About the Artist

My art journey started in primary school. I painted landscapes and flowers in different colours and shapes in my notebooks. At the end of the year, my teachers collected my notebooks as samples to show other students because they were beautifully designed, clean, artistic, and had neat handwriting.

I began painting animals on canvas using acrylic paint in the following years. My first collection was for my son as a baby—cute animal paintings for his nursery.
When I was 25, I started studying at Mimar Sinan University, Faculty of Fine Arts. I spent one year focused entirely on drawing studies, but then I had to take a break from art and join my family’s jewelry business.

After several years, I returned to art through the Istanbul Fine Art Academy. I had also attempted to start a Jewelry Design Academy, but an accident—breaking my arm—made it impossible to continue. Still, I attended university to research gemstones, especially diamonds, and studied their history extensively.

Eventually, I returned to painting, this time focused on oil paints. I studied at the Istanbul Academy and quickly became an assistant to my teacher. I participated in fine art fairs representing my university and specialized in portrait painting. Some of my work was exhibited and featured on TV.

Later, I moved to Spain, continued self-teaching and began hosting art workshops in my home studio. I taught children and adults—many were international expats and parents from my son’s school community. I organized summer camps and exhibitions and began accepting commissioned artwork—portraits, landscapes, pop art, and surrealist styles—for about six years.

After that, I moved back to Istanbul and started a horse-themed painting collection. I exhibited them in a local restaurant, and the response was overwhelming—people began commissioning my work, and I sold all the horse paintings.

Within two years, I received a major commission from Hotel Sultania. I created 45 portraits of Ottoman sultans’ wives for their themed rooms, all completed in six months.
After the hotel project, an Armenian church commissioned me to paint religious icons—portraits of Jesus and saints—on wooden panels.

My work has been exhibited and sold in Istanbul, Spain, Toronto, Montreal, Miami, and to collectors worldwide.

Then I moved to Canada and began documenting life here through painting. I created a “Canada Life” collection and a wildlife animal series. My first Canadian exhibition was at The Pilot, one of the oldest pubs in Toronto, known for supporting local artists since the 1980s. I became the first artist in their history to sell out an entire exhibition. I then created the “Spirit Animal Collection,” which sold out.

 

My most recent work is “Impactful Icons”—a series of 12 black-and-white portraits of historical figures who left a lasting mark on humanity. These works reflect their legacy and significance.

Most recently, I received a unique commission: a painting of Michelangelo’s David in front of the Carrara Mountains.