Science, Art, and Becoming Great: Özlem Thompson
Özlem Thompson is a Turkish painter who creates marvelous paintings that are based on nature and its form. Thompson’s depictions of flowers leaves the audience in awe when they take in the vibrant colors and shapes that characterize her work.
The artist’s work is intellectual in nature. Özlem takes every detail into consideration and takes a scientific approach to painting the natural. When painting, she keeps in mind the cells and everything else that constitutes the organic. That is why she was one of seven artists selected by the non-profit group Elephant Family to paint eggs in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The Elephant Family supports conservation efforts across Asia. You can find out more about them here.
We had the opportunity to speak with this wonderful artist, you can read the interview below:
Could you please provide us with your artistic background?
I was born in Istanbul, a city of mixed cultures since the times of the Ancient Greek . I always had an interest in the arts since childhood, but in university I studied Biology and got my master’s degree in Botany. After I decided to listen to my inner voice and focus on creating art. During these years I drew a lot and then started using oils and acrylics to paint. In my family there are lots of creatives such as musicians and artists. Since 2018 I have been painting full time.
How does painting help you express yourself?
Painting is the best way of sharing my experiences in life with people and expressing my interpretation of the world. I discovered that I can paint in a meditative way while I was in secondary school. Since then, the feeling of time and space disappearing has always been with me. I paint joy, I think the world needs it more than any other thing nowadays.
You minted a collection on PRISM (prismnfts.com)“Eternity and a Day,” which seems to be centered around flowers. What do flowers represent for you?
Flowers have been a symbol of life and infinity since centuries. They are reproductive organs so they are eternal in the lodges of flowers and yet so ephemeral and transient. I studied and wrote a thesis titled as ‘Exotic Plants and their usage in Industrial Design’, it took two whole years to complete this academic work. While doing that I discovered many unknown exotic plants and their mechanisms to survive in evolutionary process. They are like humans, some are more fragile and some are tough. They represent beauty of our universe, like us they are made of star dusts. We all love flowers. I love recreating them in an abstract way and I like using my imagination and where it takes me.
Which artists inspire you?
Mondrian who lived in the same flat where my studio is right now inspires me a lot. He was an icon in modern art. Also Kandinsky, Miro, Hilma af Klint, Matisse and many other artists inspire me.
What are some of your biggest career goals?
I want to be known as a great Turkish Woman Artist in history. That is my biggest goal and I spend every minute of my life with this aim.
You can find Özlem’s PRISM profile here.
You can follow her on Instagram here.
