By Dealing with her empty nest led artist Afshan Quraishi to make a comeback into the art world
When her adult children went abroad for further studies, Afshan Quraishi, a Sharjah resident, found herself besieged with loneliness and despair. While yearning for their presence and mulling over the years that had flown by, Afshan poured her grief on canvas, sketching portraits of her children. These portraits soon became an outlet for her emotions. As the number of canvases steadily grew, so did Afshan’s passion for the arts. In her fifties, she etched the beginning of her new innings — picking up her paint brushes after almost three decades.
Born and raised in an aristocratic family in Kurnool, a small pre-independence princely state in Andhra Pradesh, India, Afshan had trained under well-known artist Aziz Azimi during her school days. But marriage, moving to the UAE, and the birth of her children, led her to take a long break from the art world to work as a primary school teacher. “My comeback journey to becoming a full time visual artist began five years ago. I missed my children, and to fill that void, I started making their sketches. From then on, I started seeing the world through the artist’s eye. Before I knew it, I found inspiration everywhere and realised how therapeutic art is,” she tells Middle East Masala.
Today at 61, Afshan has exhibited at various local and international exhibitions including in Lebanon, Italy, Mauritius, India, Korea and the USA. Her artistic style is a combination of realism with classical overtones. Blending contemporary art, she works mostly with oil paints. To commemorate UAE’s 50th independence anniversary, she created a symbolic painting titled ‘The Golden Legacy’, depicting the metamorphosis of Dubai. In this interview, she talks more about her daily inspirations and advice to other women artists.
What drew you to art? How and when did you start painting?
I had an enriched childhood, where all forms of arts were encouraged from an early age. My mother was a poetess and my father, an avid sportsman. The best thing about growing up in such a culturally rich household was that I was close to my heritage that allowed me to absorb the finer values of life. During my formative years, I was fortunate to have been mentored at home by a noted fine artist of his time. I thrived at art as a regular participant in intercollege art competitions, exhibitions, and at The Fine Arts Society of Kurnool. But painting remained a hobby and I graduated in Botany.
My artistic aspirations were put on hold, once I got married and moved to Dubai in 1982. The challenge of raising a family in a new country, kept me occupied, until my comeback five years ago with a solo exhibition in 2017 at a fertility centre for patients undergoing depression and trauma. It was well received by the audience and the media, encouraging me to continue more such work for meaningful causes. From then on I have given my paintings for auctions at Dubai Cares, Rashid Centre for Children of Determination, Sight Savers Organisation, German Neuro Science Centre and to many other such institutions.
What inspires you to paint ?
The inspiration for my paintings come from nature, the people I meet, or an experience. As an artist I feel, I have a responsibility to bring awareness towards many issues that perhaps go unnoticed. My first solo exhibition, ‘The Comeback’ highlighted that age doesn’t restrict creativity. Older artists can still have long meaningful careers. My second solo, ‘Diversity in Portraits’ in 2019 was my effort to standby tolerance, inclusion and acceptance of each other’s uniqueness. It was also my humble tribute to UAE in declaring 2019 as the year of tolerance. Now I have made ‘The Golden Legacy’ as a tribute to the 50th National Day of UAE tracing the evolution of the nation. The central iconic logo in the artwork represents a ring found during the archaeological exploration in the region adapted as the symbolic logo of Expo 2020, along with other world famous iconic structures in the country. This is my salute to a great nation that makes us feel happy and protected.
Describe a day in your life?
I am an early riser. I always start my day with morning prayers, followed by a brisk walk around Al Khan Corniche, Sharjah. This is also the time when I delve deep into the subjects, that inspire me to paint. Once I am back in my studio, I start sketching these little inspirations. I am a figurative artist and live art practice is an important tool for me. I spend most of the morning on these exercises. The later part of the day is usually dedicated to answering emails, responding to calls or sometimes listening to an art podcast and experimenting on a new technique.
I am grateful for a purposeful life, even in my retirement years. I make sure to be mindful and show gratitude. I wind up my art engagements by 7 pm and try to catch up with my family. I am an avid reader and read a few pages of a favourite book before I sleep.
What do you want people to take back from your work?
I create art to build a bridge between myself and the rest of the world reuniting and recording thoughts, feelings and memories that are best expressed on canvas. I want my patrons to feel connected to my mental imagery and thought process.
What would you say to other artists who have perhaps not followed a conventional path towards art?
I would strongly recommend them to proudly present their work and be confident of their skills. It should not matter that they were not trained artists or had taken a different career path earlier in their life. What is important is finding the passion and enjoying the process. Age is just a number. I personally feel more relaxed and in control of my time now. On my own personal journey, it took me many years to fearlessly showcase my art publicly at the World Art Dubai in 2016 for the first time. I am grateful to my family who stood by me.
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