A Conversation with
Marjane Saidi

One of the major themes of your work is nature, and your palette is vivid and saturated. What memories are still unforgettable for you from your youth in Iran, and the cities you lived in, and loved best?

MS One of the unforgettable memories from my childhood is not about a city but about a special time of the year, Nowruz, and the tradition of getting new shoes. I remember going to Bagh Sepahsalar Street in Tehran, where all the shoe stores were located. I was allowed to choose a pair of shoes in the color of my choice, and I often selected shoes in a shiny red or blue or white.

The other colorful memories I have are from my grandparents’ summer house outside Tehran with all the fig, mulberry, blackberry and greengage trees framed by a bright blue sky.

Every time I have the chance to go back to Iran, I visit a different city or a region—Kashan, Yazd, Esfahan, Ghazvin, Shiraz—many beautiful and colorful cities that inspire my paintings. I also use the traditional architectural patterns, ceramic art and Persian rug designs, projecting them to the forefront of the canvas and trying to express the relationship between these elements and nature.

I, too, have a background in economics and corporate America; how do you think those experiences, that time away from what you love, impacted the work you do now?

MS I lived and studied in Paris for about 14 years before coming to Montreal. I worked in financial institutions and I satisfied my desire for art by going to museums and art exhibitions, and in Paris, you are very well served in these areas! Then we moved to Montreal where the colors and people are quite different.

Canada is a beautiful and peaceful country, yet I still missed the atmosphere of Mediterranean people and locales. Working in economics and finance on cold white days couldn’t give me the satisfaction l needed artistically. My loved ones also encouraged me: they saw a passion, a joy in my paintings, and wanted me to pursue that avenue. From that came a radical shift in my private life that convinced me that with my art I could create the warm, colorful, nurturing place that was missing in my life. And now, whenever I am demotivated, I look at the brushes that my daughter offered me long before I decided to start painting and my motivation immediately returns.

How is the art you did when you were younger—in technique, medium and subject matter—different than what you’re doing now, defining “now” however you’d like.

MS First of all, l always say l’m an emerging autodidact artist because I don’t have a solid background in art. I took different classes to learn and practice different techniques, but l never attended an art program in a university. However, what l lack in formal training l make up for in passion.

I started painting with pencils, pastels and charcoal. l did a lot of sketching, landscapes and portraits. Then little by little, l developed my own style. Sometimes people who follow my work on social media tell me that without looking at the signature they can tell that the painting belongs to me, and this is so meaningful.

I see the mixture of classical Iranian shapes and aesthetic in your work, but there is also a distinctly modernist approach as well: what other artists and/or writers influence what you’re interested in depicting?

MS I am a great fan of Monet, Modigliani, Picasso, also the Austrian painters like Klimt and Hundertwasser. Among Iranian painters, l love Taraghijah, Aydin Aghdashloo, Parviz Tanavoli, Behjat Sadr and many many other painters. I usually try to relate a painting to a poem or a quote from Rumi, Sohrab Sepehri, Hamid Mossadegh or Shamloo, etc. I think it gives an essence to the painting.

You’ve also always created beautiful female portraits: has your style or focus changed in recent times?

MS Female figures have always been one of the key elements in many of my paintings. They are the storytellers on my canvas, offering a narrative shaped by their memories and hopes. They are recognizable with their long jet-black hair in the wind, through which they affirm their identity, their femininity, strength and power. Their stories and their hopes, expressed visual through my paintings, present an ode to freedom.

What other mediums or themes are you interested in exploring?

MS Besides acrylic painting, I started doing some digital paintings a few years ago. The digital illustrations l created are all finger painting. I work through a basic app, nothing sophisticated, and don’t even use a stylus. I make limited edition prints from these illustrations.

I have also started painting with watercolors. It is a difficult medium as you have to be very patient and precise, and there is no room for mistakes, but it is a wonderful medium. I use this medium more as a way to illustrate Persian ceramics and other physical objects.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.