My name is Sehrish Hussain and I am a student, a wife, a daughter, a cook, and an artist. I don’t usually forget parts of who I am. But at times I don’t feel like an artist, so I choose not to remember that part of myself because it’s easier than admitting I am not the artist I want to be. Working at the Studio Gallery, though, I have been reminded of how much I love art, being around artists, and creating. From inventory to sales, being surrounded by art gave me so much joy.
About a month into the internship, I realized I was missing something. I had curated a routine for myself in DC--cooking, exploring, working, exercising--but I realized that I had stopped being an artist and creating work myself. One day, I was suddenly so overwhelmed with emotion that I told myself I would draw the first thing I saw. I went into my kitchen and saw a banana. That was all it took to begin my journey of making art again. I realized the distance I created from my identity of being an artist was a result of fear. Reflecting on these periods in my life, I always gave excuses on why I didn’t have enough time or didn’t have enough ideas to get started on any artwork. But, in the end it was fear of not being a good enough artist.
I came into the gallery that day telling both Madison and Halley about how much I missed painting, printmaking, and drawing. I showed them my drawing of a banana and we had a great conversation about the reality of missing something you love. Halley gave me a great idea to write a blog about my newfound drawing journey. She told me to pick a few artists from the gallery that inspired me and to just draw. I took her advice and this is what I came up with.
The first person I took inspiration from is Gordon Binder. He paints skylines, cityscapes, landscapes and more. The colors in his paintings and expressive nature are what drew me into his pieces at first.
To replicate these colors without paint and just a pencil and paper was difficult. However, I learned a few tricks to replicate his expressive nature, like drawing with only a pen. With a pen I was forced to think less about perspective and accuracy, and more about expression because I didn’t have an option to erase. Here I have a few pieces that I drew inspired by Gordon’s work.
Georgetown Skyline
Studio Gallery in Dupont Circle
Along with Gordon’s work, I also drew inspiration from Yvette Kraft’s expressive portraits. The special part of Yvette’s pieces is that each person she depicts has a distinct personality.
I struggled with this because I focused too much on trying to be realistic and creating drawings that were perfect. Below I have an example of a portrait I have done and what I am used to.
I experimented more with being expressive shown below.
Finally, I got to the point where I was having fun and abstract with my portraits seen here:
Overall, I found that I need projects like this that stimulate my creative side. I never want to forget the part of myself that is an artist. It influences large parts of me. How I show love for things I enjoy like nature, cooking, and learning is through an artistic lens. And if I lose that “how”, I get really lost. This summer, working at the gallery has taught me a lot about myself as an artist and how I hope to continuously create.
If you are feeling a lack of inspiration in your art practice, I recommend surrounding yourself with artwork that speaks to you. One way to find those pieces you engage with is to check out your local galleries like the Studio Gallery!