Interview
Rashmeet Kaur
Gazal Gallery is a creative gallery based in Dublin which, transforms things into thoughtful designs. Gazal Gallery is a rainbow of imagination and creativity.
The person behind the gallery is a simple, fun-loving girl who is also a nerdy engineer. She is a creative mess of digital sketches, animations, video editing and most importantly - illustrations. Rashmeet Kaur (or Gazal) is a free soul, a travel freak and a music lover. She loves to do photography when she is not drawing aesthetic art history.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I was born and brought up in India, but started my real art journey in Dublin, Ireland. As a child, I always loved playing with colors, pencils and pens. Later, I progressed to creating pencil sketches and acrylic or watercolor paintings. I started my career as a software developer, but was not satisfied with what I was doing. One day, I saw designers in the company working on Photoshop, which instantly caught my eye. That sparked my interest in design, so I started teaching myself Photoshop and Illustrator.
I actually enjoyed the process of learning, which culminated in the birth of my own gallery, Gazal Gallery in 2015. 'Gazal' is my nickname which means 'poetic form of music expressing love, satisfaction and happiness'. Today, I am a senior UI Designer and I also run my gallery as a freelancer.”
“My work is a dream place where I can create anything of my choice, where I have the power to express myself. I am bit of an introvert, so I don’t speak much. But my canvas speaks enough for me.”
What inspires you most?
“For me, art is not inspired by one or two things. Every little thing around me is inspiration, starting with nature - it always amazes me how beautifully everything is created in this world. Cartoons and animated movies also inspire me. Even though they’re a fantasy, they still give you a feel of the complexities of the real world: sweet, full of fun and adventure, lots of love, sometimes sad but sometimes happy.
Travelling to new places is a great source of inspiration. I also get inspiration from the things which you don't see, but imagine. These are the things that help you create a world the way you want to.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“There is no specific theme in my art. It combines my inner world— my imagination— and the real world to create a new piece of art. You'll always find a positive message in my work; a sense of happiness or sadness. For me, sadness is an integral part of happiness because one cannot feel happiness if they have not tasted the feel of sadness. So, my art is a mixture of both.”
How would you describe your work?
“My work is all based on imagination. Combining real-life images with illustrations is my forte. My work is a mixture of positivity, happiness, sadness, fun and lots and lots of love.”
What artists influence you most?
“There are so many artists but if I had to name one, it would be Pablo Picasso. I would also add all the artists who have created Disney characters. Picasso shows us deep imagination, while Disney characters bring out our emotions and feelings. What would happen if we combined both? That is exactly what influences me the most.”
What is your creative process like?
"My creative process is simple but lengthy. I always start out with a rough sketch on Procreate to get an overall idea of the piece. After refining my design, I use Adobe Illustrator or Vectornator for specific illustrations. Sometimes I use Photoshop for editing and resizing my images. If I have to make an animation, then I prefer Adobe After Effects, and I edit in Premiere Pro.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“An artist's role in society is crucial. It is the butter or jam on everyone's bread. If artists didn't create, then this world would definitely be a boring or sad place without colors, without magic, without animation, without excitement.
Artists create, make, inspire and motivate everyone to see this beautiful place in a different way. I’m glad that businesses and society as a whole have begun to understand the value that artists and designers bring to the world.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“The highlight of my freelance career was having my work featured on Discord's Blog and on Design Buddies Community.
I have also won the Design Award by Logitech and by Camel Colors.”
