CONTEMPORARY ARTIST OZLEM THOMPSON
As a small child I loved drawing and was fascinated with colours. Since then, I studied science, in particular biology and the logic behind the mechanisms of nature. My deep interest in physics and especially quantum physics also helped open the doors of my imagination.
After graduating from high-school in Turkey, I realised that the academic system tends to force you into a certain direction. Either you have a career in certain areas or you will find the doors closed so because of my curiosity, and always wanting to know more about nature I decided that biology was the best subject to pursue. I was very glad that I had a chance to study it in one of the best universities; he University of Anatolia. Here I completed my masters in Botany on the subject of ‘Exotic Plants and Their Usage in Industrial Design’, and a thesis in collaboration with the Department of Industrial Design at Istanbul Technical University. Then while I was examining the various career paths from the academic world, I began to question whether this general direction was for me. Nowadays I paint and work in my home, which is the same flat in which Piet Mondrian painted in London.
We are so excited to have you with us today Ozlem, please share with us your greatest inspirations or influences?
My aesthetic is informed by the creativity of the women in my family, such as my grandmother, who made colourful clothes, while her mother was a decorative cabinet painter. Choosing to paint instead of following a scientific career, my work developed to combine scientific ideas, human feelings and my imagining the universe that we don’t yet understand. Inspiration came from the work of great artists such as Kandinsky, Matisse and Miró and Mondrian, and the literature of Orwell, Goethe, and Hugo which I listen to while painting.
Tell us a bit about your creative process?
I let nature give me initial inspiration, and then combine my feelings as they are at the time with the flow to create expression in composition and colour. I love to listen to great music or audiobooks.
How has the pandemic affected your creativity and how do you see the world changing?
I think the pandemic has highlighted how important art is for humanity, and it really helped me to create some works that I am proud of and develop my expression. I hope that future generations can see that art helps us maintain our ability to process world events such as the Covid 19 pandemic.
Who do you consider to be an icon of our time?
I love Yayoi Kusama’s work, and think her recognition came so late.
What does wellbeing mean to you, and what do you practice?
To be honest painting and while painting listening to great novelists and classical musicians gives me the most nourishment as well as the time I spend with my family.
Below from her latest series ‘Eternity and a Day’
