Finding it difficult to separate herself from her art, Gentian Osman has been conceptualising her work around her love for nature from the age of three. The Trinidadian-born artist credits her move to the US as the pathway that allowed her to experiment with new media in unconventional ways, conducive to the development of her current organic-inspired contemporary aesthetic. Now at the age of 35, Osman has garnered international acclaim for her impressive variety of artistic techniques and styles, ranging from dark conceptual portraiture to intricate contest-winning pattern work. As a full-time freelance artist living and working in Seattle, her current professional freedom seems to align well with her free-flowing creativity.
Gentian Osman – self portrait (2013)
Varala Maraj: How did your art career begin?
Gentian Osman: Like most artists, I’ve been into art since I was really young. It just came naturally to me and my family really fostered my talent. My aunt, Charmaine Rahaman-Sieusankar, who currently teaches Art at Naparima Girls’ High School in Trinidad, was also an artist and she introduced me to several types of art.
Later on, I did O’Level and A’ Level Art in high school in Trinidad and I did well in my exams so I was able to continue my education. I chose to do Printmaking at The Atlanta College of Art in Atlanta, Georgia, [now called Savannah College of Art and Design - Atlanta Campus]. After that, I did my masters degree in Fine Art at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Cranbrook, Michigan. Now I’m a full time freelance artist, living in Seattle, Washington.
VM: What kind of artist do you consider yourself to be?
GO: [She pauses and laughs] For a while I did a lot of installation art but after graduating from university, I shifted my focus to illustration. I suppose my work is along the lines of contemporary art, at this point. But, I don’t have a definite box or exact category… I’m a painter, illustrator and photographer.
VM: Some might consider studying art at tertiary level education to be a ‘risky business’. What made you decide to do it anyway?
GO: Sometimes, I think it can be very difficult for artists in the Caribbean, because there’s so much academic focus on sciences and other art-unrelated subjects. Although science and other subjects are very important, I also think a lot of Caribbean people look down on art as being unimportant and perhaps, many Caribbean artists don’t feel respected for what they do. Some Caribbean people consider art to be a waste of time, almost as if to imply that you should have been a doctor or a lawyer instead. That was the pressure I felt more than anything else. But I was lucky that my parents let me study art. I know some Trinidadians who wanted to do the same but their parents were not supportive of the idea. When I was a student in Trinidad, there weren’t any tertiary level art programmes at all. But I knew I wanted to pursue art, so I chose to go abroad.
L: Scotch tape dress installation created at Cranbrook Academy of Art. R: Close up of installation.
Gentian Osman
Hand-punched Scotch tape
(2004)
VM: Now the art community and art education facilities are growing and developing in Trinidad and Tobago. Do you ever consider returning to Trinidad to live now?
GO: It’s not that I wouldn’t want to go back home, but sometimes I might feel artistically restricted in Trinidad. That’s the difference about going to university abroad- I was exposed to a lot of different types of art from all over the world and collaborated with students of different backgrounds. I was also able to experiment with a lot of different media and techniques, which I probably would not have been able to use if I was in Trinidad.
My art background at home was very traditional and mainly took the form of landscapes and still life paintings. I think if I stayed in Trinidad, my focus would have never shifted from that. Whereas here, in the US, I am exposed to more art history, with emphasis on contemporary art and postmodern art.
VM: You’ve lived as an artist in Trinidad, Atlanta and now Seattle. How would you compare the art scene in Trinidad to those in the US?
GO: Because the population is a lot larger in the US, the art community is understandably much larger. My friend, Erica Malmsten and I were actually able to rent a space in an open concept gallery and ran our own art show independently in the US. That’s a nice option that you have in the US. But in Trinidad, there are only a few galleries you can exhibit at and it’s sometimes very traditional and a bit safe, because I suppose, many Trinidadian gallery visitors and prospective buyers want ‘pretty’ art that they can hang in their homes, which is not necessarily something that’s going to challenge your thinking, per se. But I am more interested in contemporary art, which often challenges concepts of what art is or what art can be… But I don’t know if the Caribbean art scene is ready for change. I hope so.
Sometimes, because you’re from a different country, people expect your art to be about your country or about your culture and maybe you don’t necessarily feel like you have to. So many people tied my ethnicity very strongly to my work, especially since I’m of East Indian descent but from Trinidad and Tobago, it was even more complicated for some people to understand. I really disliked that, so particularly with my self portraiture, I started to apply more dramatic makeup or shot photos that tended not to focus on my face directly, as a means of distracting the audience away from my ethnicity. I didn’t want people to apply labels and or preconceived notions towards my images, based on my appearance.
Wall artwork from the ‘Growths’ series.
