrivelling touches.

Did you begin with this style or was it an evolution?

I started from Fluid arts to Abstract paintings.

Blue Dragon

Which artists inspire your work?

Jackson Pollock.

Outside of art what other subjects inspire your work?

Travel has ignited my attempts to bold innovations.

How do view your work?

I have done bold attempts and had a great break through, so I am very satisfied the work I produce.

How did your education help you become an artist?

Education does very little to my work. It is the creative feelings and imagination together with my environment that has shape me into this.

Over & Over

What’s the worst thing you have experienced about your work?

I was criticised about not being qualified. I then regurgitated and immersed myself into serious thinking, reviewing myself and changing.

Do you feel pressure as an artist?

I feel happy and not stressed as art allows me to live in my world. Drawing has shown me the lifestyle that I want. It has allowed me to see the different sides of me, my values, my views and my tastes.

Do you learn from criticism of your work?

I learn from critique to enter the public world and I have made more friends learning to be bold and so breaking through, instead of being confined in my little world. This has brightene up my life with lots of colours.

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What’s your future plans?

I plan to join more arts exhibitions worldwide, so enabling people to get to know my work and my cultural belief.

If you wasn’t an artist what would you be?

An Investor, I was a full time Investor before I join the field of Arts in Malaysia.

What’s the future for art?

It’s future is full of unpredictable potential.

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What advice would you give to someone trying to start an art career?

To start your work boldly as there will be someone who will appreciate and recognise you eventually.

What’s been your biggest success?

To be recognised by the artists and the field of Arts.

DISCOVER MORE

www.blair-art-gallery.com

Blue Ocean