Fine art start

Self-taught artist works with used stamps

A picture paints a thousand words and painting is Bessie Salomon's way of expressing her thoughts, emotions and philosophy of life.

She has been in the hotel industry for the last five years and is presently the marketing services manager of Taj Palace Hotel in Dubai. But it is through her artistic strokes that she captures the essence of her life experience.

People who have seen her art quite often describe it as "unexpected, intriguing or enigmatic".
Her subjects are not the flowers or landscapes one would normally expect – but figures veering towards the abstract.

She normally works with acrylic. However, her latest challenge was something unconventional – a collage of a horse with used stamps fused in acrylic.

How did she consider the usage of stamps?

"I used a stamp collection I was planning to give to a friend, but who left without it. So I decided to put the stamps to good use rather than consign them to the oblivion. I decided to make a horse. I love horses and the emotion on their faces. It reflects my thoughts, emotions and my personality too.

"Working on this project was different and rather tedious. It involved cutting little corners of the stamp to fit the image. Selecting the rights shades of colour to go with the horse image required close attention. But it was very satisfying," Bessie enthused. She now plans to tackle another subject with stamps.

Bessie has never taken formal training and has instinctively pursued art since childhood with anything she could lay her hands on – oils, chocolate syrups, marker pens for making designs on table cloths or sofas.

To her, painting means "positive vibes, emotions, rich colours".

"I think of things that are lively and when I'm a bit depressed my strokes and colours tend to be gloomy. I love children and anything playful to the eyes.

"Some of my subjects are peculiar but I always add a twist of life and optimistic strokes to make them more intriguing and interesting. For instance, the painting Ghost, mysterious as it may sound, doesn't personify morbidity.

"I simply titled it Ghost because this evokes mystery and several interpretation of imagery in our lives. Life can be chaotic at times and quite often we think that things are not getting anywhere. But if we freeze time and reflect, the real picture appears.

"What once was a ghost for us becomes a beautiful scenery. Here, my strokes are seen as curves and circles. But they hold meaning for me. It is the same in life. There is pressure from work, family and personal struggles, but I am guided by several forces."

Any plans for the future?

"I hope to continue painting. When I am back home, perhaps I can start my own art cafe, featuring my best friend's paintings. It was our high school dream," Salomon said.