Sophia Othman, Vallejo, CA
Noor means ‘light’ in Arabic, a nod to my cultural heritage and obsession with light and reflecting the beauty of the world back into the world. I am a self-taught artist and have been making art since childhood.
My medium is mosaic and my specialty is mosaic murals and garden sculpture of welded metal or papercrete. My large scale art tends to be both practical and whimsical and to render cosmic and elemental themes to bring luminous grace to gardens, homes, and public spaces.
A planet-friendly ethic infuses my methods as I use as much recycled material as possible in creating my art. My work transforms mundane and waste materials into beauteous sculptures made of welded scrap metal or hand formed with clay, paper, and cement. Waste is recreated into beauty.
Vision and Style
Noor نور is an Arabic word and name meaning ” light”. Energy is all there is’ said Donna Eden, renowned energy healer. Light behaves as matter and as energy. Through light we are graced with life, color, reflection, brilliance, warmth, glow, and the ability to see beauty. The artistic work I am drawn to create is a physical ode to life, spirit, and light.
Stylistically, my work is strongly influenced by the artistic styles of Isaiah Zagar and Laurel True. I like to apply the adjectives reverent, cosmic, stylized, brilliant, and joyful to my work. Their purpose is to reverently reflect the beauty of the natural world and bring spirit into form to in ways that offer grace, brilliance, and utility