epilogue. – Manreet Pabla

Instagram: @manreetmakesart 
Email: mannipabla@hotmail.com

Manreet is an artist who is currently in her final year of her undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Waterloo. She is majoring in Fine Arts and minoring in Visual Culture. After University, she plans on pursuing her dream of becoming an art teacher. Manreet mainly focuses on the theme of landscapes. She works with acrylic paints, collages, and pastels. Although she likes to use different kinds of media, she usually comes back to paint.

Artist Statement

Fantastical landscapes tend to fascinate me. I loved painting these landscapes because they don’t exist in my daily routines, they are something unique. I want to feel like I’m inside the landscapes that I paint, which is why I created art pieces inspired by them. Sometimes I begin to think of the idea of planets beyond our imagination and how they might look with aspects of our world. I believe there are some unique planets out in the universe, and I wanted some of my newer work to reflect that. Creating landscapes that are “normal” is interesting to me as well because I have never gotten to see real-life mountainous spaces. So, adding a fantasy element to it or tweaking the contrasts to make it surreal, but also real in an aspect is pleasant to me. Overall, I created interesting landscapes that speak to my idea of a fantastical world.

I use all sorts of media, but the ones that I come back to are acrylic paints, oil pastels and collage, whether that is physical or digital. Many of my works are done with acrylic paints because it tends to be the media that I am most comfortable with and usually is the best way to showcase my abilities. My painting sizes range from 9” x 12” to 48” x 60”. I like to make my work vibrant in colour and use complementary and contrasting colours to make the artwork pop.

In this exhibition, I have displayed my work on the wall. I will have one big 5.4’ x 4.6’ sized canvas in the middle, with two small 9’’ x 12’’ paintings along each side of the large canvas. Otherworldly is the title of my series and having them in different sizes allows the viewers to feel the difference of how the size of the piece can play a role in how you view a painting. Especially in regards to a landscape painting, the bigger the size, the more encapsulated by it you feel.

Interview Questions

What aspects of your life inspire your art?

Middle school has inspired my art, especially my art teacher that I had in Grade 6. Mrs. Dhindsa was very kind and always loved my work. She was a very motivating teacher and the way she taught the class made me realize how much I love art and wanted to pursue teaching art as well. I want to make an impact on my future students, just as she had made a positive impact within me. She was important in my life, and I want other children to feel that as well. I want them to be able to showcase their art skills just as I have. Along with my teacher’s impact, my family has always been very artistic, so I knew that this was the right path for me.

What are your preferred mediums and why are you drawn to them?

My preferred mediums are paints such as acrylic and pencils. I love traditional mediums and I’m drawn to them because I enjoy the tactile and physical feeling of the materials and how it comes together when making an artwork. Whether it be painting or sketching, I love using physical materials. Digital is really interesting and fun to do, but I’m not too good at it, so I’ll leave that for the people who are!

Where do you see yourself in the future? How do you see your art practice evolving?

In the future, I see myself as an art teacher for children in middle school. I see my art practice evolving with me as a teacher, through the new art that I can teach to my children, as well as teaching them about the histories of past art and modern art. Along with teaching, I can showcase my personal artwork through social media platforms, such as Instagram. Alongside my art, I can also post my children’s art and evolve through the media I use.

What is the most significant thing you will take away from your Fine Arts studies?

The most significant thing that I will take away from my Fine Arts studies is that having my own studio space other than my bedroom is really important when creating work. It allowed me to get away from my work and come back to it with new ideas. I also took away that making my own canvases for my paintings is a skill that I shall carry with me into the future. Premade canvases don’t compare slightly to the canvases that we have made in the woodshop! The quality and new skill is important, and I will keep that skill with me. I also just loved the overall atmosphere and community of the Fine Arts studios, and I will for sure miss it!