Peace and calm in water colours

LAHORE:Amera Rasheed, the renowned self-taught brilliant water colourist who hails from Peshawar, is inspired by visually pleasing colour combinations, and attracted by subdued and blended, contrasting and vibrant palettes, which leave a refreshing effect on the viewers of her creations.

Talking to The News on Friday, Amera spoke about her art in detail, saying that “I taught myself how to paint at a young age, and did my first oil painting when I was 11. My love for painting drove me to earn a BA Honors in Fine Arts from University of Peshawar, where I was a gold medalist and specialised in textile design. Over the years I have continued to paint, and held a few successful exhibitions of fabric paintings. COVID-19 lockdown helped me to rediscover my passion for painting, and I now spend hours painting every day. The internet has been a very useful resource for both online tutorials to learn new painting techniques, and beautiful photographs, drawings and paintings to draw inspiration from and reproduce.”

Speaking about her own likings in her work and the mediums which pleased her the most, Amera pointed out that “I work in all mediums, water, oil and acrylic, though water colour is my favourite. I am inspired by visually pleasing colour combinations, and attracted by subdued and blended, contrasting and vibrant palettes. I particularly enjoy painting trees and water, and these elements feature heavily in my paintings. I work to project feelings of peace and calm through my work, and to remind viewers to pause and reflect on the beauty of the natural world around us.”