insideKENT Magazine Issue 97 - April 2020 | Page 16

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
KENT ARTIST PROFILE:
MOJDEH SHIRAZI
MOJDEH SHIRAZI’S ART IS A BEAUTIFUL MIX OF MEDIA, OF COLOURS, OF STYLES, AND OF
EMOTIONS. MIXED TOGETHER, SHE CREATES STUNNING ARTWORK THAT CONTAINS BOTH
MOVEMENT - SHE IS AN AVID DANCER - AND TECHNICAL SKILL. AS WELL AS BEING AN ARTIST,
MOJDEH IS A BIOMEDICAL SCIENTIST WORKING FOR THE NHS.
16
Tell us a little about yourself and your work What inspires you? What is your artistic vision?
I am a self-taught artist living in Kent, originally
from Persia (now known as Iran), I have lived in the
UK for most of my life. When I was living in Spain
in 2001, I started exploring my creativity by making
mixed media greeting cards using a variety of recycled
and natural materials. I found a lot of interest in my
work and received a number of requests for Christmas
and other greeting cards. Since returning to the UK
in late 2004, I have expanded my work to abstract
as well as botanical and landscape paintings. I still
enjoy creating collages where I use mainly natural
materials, dried foliage, flowers, acrylic and oil paint,
and other objects that I find interesting and add
depth to my work - enhancing it with subtle touches
of silver and golden fibres. However, I don’t have a
favourite media. I enjoy experimenting and currently
am working with coloured ink pencils and pastels. I draw my inspirations from rich, vivid colours and
textures of nature. Also, as a passionate dancer, I
like to create a sense of movement into my artwork.
My work is fascinated by interplay of colour, light
and movement, and is inspired by spontaneity and
imagination, as well as past and recent memories
that have left an imprint on my mind; be it a
landscape, a flower or a stone wall. One of the more
challenging commissions I have had was when a
scientist colleague gave me a duck egg and asked
me to use it for inspiration and create a wall hanging
for her daughter’s room. I was relieved and delighted
that they were both happy with the outcome. Art is very subjective, particularly abstract art, and
if my work can create a sense of wonder or stir
emotions such as joy, hope or calm in viewers eyes,
then I feel I have succeeded. My vision is to dedicate
more time to my artwork, explore new techniques
and create larger abstract pieces, and have them
exhibited more globally.
Do you have any artistic heroes?
I have many artistic heroes, to name a few: Monet,
Ruskin, Barbazon, Fred Cuming and Elizabeth
Blackadder.
Where can we see your work?
I have held a number of exhibitions during the last
few years and since joining Bromley Art Society in
2010 I have taken part in a number of exhibitions
organised by BAS as well as exhibiting internationally.
You can see more of my work on my website,
www.msartworld.com and on Instagram
@MojdehSonrisa.