Introduction
I’m Ashma Izzat, a self-taught artist who believes that learning is a deeply social process—shaped by the people, places, and communities around us. I was born and raised in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. My creative path has always been about exploration rather than confinement. I don’t confine myself to a single box; instead, I continue to explore new media and forms of expression. While I experiment widely, my preferred mediums remain watercolour and pen art, where fluidity and precision meet to tell stories through colours and lines.
Early Inspirations
My art journey began in childhood. I learned from my parents, who both had a remarkable artistic approach—designing clothes, doing embroidery, and transforming everyday surroundings into something beautiful. Their creativity became my first classroom, teaching me that art is not only about technique but also about seeing beauty in the “ordinary”.
Return to Art
My art journey took a long pause and returned one decade ago, when painting became my sanctuary and my spark during a silent struggle with mental health. Through the colours of nature and the stillness of the landscape, I began to rediscover life, healing, and my own voice.
Professional journey
My life experiences and studies have given me the opportunity to contribute to society through practising human rights law as an advocate, engaging with the social development sector, and being a small part of shaping society. What I receive from this world and communities, I share back through my work. Alongside this, I live and nurture the dreams I see, and I express them openly in my art, poems, articles, and short stories. I speak and sometimes I remain silent and draw to say, and I show what I see. Even the silences—those within me and those that exist within communities—find a voice through my art. In this way, my creativity becomes both a reflection of my journey and a dialogue with the world.
Gratitude
To everyone who takes a moment to pause with my work—thank you. Your presence as a reader, viewer, or quiet witness gives my art a life beyond the canvas. Each brushstroke and line carries a piece of my journey, but it is in your eyes and reflections that these stories find new meaning.
I am deeply grateful for your time, your openness, and your willingness to connect with the colours and silences/Voice I share. May you carry fragments of peace, memory, or inspiration from my art into your own path.
With lots of Love
Ashma Izzat