by Stephanie Haines
Hanging art together in the Janigan Studio with the effervescent Hala Hawa and her friends and husband, I was lucky enough for the opportunity to ask her about her wonderful artwork, and snap a couple of photos.
Let’s start way at the beginning. Where were you born and how did you end up in Ottawa?
I was born in Tripoli, Lebanon, a beautiful historic city by the Mediterranean. In my late teens my family moved to Ottawa to escape the war. Moving to Canada taught me a lot about creating a new life, adapting and transitioning.
How did you get into painting and creating?
Growing up I was inspired by my mother who was a creative force. She was an artist, a tailor, knitter, gardener and much, much, more. During my early teens I was a shy and serious student and showed a talent in the arts. With my charcoal pencil, I used to draw portraits of my friends, birds and flowers. I also loved reading and writing poetry. At one point I acted in the school theatre play as the Doctor in Macbeth. I told my parents I wanted to become an artist, but they disagreed and persuaded me to become a teacher, doctor or a lawyer.
Did you study art and if so, where?
My art studies came from more practical related fields. I started at the University of Ottawa Engineering Faculty, I did well in my first year, however it made me realize it’s not what I wanted to do. In the following year I attended Carleton university where I graduated with a bachelor in Industrial Design with first year in Architecture. There I learned the fundamentals of colour, technical drawing, and various drawing and painting mediums and techniques. After graduating, I took a course at Algonquin College in life drawing and History of Customs before heading to work as industrial designer in Montreal. This formal education gave me a solid foundation to build on as an artist.
Later on, after decades of working in design and design management, I reconnected with my inner child who always wanted to be an artist. In 2017, I restarted my journey in the arts, experimenting with different mediums (coloured ink pens and pencils, coloured pencils, water colour and pastels (oil and soft). A year ago I enrolled in a fascinating online Bold Colour Masterclass course offered by Bold School painting portraits in acrylic. I love this medium, as it is so versatile.
"I am a curious person who is interested in helping people bring their stories to life; I’m fascinated by animals and the feeling they bring in us and in nature, that I strive to show in its full splendor."
What inspires you to create?
I find inspiration to create art in many places. I am a curious person who is interested in helping people bring their stories to life; I’m fascinated by animals and the feeling they bring in us, and in nature, that I strive to show in its full splendor. I also love painting abstracts, images gleaned in a dream or in an inner voyage, and a representation of the mood of a moment. Each of these sources enriches my life in its own way
Did you have any major influences that shaped your work?
In addition to my mother, the creative force! I am inspired by and admire the imagination of surrealist artists such as Dali and Miro, the colours and techniques of post expressionist’s artist Van Gogh, the vibrant brush strokes of the open expressionist’s artists Erin Hanson and Noémie L. Côté; and the simplicity in the minimalist’s artist Piet Mondrian.
What is your connection with the Ottawa Little Theatre?
I always loved attending live performances. I was first introduced to OLT about 15 years ago when I was invited by my neighbour to support a friend actor performing at the OLT. Since then, I’ve attended a few plays a year. The more plays I attended, the fonder I got of this exceptional community of local artist and volunteers. I have been hooked on OLT for a few years and attend all their plays.
What image or piece of work on display is your favourite?
This is a tough question to answer. I have many favourites, each for a different reason. However, if I were to choose, I would say that one of my very favourites is the portrait I did of cousin Farouk in 2023.
Cousin Farouk is an exceptional man, a retired teacher with many talents not least of which is his wonderful sense of humor and his ability to cheer others on. What I like about this piece is how closely the portrait resembled him and reflected his soul, the soothing and contrasting colours used, and how well I mastered a challenging medium, oil pastel; bringing his spirit to life.
His expression in this portrait elicits a feeling of joy and support, it acts as a reminder of his good deeds conveyed, to hopefully be shared with generations to come.
What is your favourite story linked to one of your pieces?
Peter’s portrait.
About a year ago I offered Peter to write his exceptional life story and we have been working on it ever since. During one of the interview meetings, I asked Peter about how does he feel about the cover page for his life story to be a portrait of him painted in bold colours signifying his non-typical life; he agreed! One day this summer I was at the Byward market with my 11-year-old nephew. While there, Peter came to greet us and I snapped a few candid photos of him for the portrait. He picked one which I later used as a reference for this portrait and the rest is history!
