Feature in Voyage Phoenix
Meet Mitra Kamali of Mitra Fine Art in Scottsdale
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I come from a three girl family with a liberal father and a strong mother who ruled the house. Her saying to us girls was: “The Sky is the Limit”. As a middle child, I was usually self-sufficient, therefore, my mother trusted me to stay home alone! I used my imagination to create the places she would go and painted them. I started drawing at age 3, my interest in math led me to a financially rewarding career in petroleum engineering, but my real passion was ART. My first impressive and memorable gift was a small 6-bottle gouache paint set and I made all the colors of the rainbow. I made unique colors to paint my fingernails instead of the boring colors of available nail polish. I enjoyed making my family and friends happy by gifting them with handmade colorful cards. If there was a family feud, I would change the mood by presenting my art. My lesson learned at age 10? “ART IS A UNIVERSAL HEALER”.
I left my native country Iran when I was 17 years old to study engineering in America. As much as I was excited about my new home at the Louisiana State University dorm facility – and made international friends – I really missed my parents, family and friends in Iran. I used to set aside the empty feelings of homesickness and missing my parents. I knew deep inside that we would get together as a family when I finished school, and I could make a comfortable living for them. I wanted to take care of them like they did for me. As for my ART, I would attend classes pertaining to art history, architecture and design. I would take time to visit New Orleans with its majestic buildings full of art historical details. I felt like I was somehow in an altered version of Paris with the best Cafe Au Lait and Beignets, and the French Quarter with its charm, powerful jazz and soul music, and unique, hot, delicious Bayou food – French a la Cajun. Admiring and enjoying life in a Louisiana filled with unique art lifted my spirit to continue on and helped me to cope with homesickness.
During the years I spent in Louisiana, I hardly ever missed the Mardi Gras Carnival, as everyone wears masks. The gorgeous artistic gowns and fanciful parades left a permanent mark on my mind. During Mardi Gras people are free to be anything they desire. All feelings are out! There is strong bonding energy as people celebrate together in the street as if they know one another – it is a big FEAST for ALL! I painted a series about Mardi Gras that deals with inner feeling struggles for true love, security and trust. “Mime, Body and Soul” is part of this series.
When I made enough money to support myself and my parents who had just migrated from Iran to the United States, I began to lead my life like a real artist – traveling and learning about cultures of the world.
When I worked as a petroleum engineer in the Offshore Gulf of Mexico, drilling over a mile into the earth, I discovered how cuttings from deep earth included minerals that changed color under various temperatures and pressures. Today I use a similar concept for my technique that I call “FUSION-ART” that fuses polyester onto various surfaces like paper, canvas, wood panel, metal and glass. My passion in life is ART and uniting people of the world. My interest in math, physics and science to discover more about the origins of universe and time.
I believe art is the only way for the survival of humankind. Empathy + Creativity + Freedom to think + Soulfulness allow us to go beyond the boundaries that humankind has created around religion, socioeconomic status, political views, race, color, IQ test, gender and sex. We all have red blood cells. We, humans, love our children want a good education, good nutrition, good health, and above all want PEACE. This is a universal fact!
Saatchi Art is the world’s leading online art gallery, connecting people with art and artists they love.
Saatchi Art offers an unparalleled selection of paintings, drawings, sculpture and photography in a range of prices, and it provides artists from around the world with an expertly curated environment in which to exhibit and sell their work.
Based in Los Angeles, Saatchi Art is redefining the experience of buying and selling art by making it easy, convenient and welcoming for both collectors and artists.
Mitra Fine Art is selling one of her originals at the Saatchi Art online art gallery “Universal Mother” and “Sacred Pear”
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