Tribal body art by Mashatik in Vancouver

My journey toward developing my creative practice started at a young age. During my childhood, I showed a keen interest in art and got enrolled in a school with a strong emphasis on traditional art teachings. However, my family immigrated to Canada when I was 16, which changed the trajectory of my artistic pursuits. Despite the challenges of adapting to a new environment, I continued to nurture my passion for art. I enrolled in Emily Carr University, where I initially pursued Visual Arts, but later transitioned to Communication Design due to considerations of financial stability for my family. Despite this change, my longing to pursue fine art persisted, and I found myself constantly drawn to painting as my preferred medium. Throughout the years, I have honed my skills in watercolour, acrylic, and ink, primarily through self-directed learning and observation of other artists. In my creative process, I put a lot of emphasis on my personal expression and relationship with the art I create. At the beginning of my art practice I was learning from observing different art techniques, styles and colour combinations then I went on a search for what ignites me as an artist. In my recent art practice, I explore themes of time, energy, music interpretation, self-expression and synesthesia.