Soraya Gharib, a self-taught, passionate and creative painter

Meet a real go-getter!

1- Could you briefly tell us about your background?

I’m of Lebanese origin, I was born in Senegal but I’ve been living in Paris for 20 years. Whenever I get the chance, I go to Dakar to visit my family.

Having worked as a secretary in an architectural practice for 12 years and having always been interested in drawing, I became a draughtswoman after completing a vocational training course in Dakar. When I arrived in France, I developed an interest in Arabic calligraphy, which I practised in workshops run by the Paris City Council. Today I devote myself entirely to painting, which I have been practising for nearly 10 years as a self-taught artist.

2- How did your artistic vocation come about?

Whilst it’s true that from a very young age I already loved drawing and the power of colours, when I wanted to enrol at the School of Fine Arts in Dakar, my family opposed the idea, claiming that it wasn’t a proper profession.

This passion, which had remained buried within me, resurfaced whilst I was going through a very difficult period, following a major romantic disappointment…

The colours that were missing from my life – so I drew them from within myself, to spread them harmoniously across a canvas in 2012. I had a talent; it needed to burst forth, and that pain made it gush out.

3- What are your sources of inspiration?

I draw my inspiration from the beauty of nature and often from news stories.

At the moment, I’m painting trees whose trunks are the bodies of one or more women, in response to the current issues of deforestation plaguing Senegal. As someone deeply concerned about this environmental crisis, I wanted, through these paintings (tree/woman), to highlight the central role of these two elements: both are sources of life.

More generally, I paint what I feel deep within myself and give my creativity free rein.

4- Tell us about your working technique.

I use cotton canvas and acrylic paint, which I apply with brushes and palette knives, all within an abstract figurative style. My paintings also feature modelling paste to create texture and a little collage.