Sakeenah is an Arabic word derived from the word "sukun" meaning "peace, serenity and tranquility" ~ My Sakeenah is finding that peace, serenity & tranquility through creativity & art practice.~ I am Rashedah, an abstract artist & busy mama of three young boys, life is hectic & art is my escape. My Sakeenah is finding Sakeenah in creating art that is intuitive, where there is no place for a plan or perfection, except in letting go...my creative interests & styles are eclectic & my work reflects that. I have many creative interests & use a range of mediums that help me express myself, currently I am most drawn to free flowing inks (acrylic and alcohol), acrylic paint & resin...exploring these mediums & developing my skills through creating art is what keeps me going, it is how I find ~ My Sakeenah!While I have minimal formal training beyond a few hours in a workshop run by a local resin artist & the theory & practice involved in one year at Easy Sydney Tech (now known as the Fashion Design Studio, Ultimo) & a creative Waldorf Steiner primary education, I have always found art to be therapeutic to me throughout the stages of my life & wholeheartedly believe that creativity is innate in us as all human beings. In my experience creativity comes from a place of freedom to experiment, learn by doing, along with nurturing (over suppression) in the early years of life. For this reason, some days I can be found creating something on the go in what I call ‘drive-by art’ alongside my equally creative children, in my tiny kitchen nook (aka studio!) & beyond that, staying up into the early hours when it is quiet or... just at any moment I can! You could say I prefer painting to sleep, to me painting is breathing!My inspiration is drawn from many places including the nature that surrounds me in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges of which I am drawn to & the Blue Mountains from where I spent my childhood, as well as the places I have lived, in particular the coast of Western Australia, capturing everything from the colour & the mood, but also reflecting that expansive place beyond the sky, that is uninterrupted by city the lights out here in near the Ranges. My art is often an expression of my life experience, where the internal becomes external, often in such a way that the emotions are transformed & another perspective & emotion is experienced by my audience both in the final piece or through their own experience of the process & it also brings them a sense of peace, serenity and tranquility ~ Your Sakeenah!Influenced by materials & mediums that move with freedom, that often require a complete surrender of control & a need for expression without words, my process is meditative & healing for me, it is where I find my Sakeenah. I am drawn to different mediums & different techniques at different points & am feeling drawn back to acrylic, watercolour & oils which were mediums I enjoyed in high school. I don’t believe I’ll ever fully express myself without the freedom to use a range of mediums (often together!) as you could say I am truly eclectic! My work is held in private collections around the country, has been commissioned & also purchased as gifts but is also on display & available at local wellness centres & at times cafes in & around the Dandenong Ranges.You can keep up with my work in progress & experience some of my process time lapse videos via my Instagram @my_sakeenah, I really enjoy sharing my process & watching them brings a sense of peace not just over me but my audience too. Thank you for stopping by, I hope you find your Sakeenah!