Foliage
From the snapdragons of the backyard in Zahedan to the potted jasmines in the balcony in Tehran, houseplants have always remained a part of my memories. I believe this all started with my father’s passionate attention to plants and flowers and his daily routines of plant care and maintenance. Grafting, potting, pruning, reviewing the names of plants and weekly visits to greenhouses and his never-ending quest to turn the balcony into a garden, gradually became an important concern for me too. Looking at plants during different times of every day and seeing seasonal changes created an image of transition in my mind.
This series began in the spring of 2016 with a small watercolor sketchbook in which I drew houseplants and the city’s greens. I experimented with a variety of techniques and approaches to my subjects, starting with monochromatic ink drawings and later settling with compositions in which color plays the most important role.
These works came into being by the intimate acquaintance of apartment plants who have been a source of tranquility over the recent years.