THE POWER OF PORTRAYAL

The art of expression is a skill few artists can conquer. But to express innate feelings, precise thoughts and social justice through paint is a telltale of a tremendous artist.
Amira Hussain, an illustrator from Lucknow is the perfect example of the ideal artist. Hussain is an artist who has showcased her paintings at national and international exhibitions. With her 000’ brushes Amira often strokes nuances of womanhood, history, and architecture, through her most refined artworks.

A nominee for the World Artist Illustration Awards for 2022 and awarded the ‘Promotion of Uttar Pradesh’ through Art by then UP Governor Ram Naik, Amira works with oil, gouache, watercolour, and ink. Talking about her inspiration Amira said, “Growing up watching my mother (Asma Hussain, fashion designer) paint and design instilled in me picking up a brush and starting my artistic journey. Later, during my primary education, I got recognition, and my work was appreciated but it was not until my mother encouraged me to showcase my work to the audience that my career took off.”

“Artists like Claude Monet and Salvador Dalí’s masterpieces have also inspired me to become an artist, while classical art, sketching and digital artistry are my strong suits.” On being asked how she strikes a balance between being an artist and a mother, Hussain said, “Things are certainly tougher to juggle once you become a mom but with passion, grit and a pandemic you somehow manage to do both. During the pandemic, I took a sabbatical from creating art but I'm back since 2022 started and have completed a few coffee table works and rejoined designing at AIFT (Asma Hussain Institute of Fashion Technology).”

Speaking about her work of art, Amira said, “My paintings express sentiments. Like, ‘Metamorphosis’ is dedicated to motherhood while ‘Let Live’ was a passionate piece on the roaring Hijab Row and women's freedom of choice. My world exhibit work was based on Lucknow, its culture and architecture which went on to be sold in India, Pakistan, the UK, the USA and Vietnam.” Now and then every artist comes across a lack of inspiration or artist block and Amira shares how she tackles it. She said, “I distract art from art. I start focusing on another and shifting the focus helps unblock.” Lastly, sharing her words of wisdom, the talented artist said, “Let go of the fear of judgement and paint from the heart because what might feel less to you might be good in someone else's perception.”