Mina Afra

Artist Interview

What medium do you work with, and why have you chosen them?

I primarily work with oil paints and mostly paint on wooden panels that I make myself using premium birch or marine plywood. I really enjoy the whole process of creating my own surfaces and the steady feel of wood under my brushstrokes. My mother used to paint landscapes in oil when I was a child, so my love for oil paints—and even the smell of linseed oil—might be rooted in those early memories.

How does your artwork get from initial concept to exhibition stage?

Sometimes I begin with plein air drawings—simple lines in pen on paper—and other times I draw compositional elements from photographs I’ve taken on location. I never rely on a single photo; instead, I often collage several images into one drawing, pulling different elements from each. While I use photography as a reference for composition, I don’t refer to it for colour. My colours are invented in the studio and abstracted from reality. Once I’m away from the landscape, I revisit it in my mind and remember how being there made me feel. I let those memories guide the colour and mood of the work. In a way, I attempt to discover and share my interior psychological terrain through painting the exterior one.

Can you tell us a little more about your creative working environment/studio?

I work from my home studio in Naarm/Melbourne. Most of the time, I paint while listening to meditative music, with my studio buddy Meshki—my cat—napping by the window. It’s a quiet, focused space where I can tune in to my inner world and let the work unfold.