Born in Moscow, Maryam Golubeva is a qualified English-Russian translator, teacher and artist. She talks to Teakster about her creative journey.
Maryam at work (Photo by Natalia Bogolyubova)
Please introduce yourself and tell us how you started your interest in the creative field.
My name is Maryam Golubeva, I am a Russia-born Moscow-raised artist with the specialization in Islamic Art and design and I currently live and work in the UK. I started drawing when I was a little girl and I always knew I was going to be an artist. When I was six my parents took me to one of Moscow’s art schools because they’d had enough of me covering all our wallpapers with my cute colourful drawings; since then I’ve never stopped drawing, designing and creating.
The fine art of paper cutting and acrylic engraving are unique crafts. What made you choose them?
I selected these forms of art because they are unique and it allows me to create a completely independent world out of paper or on a piece of acrylic. Once the pattern is cut out or engraved it becomes a 3D independent object which can be applied and used in various aspects of art or design. I enjoy the light and the glow of the pattern when I engrave on acrylic and I like the contrast of shadow and light when I work with paper cutting. Generally I work in different media and I am not limiting myself, recently I got involved in few designer projects designing jewellery emblems and metal screens and grids for the Islamic bank of England. I am also regularly teaching paper-cutting workshops to children and adults in the UK and people book me for festivals and events. Workshops are another form of art, where I make creativity fun and easy to learn in the groups. I utterly enjoy teaching as well.
What is the creative process behind each piece and how long does it take?
First of all, the most time consuming part of the creative process – is to come up with an idea. I take some time to think about it. I ask for the inspiration for a particular project and after some time ideas start flooding into my head. Only then do I actually sit down to draw on paper and if a project requires a digital format I then redraw it in Illustrator. Depending on the complexity of the work, it can take from two weeks up to a month.
With such a unique craft, what are the major difficulties you face?
When I design, I must always make sure all the details of a pattern or writing are joined together for further scissor or laser cutting and are set in proportion with regards the balance of solid and cut-through areas. If I make details too fine and regular they would lose their visual attractiveness. The composition needs to be well balanced and thought through and needs to have a contrast.
Where do you find your inspiration to create your pieces of work?
I take my inspiration from God and I also get inspired by the audience or my students. Once customers give me a brief I tune into their ideas and requirements and try to feel what would be best option for them. I enjoy working on commissions as much as I enjoy creating something for myself. I have an equal amount of inspiration and I am guessing once you start working on a project, inspiration comes automatically. I am grateful to God for his help and guidance in this creative process.
What are the joys and challenges of being a Muslim artist?
The biggest joy of being Muslim artist is the opportunity to communicate to Allah through the creative process and also the opportunity to learn from the great masters and craftsmen of the past, explore the legacy of Islamic art, learn, master it and introduce it back to the modern world for people to enjoy. When it comes to the challenges, I haven’t encountered any so far. Being Russian and working with Islamic art attracts quite a lot of interest from the audience and I feel hugely respected and loved by my customers and people who I work with. The only thing I am careful about is the appropriate and correct use of Quranic verses, and I always take the advice of scholars if I work with writings.
What memorable responses have you had to your work?
I see my art as a gateway to harmony and peace and I am always trying to be in a harmonious state when I work on a particular project. I believe material absorbs and radiates the energy or thoughts of the artist. This is why I am always trying to put positive feelings and ideas in my creations. The most memorable response I had was to my paper cut Flying Carpet. People were saying it is visually impressive work. The most joy I had was when I collaborated with a local poet and we organized a poetry workshop involving Flying Carpet. When kids and adults were sitting on it and composing poetry about their dreams and goals. I think nowadays art needs to be interactive and therefore I love engaging people into my art works in various ways. I always have an interesting story or narrative to go with each design, which helps the audience to understand and enjoy the art I create even more. The workshops also give a positive response when people are happy to learn about Islamic art and rediscover their own cultural heritage.
Allahu Samad (Photo by Natalia Bogolybova)
What plans do you have for your art over the coming year?
In the upcoming year I am planning to develop several designer projects. I see a lot of creative potential in this field applying patterns on objects like furniture or phone covers. At the same time I also want to continue with creating gigantic papercuts and teaching workshops, as it gives me joy of communication and mixing with people which I enjoy immensely and find particularly inspirational.
What advice would you give Muslims who are interested in pursuing the arts?
If you decided to take art as a professional career I would say my advice is be patient, have big goals and dreams, but take it in a step-by-step rational manner. This way you will keep your motivation high and will protect yourself from any disappointments you may experience.
Learn more about Maryam’s work at her website
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The post Artistic approaches: Maryam Golubeva, creator of Islamic art appeared first on Aquila Style.