About Me.

HI, I’M TEEBA…

My art journey started when I was around 4 years old and my mom encouraged and taught me how to paint with watercolor. She loved art and did it as a hobby; she used to draw mandalas and ornament patterns.

She was highly creative and understood how to create beautiful art. She would teach me and give me tips when I needed help.

When I first started making art, I was drawing with pencil, pencil color and charcoal. I did portraits, nature, and fashion designs.

I made my first painting for fun after years of drawing, when I was seventeen. I went with my uncle one day to this old school street back home called Al-mutanabbi street, which is an old historic street in Baghdad, filled with bookstores and outdoor book stalls.

There was a corner for art supplies that I really fell in love with. My uncle encouraged me to try something new, so I bought a canvas, brushes, and some oil paint. I went home and started painting a landscape that I chose online and within two weeks or so I finished my first painting.

At that time, I felt proud of what I created. Today, of course, I can pin-point all the ways it could have been better. Last time I saw that painting, it was hanging on a wall of my grandparents’ house.

I LOST TOUCH FOR A WHILE…

When I came to Canada from Iraq in 2018, it was a culture shock for me. I was exploring my new environment and I put my art on pause.

I felt like I was missing something, so I got back to drawing and started watching art and painting videos on YouTube for fun and inspiration. It made me feel good and helped me go through my day.

I was very interested and in love with the work of an abstract painter, John Beckley, at the time.

One day I was walking on Dundas and Dixie, and I saw Curries, an art supply store. I started to remember that  I love being in such a place surrounded by art, so I went inside and before I knew it I was filling my cart with supplies. I ended up leaving the store with $200 worth of art supplies.

When I got home I started working on a painting inspired by Beckley’s work, and that is when my painting journey started. And I haven’t stopped painting since.

Art and especially painting is my safe space, my time with myself. It is the ability to be authentic in my skin and be with my thoughts. It is a form of inspiration because ideas flow freely when I do art. 

what do i want people to get from my art?

 Everyone's experience is different with art. For some people it is a nice decorative piece on the wall and for others it is an immersive experience or a memory.

I want people to connect to the depth of the art piece and to buy it because of how it makes them feel. It is something they connect with to the point they cannot stop looking at it. If I can't connect with them emotionally through a piece, that means I am not doing an excellent job and that I should do much better.

I want them to use the art that hangs on their wall to communicate how they feel and what they experienced.

I want it to be meaningful to them as much as how it is meaningful for me, and for them to share that meaning with others. That is how I want my art to bring people together.

I want people to know my art and to know me as an artist and as a person. My art is my way of showing up authentically in the world, it is one of the ways I express my emotions.

I’d love to build a life where I am connected in one way or another to everyone who loves my art. Most importantly I want to share and spread the story and the idea behind each of my paintings to a add at least a little bit of positivity to the community around me.

what inspired me to go online?

After I started painting again, I was very proud of my work and skills and started to share what I was creating with my friends and family. At the time, it was just a hobby.

Then I decided to take a step forward and share my art with the world on Instagram, and that’s when I started seeing myself as an artist.

It was no longer a hobby anymore, I wanted to connect deeper with people through art, and I still do.

Art comes naturally to me, and it’s a lot more accessible than a pilot’s license right now, my dream job. So I decided to start selling my art.

I want to make my art affordable to everyone, and so I am very honest when it comes to pricing my pieces. 

I am working towards displaying my art in other people’s galleries and owning my own one day.

Visit my shop today to buy a print or original piece, or request your commission here.

You can also click here to check the prices of my face painting services.