I was drawn to art at a very early age and was greatly inspired by my late grandmother, the artist Fahrelnissa Zeid. As a child, I was mesmerized by her paintings, which covered every visible surface- walls, ceilings and even floors. The dazzling kaleidoscope of colours and forms had a lasting effect on me and my approach to art throughout my life. My multicultural background also influences me heavily. Turkey’s rich cultural heritage has always fascinated me and I’m very drawn to Ottoman history. My Swedish roots on the other hand take me back to nature, along with a love for simplicity, ‘freshness’ and minimalism. However, being born and raised in Jordan, I feel thoroughly Jordanian, and I always try to infuse a touch of ‘Arabness’ in my art. I definitely feel fortunate to have these various influences in my life, as a person and as an artist, and I suppose there are elements of all of them in my work.
I have a background in urban design which is why the majority of my works are of urban landscapes. My city, Amman, is often referred to as the “White City”, and as a child I wanted to colour each house a different colour, as if the city was a blank canvas. In soulful cities, there are so many charming little architectural details that one might fail to notice- especially in older neighbourhoods. Recently however I've become happily lost in the freedom of abstraction and organic expressions inspired by the outdoors.
I always rely on a wide variety of media and different textures and I'm drawn to colours that are revitalizing and happy, as is nature’s effects on the soul and spirit. Soulful subjects, whimsical expression, all forms of contrast and interesting juxtapositions through mixed media are what interest me.
The artistic process is much more important to me than the actual product - the creation of the piece and how much of yourself is poured into the work and how much you receive in return as an artist is far more significant than the final physical outcome. The painting guides me and tells me what it wants in a visual conversation where I often approach the blank canvas with no predetermined plan and paint impulsively, guided by an inner force, emotion or mood. I surrender to spontaneity and create layers of chaos through a series of random impulsive actions, after which I re-examine what has emerged on the canvas. I find myself searching for what is of value and what is dispensable. This pleasantly challenging process is repeated several times, layer after layer of chaos followed by “sanity”, until the work tells me that it is complete and I feel no more visual anxiety.
I reach a certain point in the process where I find that I'm no longer in charge, because I've created something that has come alive, and that something is now directing me - so I surrender to the authority of my work.