This month we’re featuring Rifat Taher for the Capitol Hill Art League’s Mind of the Artist feature. Read her story and check out her beautiful artwork below. Follow Rifat on Instagram at @rif_sultana and find her at www.rifatsultana.com

My journey into the visual arts started at a very young age as I drew inspiration from my family and travels. My father’s work took me to many places and gave me the opportunity to see art from all over the world. It was those childhood experiences and memories of visiting museums, historical sites and monuments that have played a key role in my art practice.

My work is versatile, ranging from gestural abstractions to geometric forms with experience in printmaking and encaustic art. I use different mediums depending on what comes organically to the work or something that is relevant to my personal experience. I enjoy the urgency and freedom that comes with the creative process, constantly pushing myself and evolving. Currently I am working on a series of reliefs and drawings exploring geometric patterns from traditional architecture and astronomy. I am drawn to the geometric shapes, their sensorial, metaphysical as well as spatial dimensions. The mathematical insights of these forms, symmetry systems at play, and the infinite possibilities for a harmonious composition intrigue me. 

Recently I ventured into a new area of my creative dimension and had the privilege to illustrate a children’s book, Floating Words, for UK-based publisher, Bok Bok Books, and Arts Council England. The book is a children’s poetry anthology about our innate connection to water and about the impact of climate change. The illustrations were watercolor drawings in response to the poetry. The book is set to launch in September and tour the elementary schools in the UK with GreenPeace. It has been a wonderful journey and an area I would like to explore more in the future.  

I stay involved with local art communities and participate in shows and projects in the Washington D.C metropolitan area. I am a perpetual learner and a strong believer of hard work and dedication to one’s craft.