Pakistanis have a great amount of talent. Often, we come across people who leave us stunned with their incredible work. Tehreem Pasha-Jaffar is one such individual.
Tehreem is a Dubai-based Pakistani artist whose amazing calligraphy and Islamic art make us stand and stare in awe.
She’s been into art for as long as she can remember. Talking to us about how she got into all of this, here’s what she shared:
“When I was young, about 3-4 years old, I used to draw these random shapes with multiple colors (in my head they were some kind of characters) and other doodles and keep handing it all to my father. That is the earliest memory I have of creating something. And as I grew older, things just made sense and today I’d like to believe it was my calling because I feel absolute zen when I sit and create.”
Inspired heavily by nature, Tehreem’s pieces tend to reflect the same.
“My thought process and my color palettes very much revolve around nature. The patterns it holds, the geometry that it displays – day and night – I don’t think there’s a bigger pool of inspiration anywhere else.”
Out of all of her pieces, her favorite is a Tehzip artwork with the Whirling Dervishes and a Rumi quote.
“When I first fell in love with Islamic Arts, I discovered what Illumination/Tehzip was and that just blew my mind away. This particular piece is very close to my heart because this was my first ever Tehzip artwork that I completed and when I did, I surprised myself. It was beautiful and I couldn’t believe that I was the one who created it. It also was my first large-scale work so, all in all, it will always have a special place in my heart.”
For her, art and creativity have always been an ongoing process. Being a borderline perfectionist, she strives to do better every single time she sits down to create an artwork.
“It all starts with a random quote, proverb, poem, or anything that I may have overheard from somewhere. I take that in and start to imagine the world around it, an environment that would go hand in hand with it. What this helps me with is that I can then start imagining the color palette, whether the strokes would be aggressive or gentle.”
“Once I have something substantial I take it to the next phase which is composition. I keep composing till I like what I have. Then comes painting the background, the environment – be it tea washed, watercolor, acrylic base. And finally, come the details on the composition. The finish is the most important part as that is your key element in the midst of the whole world on the paper.”
Tehreem believes that the internet is one of the best things that could’ve happened to artists, but it has downsides, of course. Nonetheless, it is an amazing tool if used right:
“The fact that emerging artists, as well as veteran ones, are using it as their platform to express themselves, it’s wonderful. Every platform has different rules, every person should have their own. It is not a ‘one size fits all’ solution, so just be careful and be pro-active in doing so.”
As for the future, Tehreem is currently in the process of writing her own book.
“Wherever life takes me, no matter which corner of the world I would love to be part of something that I can be proud of. That I take responsibility for. As much as I want to start giving the world of calligraphy and Islamic arts back, it’s being delayed, but InshAllah it will happen soon.”
“I’ve started research and pre-publication work on my own book, InshAllah that will be happening hopefully by next year. And my passion for painting large wall murals is still on. Hopefully, I will get to show something very soon to the world.”
For all the aspiring artists, the one tip she has is this:
“Practice. There is no better or easy way and if someone tells that there is, I suggest you don’t listen to them. This is just like any other craft which needs your time and love. Treat it well, respect it and it will treat you right. Practice every chance you get and once you reach a point where you really think you’re doing something good that is when you push yourself harder. And the day won’t be far where you achieve what you are looking for.”
We’re in absolute awe of her talent. What do you think about this? Let us know in the comments. Know more people like her? Let us know about them, too!
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