Pinar Giray
Pinar Giray is a skilled ink and watercolour artist. She paints scenes of nature and creates intricate ink designs depicting a range of images from birds and flowers to the peculiar and whimsical. Her interest in art started at a very early age. She used to draw and design patterns instead of paying attention in class. This is what drew her attention and how she processed the world around her. She was born in Ankara, Turkey and lived in Istanbul until her first year of university when she got married and came to Canada. She became a full time homemaker and a mother but she never stopped making art. She was always doodling, drawing and designing in her spare moments.
Between the years of 1998 - 2003, she took several art classes at the Visual Art Centre in Montreal. She learned from artists; Heather Midori Yamada, Elisabeth Galante and Jose Duclos. In 2012, she took an intensive watercolour class with Pierre Tougas.
In 2007, she had a solo exhibition of her watercolour works in Istanbul, Turkey. You can find her art in numerous private collections across Canada and Turkey. She currently lives with her husband in Montreal where she works out of her home studio.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
In my art I like to capture the beauty in nature and life. Different mediums allow me to express different emotions. My brother used to say our mother was like water and our father was like fire and I think that I unconsciously chose to work with watercolours and ink because of this. I’m driven to capture the harmony between those two mediums.
When I work with watercolours I love seeing the colours free flow with the water, it gives me a sense of peace and at the same time there is a tension that urges me to control and define the flow with soft strokes. With the ink designs I get to be in full control, using fine lines and small intricate markings gives me a sense of structure and definition.
I consider myself to be a surrealist. I always work from my imagination. I love getting lost in the art making process and letting it take over myself. My art is about the many aspects of being alive; memories, relationships, nature, beauty, connecting, sharing, a quest, a challenge, a meaningful pursuit and a compelling journey. Through my work, I seek to impart a sense of vitality and joy, a celebration of life in all its forms.
Pinar Giray is a skilled ink and watercolour artist. She paints scenes of nature and creates intricate ink designs depicting a range of images from birds and flowers to the peculiar and whimsical. Her interest in art started at a very early age. She used to draw and design patterns instead of paying attention in class. This is what drew her attention and how she processed the world around her. She was born in Ankara, Turkey and lived in Istanbul until her first year of university when she got married and came to Canada. She became a full time homemaker and a mother but she never stopped making art. She was always doodling, drawing and designing in her spare moments.
Between the years of 1998 - 2003, she took several art classes at the Visual Art Centre in Montreal. She learned from artists; Heather Midori Yamada, Elisabeth Galante and Jose Duclos. In 2012, she took an intensive watercolour class with Pierre Tougas.
In 2007, she had a solo exhibition of her watercolour works in Istanbul, Turkey. You can find her art in numerous private collections across Canada and Turkey. She currently lives with her husband in Montreal where she works out of her home studio.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
In my art I like to capture the beauty in nature and life. Different mediums allow me to express different emotions. My brother used to say our mother was like water and our father was like fire and I think that I unconsciously chose to work with watercolours and ink because of this. I’m driven to capture the harmony between those two mediums.
When I work with watercolours I love seeing the colours free flow with the water, it gives me a sense of peace and at the same time there is a tension that urges me to control and define the flow with soft strokes. With the ink designs I get to be in full control, using fine lines and small intricate markings gives me a sense of structure and definition.
I consider myself to be a surrealist. I always work from my imagination. I love getting lost in the art making process and letting it take over myself. My art is about the many aspects of being alive; memories, relationships, nature, beauty, connecting, sharing, a quest, a challenge, a meaningful pursuit and a compelling journey. Through my work, I seek to impart a sense of vitality and joy, a celebration of life in all its forms.