Maziyah Yussof
  • Portfolio
  • About
  • Exhibitions
  • Dreamy Portraits
  • Into The Mangroves
  • Collaborations

Reverie

"a state of being pleasantly lost in one’s thought; a daydream."

This particular series has been a concept that has stuck with me since high school, but forgotten during my university years. I started working dedicatedly on the series as I began my teaching career back in 2011 and is still ongoing.

My methods involve using traditional painting mediums and pattern making. My patterns, explored in both organic and structured manners, are inspired by the natural world. The structured patterns consist of coloured triangles that I hand cut individually – a process that is both time consuming yet meditative which I developed during my Fine Art degree. Through this exploration, colour itself became a source of inspiration as the different colour combinations evoke different feelings.  

I usually begin a painting with a particular scene in mind; a natural backdrop, which then transforms into a dream like setting. I work from both first-hand and second-hand photographic references. The animals, which are painted both in realistic and fictional styles, represent a personified character. Each character is juxtaposed into dreamlike states complimenting the alluring environment around them, thus becoming the focal point of the artwork.

The titles serve as a starting point - an initial source of interpretation for the viewer to navigate through using one’s own imagination. To me, words are just as powerful as images, which is why I always make it a point to create a narrative within each painting. My paintings mean to evoke a stimulating calm – a muse for the mind.

Picture
The 'Reverie' series is based on this illustration I did back in my A-level's. It first featured 'The Sleeping Lion' character floating in a garden in Paradise.
Picture
"The Sleeping Lion: Part I"
2008
Digital Art
Picture

"The Sleeping Lion: Part II"

2011
55cm x 75cm
Acrylic & Cardboard Paper on Canvas


​The sleeping lion is a character I created that inspired my series ‘Reverie’ - "a state of being pleasantly lost in one’s thought; a daydream." I was directly influenced by Henri Rousseau’s approach to and symbolic imagery of his painting ‘The Sleeping Gypsy’. The process of creating this piece itself is fundamental to its story as my initial idea was to depict the sleeping lion enveloped within a mysterious night scene. This painting went through many layers of colours portraying the effervescent changes between day and night, and ultimately, all these layers transformed into the olive-toned stillness you see. The only constant was the sleeping lion. The fish fall as rain, harmoniously encapsulating the ebb and flow of life. 




​


ORIGINAL ART PRINT AVAILABLE IN A3+ & A4 SIZE
All art prints are professionally printed on Premium 210 gsm Fine Art Paper

Picture
"Untitled"
2010
30cm x 20cm
Acrylic on Canvas
Picture
"Unrequited"
2010
39cm x 49cm
Acrylic on Canvas

Picture
"Cat Lovers"
2011
40 x 20 cm
Acrylic & Enamel on Canvas
Commissioned Piece
 
Concept: Client wanted a two-piece painting that would work as a single piece and also when joined together (similar to the concept of a couple’s puzzle heart). 
Picture
"Pink Sea"
2011
Modelling Clay &  
Cardboard Paper on Canvas
Picture
"Of Love & the Unknown"
2014
20cm x 20cm 
Acrylic & Enamel on Canvas

Picture
"Paradise" [SOLD]
2012
89cm x 68cm
Acrylic & Enamel on Canvas
Picture
"Matchless" [SOLD]
2012
50cm x 70cm
Acrylic on Canvas

Picture
"Heavenly"
2012
60cm x 120cm
Acrylic & Enamel on Canvas


A painting based on a dead bird that I found which had the most perfectly peaceful expression. I immediately photographed the bird knowing that I would want to paint it!

Picture
"Narwhal" [SOLD]
2014
70cm x 100cm
Acrylic & Enamel on Canvas
Narwhals seem almost mythical as they live in the arctic waters and are known as the “unicorn of the sea”. They are social creatures but this particular Narwhal is alone and below the surface of the water – its curious tusk peeking above the water as the chaotic storm rages above. The clouds are thunderous & a bolt of lightning strikes & sends the fish flying out of the ocean – thus saving the fish from being the Narwhal’s dinner.
Picture
"Koi & The Great Wave" [SOLD]
2011
89cm x 68cm
Acrylic & Cardboard Paper on Canvas


Inspired by one of my favourite artworks “The Great Wave of Kanagawa” by Hokusai.

Picture

Close-up's of "Labyrinth"
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
"Labyrinth" [SOLD]
2012
80cm x 100cm
Acrylic & Cardboard Paper on Canvas

‘Labyrinth’ encompasses traces of my pattern works created during my Fine Art graduation show back in 2009. In order to put my patterns to use, I decided to construct on impulse, a web of triangles ordered and inspired by the diverse colour palettes of nature. 
©️Maziyah Yussof - All rights reserved

This website contains intellectual property owned by Maziyah Yussof, with all rights reserved. Reproducing, distributing, or using the content, including for AI or machine learning, is strictly prohibited.
  • Portfolio
  • About
  • Exhibitions
  • Dreamy Portraits
  • Into The Mangroves
  • Collaborations