Sheena Salah was born in Leicester in the sixties and grew up in a working class environment. Her cultural identity is very much influenced by her life in Britain and her Indian roots.

Increasingly drawn to observing the space lying between and around things, also to investigating visual memories and sensations. By concentrating on the backdrop for a scene some insight is gained of the object or person missing from it. The objective being to encourage a deeper consideration of what looking really means.

Naturally innovative and bold in the use of colour, pastels and acrylic are favoured mediums. Inventiveness is key in the use of mixed media. Colour is developed intuitively, often bold and vibrant, they find their retrospective calm through innovative selection and use of contrast. You can almost feel the energy flowing through this work, which captures beautiful forms and curves, sometimes hinting at hurt, anger, peace or sexuality.

“I try to capture whatever inspires me in everyday life, to produce work that is both visually exiting and interesting. The sources are endless, ranging from architecture, landscape, news events, scenes and flora and fauna. My desire to express emotion and capture mood and drama often results in my work taking on abstract qualities.”

She has struggled to come through many obstacles and challenges and this positive approach, big life energy and strength of character, is evident in her work. Leaving home as a teenager meant she had to make compromises with regards to the direction her education and career took. The Arts took a backseat and her creative energy was put on hold whilst she successfully completed an engineering apprenticeship at a time when very few women entered the profession. She then went on to study Engineering Control Systems, attained a first class honours degree and entered the IT world, moving from a technical focus into sales, marketing and business development and has enjoyed a very successful career. During this time her creativity was channelled into her passion for cooking.

The time for developing her art came in 1996 when she took a sabbatical year and went to Portugal, where the year in fact turned into four! Here she re-discovered painting and attended classes and workshops exploring all the painting mediums and exhibited on several occasions including a very successful solo exhibition at the Convento d. San Jose in Lagoa.

Returning to the UK, she has worked developing business for a communications company for two years prior to finally settling in the Cotswolds to continue with her art in this inspiring setting. With a successful solo exhibition at Florian’s in Crouch End under her belt and having exhibited at the RBSA and the Anderson Gallery in Burford, she is currently working on some commissions and working towards her forthcoming exhibition program.