 |
| Empty Dreams, etching, aquatint, softground, experimental technique, 15 cm x 10 cm, 2018 |
Part 46 of an interview series in which artists reply to the same six questions. Saeedeh Golriz is an Iranian printmaker, living in Iran. She mentions that she once wanted to be a chef --- appropriate to the art of printmaking, which is a similar process of combining different elements in often long recipes to produce the finished piece. Both are a form of alchemy, and as you can see by Saeedeh's work, she is an expert printmaking alchemist who makes haunting and accomplished prints. You can see more of her work here.
PH: What medium/media do you chiefly use, and why?
SG: Printmaking, more specifically etching and aquatint, I enjoy the creative parts of it, both when I am in control of the process and also the unexpected surprises that come along the way. I can plan the whole design, but there will be unpredicted elements to it, which is perfect for my taste.
PH: What piece are you currently working on?
SG: It is a 20 cm x 25 cm copper plate. I am working on the second state of aquatint for this one. It is one of the pieces from the “Empty Dreams” series, probably the last one. I started with hardground etching and some dry point engravings and now I am working on different layers of shadows---there is a lot of detail on this one.
 |
| Empty Dreams, monotype, 29.7 cm x 21 cm, 2018 |
PH: What creative surprises are happening in the current work?
SG: Even though I've worked with nitric acid for 7 years, it still has surprises for me. There are definitely challenges while working with any kind of acid baths, but nitric acid being one of the most unpredictable ones, has no middle ground, and the bite sometimes becomes very aggressive, which is great. I will not only harvest the result to my liking, but also create different versions of my original art throughout the process, and sometimes even get new ideas for my next projects.
PH: What other artistic medium (or non-artistic activity) feeds your creative process?
SG: I work with digital painting. It combines many of my passions, such as drawing and painting, and it is a great practice for planning my designs, really. I also love to feed my creative hunger with monotypes. It is a tremendous medium to be spontaneous which I've used to discover myself through different stages of my career.
 |
| Empty Dreams, hardground etching, aquatint, sugarlift, 20 cm x 25 cm, 2021 |
PH: What's the first ever piece of art you remember making?
SG: I wanted to be a chef when I was 7 or 8, and I remember I just got a very nice set of watercolors. I would create my own menu and then paint all the elements and make it a collage at the end. I think I always loved to combine media to create things that I loved. The first professional piece of art that I have ever created was 8 years ago: it was a watercolor piece of a chameleon which I sold almost immediately.
PH: Finally, and you can answer this in any way that's meaningful to you: why are you an artist?
SG: I love to create, but I also need to. I need to express myself. I think all of us have this massive energy from the early years of our lives which drives us. I know I had that since I was 5 years old. I knew that I wanted to paint when I was 9. I started my educational journey after that. I am so happy that I did, because we not only live in a crazy world, but I also live in the craziest part of it. So, there is staying sane in this mad mad world.
The main reason for me though is that I am a story teller and I actually have stories to tell and art is the best and the most effective way to communicate with people and share your visions and message. No words, no explanation, just take a moment to stop and feel and think.
If you liked this interview, and you'd like to keep up to date with the series, why not Subscribe to my Artist Newsletter via the link in the right-hand column? Thanks, and keep creating.