Project art21

By Salam Mhd Aref

Laylah Aliuntitled, Gouache and pencil on

paper, 2000

Layla’s work can be seen as comic drawings painted with Gouache colors, but they, in fact, have a much deeper meaning. Each piece takes her months to execute, planning every single detail ahead of time before even starting the painting. I find that very different than other artists’ approach, who chose to be spontaneous. She is inspired by events that happen around her; the energy of her observations and events goes through her body as energy and goes out as a new inspiration for a new painting.

In this example of her work, she choses to discuss violence and conflicts, taking politics out of the picture to make it more approachable. Her inspiration comes from the culture that surrounds her. She’s a big fan of dark-skinned characters that holds mystery and beauty, but in this example, she uses green heads so it relates to every conflict without referring to a certain race.

Salam Aref, The New Normal, 2013, art markers and pencil on paper, 8.5x11

I’ve chosen to discuss violence, alsothrough cartoony characteristics that are inspired by Layla’s work. Although, this painting speaks of my own personal experience through the war happening in my country, Syria, I felt the urge of keeping it more general to feel the pain of other suffering nations and make it relate to everyone. In some countries, the “New Normal” is not a series that they watch on TV, but a movie they are stuck in. Reality in some countries means grenades growing on trees, showers of rockets and rivers of blood. The people I feel most sad for are the children who are flying like butterflies to the heavens, escaping this ugly reality.

Maargaret Kilgallen, Linda Mar, 1999, Color spitbite and sugerlift,

aquatint with softground on somerset soft white paper, 18x12

Margaret’s passion is drawing pictures of her Heroines that are not really known to people. She tries to shed light on inspiring women since they are very few of them that are known. Drawing in public places like trains, or any piece of paper that she founds helps her show her appreciation to those women.

I couldn’t get any information about who the women in the picture is, but by looking at it, it seems to be a female surfer, someone who touched Margaret’s heart. Using simple illustrated lines, Margaret expresses her appreciation in a very clear way.

Salam Aref, inner heroine, color markers on paper, 6.5x6.5

Drag picture to placeholder or click icon to addThe moment that Margaret started talking about her Heroines, I immediately though of my mom. If she knew her, she would definitely add her to her list. Yes, all of our moms are our heroines because of the sacrifices they have done. But my mom is an inspiration to me with her love of life, humility, fun character, energy, artistic talent and social intelligence. I’ve used a simple color (my mom’s favorite, although it looks darker in the picture) and illustrated, clean lines.

TRENTON DOYLE HANCOCKIt's Between You and the Dark What

Happened in Central Park, 2013Acrylic and mixed media on canvas

30 x 24 1/2 inches

Trenton gets his inspiration from the used materials around him; old buttons, fabrics, etc. After years of work, he felt that his work should be more mature, so he went with something more realistic. He started incorporating his image somehow in his paintings and images of real-life moments.

This example uses a pattern that is repetitive in more than just one of his paintings. This pattern represents the tiles of his grandmother’s house, a place where he spent so much time laying down on and drawing. He got reminded of it when he went to someone’s bathroom and saw the same exact pattern that brought all the memories back to him. It came to him during a time when he was looking for a new ground to stand on.

Salam Aref, childhood in tiles, 2013, markers on colored paper, 8.5x11

I also remember the tiles of the house that I spent my childhood in. It wasn’t the prettiest -with it’s blocky black shapes-, but I spent great amount of times on those tiles, doing all sorts of things. I went back to my childhood pictures that my parents took of me in that house that shows the tiles, and I drew the pictures of what I was wearing in it. I don’t have any sisters, so my parents made sure to dress me up with something different in each picture. This is part of my past and my identity.