Life on canvas

ARTIST Faris Ridzwan from Kedah had a strong determination to become an artist, but things did not work out and he had to pivot from his original plan.

After a few years, he got a chance to practise the art that he had always loved, albeit as an art teacher instead of a full-time artist.

“I had tried to be a full-time artist but it was not the right time. Then, I decided to build my career as an art teacher. I have been teaching for more than five years in professional art schools,” he said.

Though Faris enjoys teaching and sharing his knowledge of art with his students, his ultimate goal was to become a full-time artist and showcase his one-of-a-kind artworks.

Soon, the artist got what he wished for. A well-known gallery knocked on his doors and invited him to hold a solo exhibition.

Faris translated his own life experiences and his second chance at his chosen career into YOLO Flowing Forward, a deeply personal collection for him.

“The art collection is actually all about myself,” admitted Faris.

A second chance

Defining his current phase of life as “being reborn”, Faris revealed that this was the subject matter of the collection. His artworks are mainly focused on blood cells under the microscope, which symbolise renewal or rebirth to him.

“It is an abstract art and I am influenced by blood cells. These blood cells inspire me. For me, [rebirth] and blood cells have a connection,” said Faris.

Delving deeper into the subject, Faris explained how he got the idea to draw blood cells.

“My current artworks are a reflection of Al-Quran Surah Al-Alaq verses 1 and 2,” he explained.

The phrase states: “O Prophet, in the Name of your Lord Who created humans from a clinging clot.” (Al-Alaq, 96:1-2)

“I found the story to be inspirational and this encouraged me to create the artwork, where blood cells were adopted as my subject matter. This metaphor of life or the birth of something new is present throughout my artwork, the exhibition, and my journey as an artist.

“The metaphor is reoccurring, similar to a pattern, in which life has presented opportunities that have enabled me to flow forward. Hence, the idea of YOLO being reborn into the art scene and blood cells are very much connected and intertwined with each other.

“This is ultimately what is being expressed on my canvases.”

YOLO

Speaking about the title of the collection, Faris said: “‘You only live once’ (YOLO) portrays different connotations depending on how it’s being used.

“My younger self would have used the term on a more impulsive note going through the changes in life as a teenager. However, the term itself connotes an encouraging mantra of taking control of one’s life because ‘you only have one life’.

“When I was offered the solo exhibition, it definitely felt like an offer that comes once in a lifetime. At the same time, being given a second chance at re-starting my art journey, I felt the urge to take hold of the opportunity and give it my all.”

According to Faris, YOLO: Flowing Forward encapsulated his journey as an emerging artist; passionate and driven to be a part of the art scene, once again.

Speaking about his inspiration, he explained: “My inspiration comes from all parts of my lived experiences, that includes both internally and externally. Similar to a sponge, I absorb all my experiences and internalise them.

“This would be one of the key parts of producing my artwork, where I am able to gain a better understanding of the tales I intend to express.”

Through the collection and exhibition, Faris hopes to encourage people to chase their dreams.

“You are never too old, too poor, too young, or too sick to live your dreams. You might not get there the same way as others, but if you start to believe in your dreams and chase them, you will eventually get there,” said Faris.

“Never be afraid and try to live your life to the fullest and remember that uou only live once,” he reiterated.

The creative art process

His creative process is the most interesting and intriguing part of his artwork.

He has a unique approach. He prepares a rough sketch plan, but believes in spontaneity and creativity, and lets his ideas flow freely.

“My art process has an element of surprise. I explore all the techniques and my artwork always evolves. I would not know what the end product would be even though I have an initial plan,” said Faris.

Faris fills up a huge amount of acrylic paint into a’sauce’ bottle and pours these different colours onto a white canvas, laid on the floor to create an abstract pattern.

After drying, he paints another layer on top, covering the first layer, and this process is repeated up to ten layers at a time.

Then, he sands the painting using a “sanding machine” to reveal colours beneath layers of colour. This process will take two to three times as long as the original, depending on the process and artwork size.

“If my plan does not work out and I am not satisfied, I will add more layers. It’s very subjective to say when my artwork actually finishes because it’s a continuous process. It’s an evolution,” he said.

Expressing inner feelings

Faris prefers to ‘think out of the box’ when it comes to the traditional methods of painting. He picks tools like sand machines instead of commonly used brushes.

“I often observe carpenters, and I try to explore and experiment with different kinds of tools. I do use the brush, but my work is less than 5% of brush paintings.

“The sandal machine is one of the things I use the most, in my journey as an artist. All my paintings are very challenging,” said Faris.

The visual artist is stimulated artistically by music. The choice of music he listens to influences the colour of the picks. Besides music, colours play a significant role in his paintings.

“I really like bright colours. When I listen to the music, I see the colours. Music translated into visual colours in my mind. The different music I listen to influences my painting,” said Faris.

“Artists, painters, and musicians really care about our feelings because we are sensitive people. If we set too high expectations and we could not meet the expected standards, we would feel really down. That is what I had to face the last time.“

“So, my advice to my fellow artists and art students is to never set a target for your dreams. Just go with the flow.”

In the same way, he creates all of his paintings.