Interview

Jan 26

Sasha Singh

Sasha Christina Singh was born in Guyana, South America. At the age of 4, she and her family moved to the United States, to make their home in Long Island, New York. Since early childhood, Sasha's imagination ran wild. Art became a primary outlet for her to express her vivid ideas.

Currently, Sasha works as a professional graphic designer. Her painting journey began over 8 years ago. Regardless of having no official schooling in fine arts, she’s proud to call herself a self-taught artist. Painting primarily began as a hobby for Sasha, but over the years, it has blossomed into a true passion. Painting allows Sasha to express her highest self, and is her purest form of creativity.

Sasha resides in Southwest Florida. As a full-time working mom and wife, Sasha's meditation practice is crucial in her life. Clearing her mind allows her to trust in the process, and channel this sacred flow into all of her artwork.

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“I come from a graphic design background. When I was younger, I had no interest in painting specifically. In high school, I would dabble in the fine arts and find myself frustrated that I could never succeed in painting. I thought it was too hard. I finished high school with the career plan to be a graphic designer, and I did bring that goal to fruition. I got my degree in Digital Design and Graphics. I currently work as an Art Director for a small marketing agency.
Now where does painting come into the picture you may ask? I discovered my passion for painting one night in my bedroom, in the middle of the night. I was having trouble sleeping, and nothing could soothe my mind. I had some craft paints and a sketch book and I decided to give it another shot. One hour turned into two. Two into four hours. Before I knew it, I'd been painting all night and went to bed around 4am. I finally could sleep at last, now that my thoughts were released, onto paper that is. I would paint abstract things, spiritual figures (buddhas, angels) galaxies etc. Essentially, I was painting what I would see in my dreams. Instead of dreaming at night, I would paint them instead.
And that's how each night would go. I would paint from 11pm-4am. Mind you, I had a full time job as a graphic designer that I was required to show up to at 8am. I was running off of 4 hours of sleep each day, but for some odd reason, this invigorated me even more. I was addicted to becoming an artist who painted, and that's the story of where my journey began over 8 years ago.”

What inspires you most?

“I'm inspired by the resiliency of the mind, human psyche, dreams, spirituality, bright colors, bold ideas and inner strength. Emotions are a big one. I want each painting to make someone truly feel something.”

What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?

“My themes ebb and flow with what inspires me the most in the moment. Last year I focused on animal totems (big cats specifically). I was inspired by their strength, beauty, and elegance. It reminded me of the qualities that I believe each woman embodies. This year, I'm focusing back to my roots, to abstract art. I'm dabbling with thick paint and fluid paints. Bright colors. Bold messages sprawled across each painting. ‘Fuck’ seems to be my favorite word if you've taken a look at my most recent work (laughs).”

“The underlying message in my work is dependent on the person viewing my art. And that's what I love about art, it's always subjective to the viewer. It can be whatever you want it to be! I love that freedom of expression, that's why I gravitate to painting.”

How would you describe your work?

“My work is an expression of what is going on inside my mind; what I'm focusing my energy and attention towards. I don't think you'll ever see a painting from me that doesn't include hot pink, and glitter. Bright colors are my favorite. My art uplifts me from whatever shitty mood I'm experiencing. It's a journey to my safe place - where I feel like myself. I love sharing this with others through my work. I feel like a free spirit expressing herself through various themes, discovering and rediscovering herself over and over again.”

Which artists influence your work most?

“I pull inspiration from all kinds of artists. Of course, the fathers of impressionism are all artists I could admire for days. Back in those times, they were doing something that everyone looked down on, and now it's a treasured form of painting style that I see in many artists (including my own) works.”

“I love seeing abstract artists work. The ones who aren't afraid to expose their wounds. I admire the struggle all artists go through, it makes me feel like I'm part of a secret society where we all understand exactly what I mean by ‘struggle’.”

What is your creative process like?

“My creative process can go two ways: 1, super organized and planned, and 2, a complete mess and spontaneous. That's probably a reflection of who I am!
When I have an idea, I will jot it down in my notebook, or send a text to myself for later. I then begin daydreaming of the possibilities of how this painting will look like. Most importantly, what will this painting feel like? I then think of the scale of the art (large canvas?) and what materials will I use (resin? thick paint? glitter?). Then, I unleash my ideas in the art studio. Sometimes it comes out exactly as I pictured, sometimes it doesn't and I scrap the whole thing. What I've learned over time is to allow myself the space to experiment, to make errors, and to not take myself too seriously. I aim to be authentic with myself, and allow myself to shine un-apologetically.”

What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?

“No more of that starving artist shit. I love seeing my fellow brothers and sisters making money and doing what they love for a living. ‘Artist’ is a career title that is 100% legit - no explanation needed. Also, I love seeing the respect for artists grow. Art makes the world go round and round. Society would collapse without it. Art is important because it's what humans do, they feel, they express themselves. Art can mean anything.”