Special to the LPJ.
Some artists find their calling at a young age. Others uncover their talents unexpectedly later in life.
A native of St. Louis, Miss., Ayah Tamimi’s family moved to Jordan during her early teenage years. It was here she studied Architecture at the age of 19 and discovered that she could not only draw but do so very well. It was a discovery that Tamimi calls, “life changing,” and rightly so. She says she was always interested in art, but never really found the courage to create until then.
Tamimi says that of all her educators during that stage, it was her French professor who had the greatest impact. He pushed her beyond her own expectations of herself and challenged her to create designs that were more expressive. It was with his assistance that she was able to tap into her own mind and feelings throughout the design process and apply that to her work. Tamimi says that he would tell her, “I should be able to understand what you have to say without you having to utter a word by only looking at your work.”
Tamimi says that she is naturally introverted so discovering her own affinity to art allowed her to find another way to convey her own voice. She says that her love for urban planning led to her favoring the architectural scenes depicted in her works today. She seeks to not only create a replica, but to add her own emotions.
Tamimi found her way to Ruston when she married her husband who studied at Louisiana Tech himself. She has lived here for six years and says that she has only recently found consistency in her own creation in the last four.
When she first started drawing, she began with graphite, black ink, and alcohol markers. Now she has moved on to learn pastels and charcoal as well as taking classes in acrylic and oil painting. She says that pastel and charcoal are some of her favorite mediums to work with because she loves to get her hands dirty. The mess is a part of the process, and she appreciates that part of the creation.
Through her studies in architecture, Tamimi was able to better understand proportions. This is something she says she excelled at over her peers in class. She found this natural skill intriguing and sought to further develop that aspect of her work. She says she became driven by the challenge because she wanted to unlock her abilities as fully as possible.
Growing up she never would have dreamed of becoming an artist, but she also remembers being fascinated when perusing the unlimited supplies down the art aisles of local stores. At 33, Tamimi says that her relationship with art has become more mature. It provides an escape and an outlet.
Among the artists who inspire Tamimi are Zaha Hadid, Antoni Gaudi, Le Corbusier, Mies Van De Rohe, and Wassily Kandinsky.
Tamimi says she is fond of Hadid’s strength and style and that she relates more personally to Kandinsky because of the blending of spiritual desire and necessity in his works.
Tamimi says that she wants to create visual communication through her art with the community around her.
She says that self-expression is what motivates her to create. She’s passionate about art because it feels like it is a part of her.
“You should want to nurture and feed the beauty that is within you. Why deprive other people of a beautiful part of yourself?” says Tamimi.
You can find Tamimi’s works on Facebook and Instagram at ayah_tamimi.
