Interview
Dullal Miah
Born in Cambridge, UK, Dullal Miah studied art in secondary school and college.
Around the age of 10, Miah vividly remembers having a love and strong fascination in drawing with pencils.
What fascinated him most about pencils was that with single shades of lead, he could create tones and textures so well defined that an illusion of color would be formed before him. He become heavily inspired and spent the majority of his teenage years perfecting his art.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I’ve always been ambitious and highly sensitive; inspired, touched and captivated by almost everything in my immediate surroundings. This is what led me into the world of art as a young boy. I’ve been improving myself ever since.”
“When I was young, I found the pencil humble, and would often use the expression ‘alive’ to describe the pencil’s technical and sentimental value.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“During my childhood, I was in the care system and suffered a lot of racial abuse because of my moving around. Having suffered sepsis also left me in a vulnerable state.”
Which current art world trends are you following?
“I’m following portrait artists, as they reflect my type of work. I create using any mediums that dabble in portraiture. I also follow auction houses, Bonham’s, Christies and NFT.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“I take a month to do research before I plan my next piece. Within this month, I spend time looking though multiple images of my figures. This usually takes between 40-50 hours. I’ll watch interviews, podcasts, blogs, listen to the music and learn about the various artists’ history and upbringing, and what led them to get to where they are.”
“My art aims to show a story of individuals who have tackled hardships and shown society what it takes to carry passion, becoming the best version of themselves, and excelling beyond expectations.”
What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“All my work is done in graphite and charcoal. I create layers with charcoal by shaving it into powder and applying onto paper with a soft nylon brush. This is the first layer. I then create more layers with a hard brush to get into the tooth of the paper. I go back and forth until I reach my desired tones, then I go into details and create shadows, highlights — casting shadows and blurs. If I do go too dark with a charcoal pencil, I normally soften this with a grey pastel pencil.
The paper I use is lightweight with a GSM of between 80 and 120, such as Daler-Rowney smooth cartridge paper.”
What does your art mean to you?
"My art is an expression of feelings and emotions.”
What’s your favorite artwork and why?
“My favorite artwork is Banksy’s ‘Balloon Girl’. Many individuals interpret this piece as lost innocence, whilst others think of it simply as setting a balloon free. The reason this is my favorite piece is because you can look at it and get multiple interpretations. I personally look at this as guidance.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I was recently part of an exhibition at the Boomer Gallery in London.
I’ve also got upcoming exhibitions during the period of June and the beginning of July. One will be held at CCA Gallery International in Jersey, Channel Island. The other, at the end of June, will be at the Parallax Art Fair in Kensington, London.”
