A Little Bit of Morris: Humna Mustafa

Could you tell us about the work you will be showing during this year's E17 Art Trail?

I will be exhibiting art prints painted with inks and individually hand painted ceramics along with a little bit more as a surprise..

How have you been preparing for this year's trail? 

This is a very special exhibition as I am showing my work for the first time after the birth of my lovely daughter, who now is six months old. 

My fans on my Facebook Diyastudio Art Page - www.facebook.com/humna.diyastudio helped and supported me to start painting again soon after giving birth. Not knowing where to begin, I requested they send me their favourite animals which I then used to create my patterns. As there were so many requests, I decided to start putting them in a bottle and every two weeks would let my daughter pick one animal out for me and would use that as inspiration for my painting.

A collection started to emerge and then I heard about the trail and it got me excited to be able to share my work in my new neighbourhood and so the whole exhibition came along. 

Could you tell us about an an artist/ artwork that  particularly inspires you? 

During the pregnancy, the one place I visited a lot was the beautiful art gallery of William Morris and the park behind it. Being a textile designer, and living so near to his house was a true dream come true for me. I was always in awe of his works, but my favourite thing is how he has hidden animals within his patterns. I was highly inspired by that idea, hence the name 'A little bit of Morris' came along. 

How does inhabiting a community like Walthamstow help your practice?  

I have just moved to Walthamstow about a year ago, from North London, and feel an amazing vibe around the area. Its friendly, open minded and extremely accommodating of all cultures, which helps me feel at home. With events like E17 Art Trail, its surely is a community which supports and celebrate arts, and that for an artist is huge source of encouragement to keep on creating, keep on sharing and keep on being an artist! 

What are you most looking forward to during the E17 Art Trail this year ? 

Its my first time taking part in the trail and I am really looking forward to meeting the lovely community of artists who live in my neighbourhood, who I can connect with and be able to share the joy of creativity. 

Listing no.91 in the guide: Click here for more information