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Shazia is a 38 year old Yorkshire artist that paints portraits with a difference. Although most portraits express the personality and mood through the eyes and mouth Shazia doesn’t. Shazia debut exhibition called ‘Sugar and Spice’ has 4 portraits all of which have no mouths and tiny little eye that look very much like full stops. Even though some of the most important facial features are absent or minimal the pictures are still full of character. In this exhibition all 4 of the prints are child like figures and although at a quick glance these look very similar the longer you admire them the more difference you will notice. They do have the same round head, the tiny eyes and the same small nose but they definitely have there own personalities. The reason Shazia’s portraits have no mouths is simply because she did not think they needed them. She started by painting the head and the hair and she always left there faces till last. The hair gives them a lot of there character and when I started to put there faces on I did the eyes and the tiny little triangular nose and realised there was no need for the mouth as they were already complete. This means they communicate though other means rather than using a mouth. Shazia admits she doesn’t understand why it works but if I had given them mouth the whole picture would have changed. Shazia wants people to look at her portraits so has surrounded them with a block of colour to draw your eyes to the children she has been painting. These four are set low in the square pictures to give the impression of them being children.
Shazia was brought up in a strict Muslim family and they did not support her as a young child as a painter, although she was a very talented painter and her teachers encouraged her to pursue her talent it wasn’t seen as a good career for a Muslim as you should not draw nature or faces. I knew I wanted to draw so I started following my dream at school but it was not spoken about at home. Once I had told my family that I wanted to make drawing my career and go to college to continue following my dream they kind of gave in and let me do so. I did graduate from University I decide to go backpacking which gave me the strength and ideas to develop ideas. Also this helped me return to the basic and draw only with a pen and paper.
Shazia, who is the mother of 2 little boys, went to Leeds Metropolitan University and is a Graphics Design graduate. She has built up a following in the last few years by selling her picture in a West Yorkshire gallery in Ilkley. After thinking long and hard she decided it was time to try and get her ‘Sugar and Spice’ collection printed. So the four little characters were wrapped up individually and posted to Washington Green. I wanted to actually send them the pictures rather than an email as I wanted to do it the old fashioned way. I wanted it to feel like they was opening a present and be delighted by what they saw. I did not know what would happen or what the outcome would be and the feedback has been amazing. It scary but exciting having your first exhibition it is the start of a new era as me being an artist. These pictures are my best, most frank and honest sketches and when I look back at them it takes me back to where they was drawn.
She came back to the UK after her travels and worked as a commercial artist until her 2 sons were born. She found herself painting on the wall of the nursery. One character in particular captured her heart and she decided to put her on to canvas. The character she called Anna had a big collar and had her hair in braids. I loved the fact that everyone can think of a different story for her and this is what I have tried to add to all those in ‘Sugar and Spice’. People who have looked at these 4 pieces say one of them reminds them of a family member or friend and can tell you a fabulous story about them.
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