Bio
Mona Sadek was born in Cairo in 1975, and is half Egyptian and half British. She has had a varied professional life, starting out with a degree in Microbiology, before gravitating towards human rights and humanitarian work. After completing an MA in human rights in London in 2002, she joined the International Committee of the Red Cross and lived and worked for the next 20 years in a number of countries in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and Europe.
In 2023, and following years of painting as an enthusiastic hobbyist, she decided it was time to pursue a long held dream of becoming a full time painter. In addition to many online and face to face courses, Mona completed Barry John Raybould’s online Virtual Art Academy. Raybould is an acclaimed artist and teacher, and his programme, inspired by the illustrious Beaux Arts Academy in France, is the equivalent of a four year Fine Arts degree. She is now starting to sell her work as an emerging artist. In her first year of full time painting, one of her portraits was selected for an exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London, as part of the 2024 exhibition of the Royal Society of British Artists. She currently lives and works in the Scottish Highlands, after several years on Gozo, in Malta.
Artist Statement
I paint with oils as my preferred medium. I paint landscapes, still life, and portraits, although landscapes captivate me the most. My landscape work is inspired by, and based on, regular and lengthy periods spent in the outdoors, taking in the surroundings and producing all manner of sketches and quick impressions of the scenes that strike me.
They are created in charcoal, pen & ink, water colour and gouache. I then develop my oil paintings back in the studio, using mainly my reference material and my memory. As part of my process, I also take a lot of photographs, but use these more for inspiration rather than a blueprint. I enjoy experimenting with oils and love to explore the boundaries between representational and abstract. I choose to portray enough of the nature of what I am seeing to share my impressions of that particular landscape, at that particular moment in time, while leaving a big something for the viewer to complete. My palette is generally limited, rich in earth colours.
I want my work to be affordable, and enjoyed by those who love to have their homes filled with art, with images that give them pleasure. Affordability is an important feature of my work ethic, hoping that those who wish to acquire some of my paintings will be able to do so.
I have a deep appreciation for the artists and teachers who have helped me in so many different ways. I will always keep developing and improving how I paint, through different learning platforms, engaging with other artists, and through lengthy observation of the nature around us.
