Mazarine Memon is a Neo-Impressionist painter living in Toronto, Ontario. Memon was born in Bombay (Mumbai) to an eccentric, fun-loving, Zoroastrian (Parsee) family. By default, she is an endangered species as there are less than 70,000 Parsees left. Memon is of Iranian ancestry, Indian by birth, Italian at heart, and Canadian by choice. She works out of The Art Brewery, her studio where she is constantly embarking on new ventures and projects. Memon’s current project is an art book that will help artists ‘define their style’ and ‘overcome creative blocks’
Self-taught or Art School?
A mix of both really. I studied applied art for five years at the prestigious Sophia Polytechnic, in Mumbai to get ready for a career in advertising. This was before the digital era. Unlike today, the 80s was mostly analogue, which meant that advertising art directors like me, needed to be able to draw and illustrate.
After spending a few years in advertising, I felt that my spirit constrained by an advertising client brief. So I quit the advertising industry to become a full-time artist and my applied art degree became the foundation of my career as an artist.
If you could own one work of art, what would it be?
I love portraits and have always loved Rembrandt’s style of portraiture, which is why I am a big fan of Tony Sherman, a fantastic contemporary Canadian painter. Tony is known for his use of encaustic and portraiture to depict persons and events of historical significance or popularity. His use of light for his portraits is very Rembrandt-isqe.
If I could own one piece, it would be Tony Sherman’s largest and most spectacular piece.
How would you describe your style?
An art critic at one of my shows described my style as “mysteries in colour.” The moniker has stuck because my works are not completely obvious; you need to find clues to decipher the subject. My style takes advantage of the neuroscience phenomenon, called Pareidolia (per‐ī‐ˈdō-lē-ə). Pareidolia is our tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern, like a dragon in the clouds or a face on the moon.
In fact, I have an art workbook coming out next month by the same name ‘Mysteries In Colour’
Can you tell us about your artistic process?
The most important thing is first to conceptualize the subject of the painting. Once I have the concept figured out, I throw inks on canvas and control (even guide) how the inks flow to forms colourful splashes until I find a hint of the subject I intended to paint.
That is pareidolia in play, and it becomes the starting point of the painting. From here on, I use paints to tease out the form of the subject and accentuate it to become a little more evident. In essence, I add a few more clues to define the subject a bit more and so that the viewer can see what I see.
I believe the fluid underpainting that I start with makes my work feel organic and fluid; this is accentuated further by using two or three mediums.
Is narrative important within your work?
Yes, a story makes it purposeful and much more memorable. I often use inspiration from current global events, social causes, or an opinion piece, which helps me create a body of work with an overarching storyline. The key is for the viewer to connect to it the way I did.
Who are your favourite artists and why?
My favourite artists span many continents. I am from India, I have lived in the UAE for nearly a decade, and we immigrated to Canada, and I call Toronto home.
There was a time in my career when I was drawn to old masters and the classical style of oil paintings, especially portraiture. However, with time and as my own art has evolved, I am now a fan of contemporary art, where the works seem so simple and yet carry much depth.
Here are 3 from each region.
Zarina Hashmi – Zarina, as she was professionally known, was an Indo-America artist. Her identity as a minority Muslim woman, born in Aligarh, India, before the partition and her lifetime of travelling informed her work. Her style is subtle and minimalistic and utilizes abstract and geometric forms to evoke a spiritual reaction from the viewer. Her works are part of the permanent art collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney. She was part of India’s first-ever national pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale in 2011.
Mahmoud Saïd – Is the son of Egypt’s Prime Minister, Saïd’s oil paintings employ Western techniques to capture his native Egypt, depicting scenes of contemporary life that reference the country’s long history. His subjects include veiled, statuesque women filling water jars at the edge of ancient temples, men in turbans drawing water from wells, dances and scenes of Islamic ritual.
Jean-Paul Riopelle – Also known as the Abstract expressionist, was the only Canadian artist involved with the seminal post-World War II School of Paris. I genuinely love his style as it’s almost the way I start when working with the application of colour directly onto my canvas. Jean-Paul’s Abstract Expressionist paintings are characterized by the use of paint squeezed directly from the tube and freely applied with a palette knife in thick demonstrative strokes.
What or who inspires your art?
I can’t pinpoint a single thing; I find inspiration all around me. I look for art in my everyday life. When I lay out my charcuterie boards, I think art; when I buy bouquets of fresh flowers, there is a vision for how I’d like to arrange them. Walks almost always get longer because I try and capture interesting textures I might find along the way; it could be a mass of gooey leaves against the drains or moss on the side of a house. Just about anything that catches my eye is filed away as inspiration.
Where’s your studio and what’s it like?
I repurposed my detached garage into an art studio with all the trappings of a studio, including a skylight. We call it the Art Brewery, where I brew my creative ideas.
With my husband and son working from home this past year, through all the covid lockdowns, the Art Brewery has been my creative sanctuary.
Do you have any studio rituals?
If there is one thing that I cannot do without when I enter my studio is music. From a CD player to a cassette player to the radio, and if I could drag my turntable to play my vinyl, I would! Another thing I almost always do is burn sage or the Paolo Santo wood. It’s the coming alive of all senses that get me inspired to start working.
I leave a rolled yoga mat under my desk and often play meditation music just because it feels good. And last, there is always a candle burning when I am in the studio or an incense stick.
What are you working on currently?
I have always dreamt of being a published author and, in fact, have two manuscripts ready. But a year ago, I did a deep dive into an art workbook that took me a couple of years to plan and now it’s almost ready for publication.
This project is very close to my heart, not only because it truly encompasses my proprietary style and utilizes pareidolia, but also because I see this as the creative outlet needed in our world and our lives today.
Everyone has an artist within; this art workbook titled ‘Mysteries in Color™ should help people find their inner artist, control the wandering mind, silence negative voices and unleash their creativity. It will also work as digital detox from social media.
I also have an upcoming solo exhibition in Léon, France this July. It is a retrospective of two decades and some new works.
Where can we buy your art?
My art can be bought directly through my website. https://www.mazarinememon.com/
The collections are also updated on my social media platforms;
www.instagram.com/mazarinememon
www.facebook.com/mazarinememon
https://www.linkedin.com/in/visual-artist-mazarine-memon/
There are several payment options available. For those who wish to custom commission a piece, I have a form on the site that they can fill in their requirements and I will get in touch with them to discuss the details on how to start the process.
A lot of my collectors usually send me an email and prefer a bank transfer payment rather than purchase it online. I am happy to accommodate, what works best for the buyer. I would definitely encourage people to subscribe to my newsletter for updates on collection launches and special offers. This list gets a preview and access to purchase before the collections go live.
