We recently connected with Owen Munisamy and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Owen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

When I see my painting finished, that’s when I am the most happy. But of course, the question is when is a painting finished? It takes a long time to plan, to lay out sometimes on Photoshop so I can change my mind without throwing away, decide on colours, any change in style and to execute (to actually paint). Watching paint dry is not just a joke! Another happy moment is when my painting is sold or even just selected for an exhibition. It shows
somebody, not just friends and family, likes my art.
It would be incredible if I could just live from my art and dedicate all my time to creating. But life has decided otherwise so far. I also have a regular job but as one says, it is a basic low payed job that helps a little to pay the bills at the end of the month.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I always loved drawing and so my parents send me to a private art teacher. After primary school, I went to a dedicated secondary art school called “St Luc” in my home town Liege (Belgium). Followed by university studies at Winchester School of Art (Southampton University, UK). During my university studies, one of my professor suggested to me that I should seek inspiration from my home, my family background, my surroundings. Coming from a musical family, its was thus quite normal that I should look to music, especially to the sculptural forms of wood and brass instruments and their intricate mechanisms. It was in my art school before going to the university in the UK I learned about Biomorphism. Biomorphic: forms or images are ones that while abstract nevertheless refer to, or evoke, living forms as plants and the human body. The biomorphic sculptures of Henry Moore and Surrealism had a big influence on me. My first years of painting were thus spent researching and gradually creating an enigmatic musical ambiguous world with biomorphic forms of musical instruments with human elements, a universe of extremely rich and varied forms which are organic and alive. I like to create an effective centre with a strong intensity where the eye stops to focus, a dark centre from which some elements escape into the light. It is a journey that incites the observer to begin a journey of discovery. In parallel with my oils paintings, I use watercolours. I employed that technique as a base for sketching before my oils paintings. Since conversations in my youth with Marcel Lucas, (family friend and grandfather of my partner) a well-known Belgian watercolour artist, I learnt through his work that watercolours are a real art form in themselves. My watercolours are a long research coming from complex structures to now more delicate and sensitive compositions. My art evolves progressively to more architectural elements and abstract forms.

No, It wasn’t easy after I left university. Trying to earn a living while trying to make myself known as an artist. By painting a lot, I refined my style. When I did my first competition I didn’t get selected at all! It was when I entered international watercolour competitions that I got noticed because of my unusual recognisable style. I have had several exhibitions in Belgium, London UK, New Brunswick (Canada), France and Italy, some collective, some individual. My works are in private collections. I just keep believing in my art.

My aim is to reach as many people as possible. My style is very recognisable.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect as an artist is to be able to create. Many young artists give up because of the pressure of having to earn a living and not having the time or space to create. I am not a prolific artist who creates a painting every week or so. I need time to reflect, research, and that takes weeks.
My reward is being invited to take part in exhibitions, some prestigious like in London (Mall Galleries), Canada (McCain) and Belgium. I have also been selected to exhibit in several watercolour art-fair (events) in Italy, France, the UK and Belgium. That is very gratifying.
I don’t have an agent, and thus it is quite difficult to exhibit in galleries as they receive so many enquiries from artists.
Of course, when a person buys a painting, that means they like and appreciate what I do.
The biggest reward for me would be that I could live from my art.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

A non creative person might struggle with my artworks. My style is not commercial and the subjects are not always picture of recognisable objects but more like evocations of ideas. Some people seek explanations and meaning. My paintings are busily ambiguous and intricate
in some places which can make certain viewers uncomfortable even they know I’m good!
They think my artwork is complicated and not restful. But that doesn’t stop them for admiring, liking and sometimes buying the paintings. Some viewers are very intrigued. It is as if my subjects are floating in the air.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.owen-munisamy.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/omunisamy
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/o.munisamy
• Linkedin: www.LinkedIn.com/owenmunisamy
• Other: E-mail: ol.munisamy@icloud.com

Image Credits
All personal photos.