Gentian Osman
Acrylic 3D paint
(2005)
VM: Looking through your Flickr photostream, it is difficult to keep track of all the media that you work with. What inspired you to go into all of these different artistic directions?
GO: I like to constantly try new media which is also why I started doing a lot of blog reviews for different art products. All of my favourite undergrad teachers also really encouraged me to play with different media.
During my second degree, I experimented with tape a lot. I took small Scotch tape pieces, cut them out, punched holes in them, made a dress out of it, took photographs of it and I used that as part of my thesis. I also did a lot of drawings on the walls itself, as part of installation work. I’m really interested in growth, so I would look at natural growing patterns and organic art forms. That’s the type of work I really like but it’s sometimes quite difficult because can’t always get the space to do this type of work.
‘Untitled’ from ‘Self portrait series’
Gentian Osman
Gesso on photographic print
(2006)
VM: Some of your portraiture is highly conceptual. Can you talk us through your self portrait series?
GO: My self portrait series was inspired by my drawings on cracks and imperfections in my university dorm walls. For my self portrait series, I applied white puff paints, which stemmed from my Growths artwork. I decided to apply it to myself and made it look as if it was growing on me. I also based my face painting strategically around my facial features to mimic certain aspects and marks. Then I photographed myself and drew onto the images with gesso. Perhaps, Carnival influenced this series in an obtuse way -the idea of painting your face or becoming a different character- I really like that concept.
Winning image of the “pattern-themed” 2013 ‘Copic Cover Contest’
Gentian Osman
Copic marker on Strathmore Mixed Media Paper
(2012)
VM: Your pattern work looks so intricate and time-consuming. What inspired this type of work?
GO: I like time-consuming art. I think that’s part of my style: intricate and detailed. But from early on, I had a difficult time finding an audience for what I was doing. It was a bit discouraging because I found it challenging to find the right place for my work to fit amongst whatever art was popular at the time. So, my pattern artwork was actually a recent change for me.
I happened to spontaneously enter a pattern-themed ‘Copic Cover Contest’. I usually don’t enter such things because I always think they’ll never choose my work, but I ended up winning… It was probably a fluke! [laughs]. Since then, Copic has been a fan of my work and they’ve kept in contact with me to do a lot of freelance illustrations for them.
Image used for Copic’s ‘Figure Drawing Wallet Set’
Gentian Osman
Copic marker on Strathmore Mixed Media Paper
(2013)
VM: I have noticed a similar face portrayed in several of your paintings and drawings. Can you tell us more about this particular subject. What are the inspirations behind it?
GO: I love Fruits Magazine, which is filled with images of Japanese culture and kids who wear really crazy clothes. Sometimes I get bored and I just draw illustrations based on Fruits’ photography. I alter their images and combine faces to make them my own.
VM: Is there a specific message you’re trying to convey with your art?
GO:[She pauses] I wouldn’t say I have any particularly strong message. I draw from natural and organic objects because that’s what I’ve always been interested in. This is what influences my pattern art as well.
VM: Is there something that motivates you to create the work you do?
GO: I feel like I have an intuitive process. I feel like I have to keep making art. I can’t turn it off in my head.
‘Hummingbird’
Gentian Osman
Prismacolor pencils on aquaboard
(2013)
VM: What’s your favourite part of being an artist?
GO: It just feels like what I was always supposed to do. I can’t really separate being an artist from being myself. It’s extremely interlinked for me. It would be weird if I just stopped drawing… I don’t know what I would do. I like the freedom of making what I want to make. Art is a big part of who I am… maybe because I am more introverted, it’s a way for me to express myself in a certain way that I can’t express in other ways.
VM: Are there any Caribbean artists in particular who inspired you?
GO: When I was growing up I really liked Peter Minshall a lot. I suppose Carnival can be considered as an artistic approach which also has an alternative application. Minshall did something unique with it, which was different from what other people were doing at the time.
I also really liked the Audubon-style illustrations in those old West Indian nature books like ‘Birds of Trinidad and Tobago’ by Richard ffrench. From a young age, I loved drawing birds and subjects pertaining to natural science… and I still do.
Image used as the back cover for music compilation album ‘Thank You Pastor’
Gentian Osman
Photography collage, watercolour and micron pen
(2009)
VM: So what’s next for you?
GO: I don’t have a set plan. I am expected to do more work with Copic in the future. I think I should look into setting up an online store. I’ve been meaning to work on that because a lot of people contact me asking how they can buy my work. So that might be my next project.
VM: What’s the dream?
GO: My dream was to become an artist.
VM: Do you have any dreams that haven’t come true as yet?
GO: I never had really big dreams. I really just wanted to be an artist.