19-year-old self-taught artist, Safauddin Bilgarami has been drawing for as long as she can remember. Born and raised in Pakistan, she was always surrounded by wilderness and found herself doodling on every surface available, including walls (every parent’s worst nightmare right?)
“Chickens, dogs, horses, trees, mushrooms, you name it, I’ve drawn it,” she states.
Safa is definitely different, and her work has a dark side to it. Supernatural beings and altered realities feature quite regularly in her paintings. This chicken, for example – it’ll really get you thinking.
“I’ve always been captivated by fantasy and myths of all the different cultures of the world,” Safa says. “Curiosity always gets the best of me. There’s a connection to things that are beyond human understanding. Its mysterious ways fuel my passion to create what I create.”
Safa’s go-to medium of choice is acrylic paint. According to her, they dry much faster than oil paints allowing for more creative freedom. “I’ve played around with watercolors and oils too, but they’re not as much fun as acrylics,” she tells us.
Her art is currently moving in a different direction, as she’s now started to paint on clothing!
“I really wanted to decorate my jacket with something that would scream my name. So I painted a dragon’s skull on it with a bunch of roses, and I posted it on my Instagram. And instantly, everyone loved it so much, they wanted one for themselves. Ever since then, I’ve been running a very small business of hand painting denim jackets for various buyers all over Pakistan.”
Safa’s jackets clearly portray her art style, depicting dark, moody figures such as skulls, bones and fictional creatures.
Safa’s work is blowing up, with many wanting to own one of her bespoke pieces. What’s next for the artist?
“I really want to try painting on shalwar kameez! Let’s see how that turns out,” she tells us. She also muses over her constantly changing art style “Now that I look back at my life, I’ve realized it’s all a strange little adventure. And I’ve yet to unfold the many mysteries and secrets that life has to offer.”
Don’t you want one of these kick-ass jackets? I sure do. Let me know what you think about her art in the comments below.
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