Dara Zakimi ‘Essence of Wave II’ Original Watercolor 4″x 5″ $45 (Sold)

Her work can be characterized as intuitive painting with gesturally fluid mark marking, a focus on deep color fields and the utilization of experimental processes and techniques. Her nonrepresentational watercolor paintings are a visual translation of her personal experiences and the natural world.  A fundamental image used in her work is the circle for its extensive symbolism of totality and cyclical movement. Through her pieces, she intends to create an experience for the viewer to ponder their own interpretations. She states “Although these are my own visions and conceptual representations of the shapes, spaces, textures, and colors, I want viewers to have a reflective space for their own self exploration, whatever it may be for them.”

As a Drawing and Painting Teacher at President Theodore Roosevelt High School in Honolulu, Hawaii, her mission as an art educator is for all students to have access, equity, and support as young artists. Two main fundamental functions of art she emphasizes to students are using art as a visual expression of voice and as a healthy coping mechanism to improve mental health. Discovering her role in the local art community is a process she intends to experience so that she can further guide her students.