Painter Nour Ammar Translates Movement Into Abstraction

  • Ahead of her residency at La Serena Hotel, Egyptian abstract painter Nour Ammar discusses her evolving technique, the significance of...

    Ahead of her residency at La Serena Hotel, Egyptian abstract painter Nour Ammar discusses her evolving technique, the significance of the first mark, and her quest to harmonise form, colour, and texture in her abstract paintings.

     

    Nour:

    My name is Nour Ammar and I’m a 25-year-old painter. For some time I have been searching for a deeper understanding of the process of painting and what it means to me. When I look at a painting I have created, it does not exist alone. I observe the painting before and wonder what the next painting will bring. Rather than trying to dissect each piece separately, I find myself continuously looking at the paintings as a group. What part of an older painting has been brought to life in a new one? What do I want to bring forward with me in my journey, and what elements of my process do I want to eliminate? It is a continuous act.

     

    Nour:

    I’m reflecting on the constant movement in my life—movement of emotions, movements of place, movements of painting. The ups and downs of emotions can alter or motivate certain aspects of a painting: the colours used, the forms created, and the speed at which a painting is completed.

  • Nour: It has been a constant search for the balance between intentionality and spontaneity within my process. This is especially...
    Nour:

    It has been a constant search for the balance between intentionality and spontaneity within my process. This is especially important for abstract painters because pieces are created on instinct and not from a specific reference.

     

    Nour:
    Balance and the transparency and textures of colour are some of my motivating factors. I constantly need to evaluate the painting as a whole and consider the overlapping of lines.

     

    Nour:
    I used to start and finish a painting with the intention of not leaving any area unpainted. Now I’m aware that this approach has proven unsuccessful for my process. Much of the immediacy and detail are created in the first layers of a painting, and by constantly adding to it, the texture and transparency are eliminated. Because I intend to keep these different layers visible, I’m learning and experimenting with leaving certain spaces empty or covered with only one layer.

  • Nour:
    I believe that sensitivity to the speed of painting is deeply connected to gesture and expression. A brushstroke applied in a slow or fast motion is visible and can reflect a state of mind or intention. For me, urgency has often worked against me. I now find myself working at a calmer and slower pace to apply paint a certain way and to gain more clarity on the form and gestures created. By making the speed of the brushstrokes clear, it can better reflect the emotion and intention behind the painting. I want the paintings to reflect a sense of calm and a desire for unity and sensitivity.

     

    Nour:
    Once the first mark is made, I can begin to visualise and understand the following brushstrokes and forms. Over time, I have come to realise that the first mark is the most important aspect of the painting. It can either dictate the direction of the painting or reveal that I must work around it to eliminate it. The first mark is a hint into the personality of the painting and the core, whether it is visible by the end or not. It is crucial to the painting because my first instinct is to avoid repetition and create a second mark that is different and defiant to the first. It dictates the balance, movement, and values of the piece.

     

    Nour:
    I intend to control the first stages of the painting to explore different outcomes. To eliminate painting from muscle memory and habit. I always approach the painting with more intention as it develops, especially towards the end. The most pressure and sensitivity appear in the last marks of the painting. This happens with the hope that one final mark will bring the piece together and conclude the painting. While this is one approach to painting, I have found that it causes me to be desensitised to the earlier layers. By controlling and changing an important variable such as the first layers of the painting, I can allow myself to explore different outcomes of form and depth.

     

    Nour:
    Oftentimes I mix the colours I want to use before I begin the painting. By doing this, I have already made a conscious decision for the direction of the painting before the first mark.

  • Nour: Because I constantly change the orientation of the canvas as I am painting, I can allow the painting to...

    Nour:
    Because I constantly change the orientation of the canvas as I am painting, I can allow the painting to contain different outcomes. A mark that was at the bottom can now be at the top, and so on. By doing so, I can visualize the different possibilities of a painting. This practice allows me to see the different ways the forms exist depending on the orientation of the painting. Oftentimes, the orientation is not decided until after the piece has been completed and the balance and focus of forms can be manipulated by simply turning the canvas.

     

    Nour:
    Circular and curved forms often appear in my work with the intention of continuation. They begin with a line and then mid-brushstroke I change the direction of where the brush is going when I feel that the line or form has not yet reached its proper relationship with the colours and shapes around it. Sometimes this means bringing a curve to the edge of the canvas or overlapping it with another form to unify the two elements together. Sometimes when a form reappears continuously, I either take that as a sign to end the repetition or evaluate why it has surfaced again and the importance of its existence in the painting.

  • Nour: The residency in Forte dei Marmi will be the first time for me in an isolated environment with the...

    Nour:
    The residency in Forte dei Marmi will be the first time for me in an isolated environment with the sole purpose of creating. I believe this is what I’m looking forward to the most. Hidden and unexpected elements appear in creating when there is no need to focus on other external elements around us. Energy in myself and my surroundings plays a big role in when and how I create. I believe being by the sea can be very powerful and freeing. Being Egyptian and growing up in the Mediterranean has shown me the importance of this. Because I create with great sensitivity to my surroundings, being in a new space (in a country that has inspired me for three years now) will bring out a new direction and new energy to create during this time.

     

    Nour:
    Being near a large body of water and such a powerful element in nature has a way of instilling this sense of greatness and recharging energy within us. During my residency, I will be focused on painting with oil and experimenting further on the relationship between time, space, and form, continuing to push myself and my paintings to better understand the relationship between these elements.