Figures
Quiet, often overlooked moments of daily life
Echoes
Sanctuary, 36 x 48 in, oil on canvas
Moonlight, 30 x 40 in, oil on canvas
Siesta, 36 x 48 in, oil on canvas
Colossal Spirit, 30 x 40 in, oil on canvas
I am here—as if the artist was saying. I am stripped down, unfurled and open. In silent jubilation in a peaceful reverie, there I am; there, I am going.
Bloom is Ikaj’s fourth solo exhibition and is the follow up to Marigold Summer in 2021, where we see the artist grow more graceful in healing, coming from a reclaimed past. The paintings in the series present beauty through the heart of a younger Ikaj, with the eyes and hands of who she is now: beauty that bares itself incomplete, and beauty that isn’t afraid to dream.
Bloom
Bloom, 24 x 36 in, oil on canvas
Echoes of Our Days, 36 x 48 in, oil on canvas
Anne, 24 x 36 in, oil on canvas
Tomorrow’s Fairy Tale, 24 x 36 in, oil on canvas
The Divine, 24 x 36 in, oil on canvas
Songs of Serenity, 36 x 48 in, oil on canvas
Nature’s Solace, 36 x 48 in, oil on canvas
Grace, 30 x 40 in, oil on canvas
Tranquility, 30 x 40 in, oil on canvas
A collection of the results borne of spontaneous salvos in her process of catharsis and creative release. While the themes may deal with images of unburdening, duality, jagged lines, heavy strokes, and gray and neon, creation and ideation remain prevalent. It is in this ephemeral shifting from dictation to conception—the dry spells of summer to the drops of rainfall—that we find the message of the artist: Reclaim one’s identity, liberty, and happiness.
Marigold Summer reminds us to live not idyllically but in seasons of death, rebirth, and growth. That in the heat of our perpetual summer, we are all unfurling blooms.
Marigold Summer
‘Metamorphosis’ is a visual reflection of my journey through profound personal transformation—one that marks a shift into a new phase of adulthood. These works embody the tension, introspection, and eventual acceptance that come with change.
Metamorphosis
Metamorphosis 1, 21 x 28 in, oil on canvas
Metamorphosis 2, 18 x 24 in, oil on canvas
Metamorphosis 3, 22.5 x 30 inches, oil on canvas
Seasons Changing
Slow Mornings, 15.5 x 19 in, Gouache & wax pencils on paper
As the Sun Sets, 11.5 x 15.5 in, Gouache & wax pencils on paper
The Heat of Noon, 15.5 x 19 in, Gouache & wax pencils on paper