Maysha Mohamedi

Region: Pacific Coast

Website: http://www.mayshamohamedi.com

City / State: Los Angeles, CA

I invest each painting with a single idea that ignites an associative process in my mark-making. The marks depict the extent to which I am able stretch across, reach, and balance my body along the edges and seams of the surfaces, which lie side by side on the floor. No brushes: I favor unorthodox paint application, using my hands or wrists, found objects, and handmade tools that I stamp, drag, and pull across the painting’s surface.

I used to be a neuroscientist, so I run my studio like a laboratory, with a lot of experimentation. I consider the marks I make as points of light reflected off the back of the retina, ultimately causing a psychological shift in the viewer. But I also believe in the evocative power of color, shape, and line as a link to that which is holy. My paintings could be about fate, existential matters, and what it’s like to be underwater for extended periods of time.