Turkish born Muge is a multi talented, natural born artist who is also a singer/songwriter, digital artist, photographer and experienced website designer/webmaster who has created and maintains numerous art related websites including the acclaimed www.artuk.com and www.artnova.co.uk
Muge has always excelled at art and design and studied art for three years before realising that the art market was not strong in Turkey. She therefore decided to pursue a ‘safer’ career and got a degree in International Studies from the University of Bursa with the aim of working in the Foreign Service, UN or EU.
While studying English in Kent, to prepare for a masters degree, she continued painting and participated in local exhibitions where she caught the attention of art dealers who were impressed by the quality of her work which is now in very popular demand.
Independent and original, she prefers to avoid stereotypes and happily explores a variety of styles and subjects yet manages to interpret them in a skilful, unique manner to produce art of undeniable quality.
‘I’m not keen on the idea of developing just one style, or endlessly producing different kinds of variety of the same sort of thing over and over again. Art needs to be constantly evolving and changing to stay alive. Stereotype is the kiss of death. I need to keep my mind open to new ideas, subjects and styles to create fresh art. I don’t want to get stuck in a style, just as I don’t wear the same clothes year after year. I prefer to decide for myself what will be my style from one year, month, week, day or moment to the next. That’s the way I like it.’
Fortunately Muge is able to excel at whatever style or media she uses. Her latest mixed media abstract work is light, clean, fresh and summery with a fluid, gently energetic feel to it.
‘I love the spontaneity that my abstract art offers. It’s unpredictable. The challenge is to know when to stop, to keep the freshness and avoid going too far, yet create a piece that looks perfectly complete.’
As a student Muge lived in the seaside town of Broadstairs, a favourite place of Turner who said that the skies in the area were the most dramatic in Europe. She spent much of her spare time painting the sea and sky and developed a profound, professional skill at this subject.
Her land and sea paintings can be strikingly dramatic or have a tranquil calmness that she says are a kind of meditation to create.
Her figurative work is discreet and subtle, depicting semi abstract nudes or sensuous, oriental dancers. Her latest series of ‘Belly Dancers’ has been exclusively chosen, for display and sale in Harrods as part of a new £2.5 million project.
Muge also experiments with digital and pop art photography and is an advanced user of Photoshop, Macromedia Flash and Dreamweaver. She is the innovator of ArtSituTM Fotomontage. (www.artsitu.com)
‘Photography has never been so easy or accessible as it is day. I never leave home without my Nikon coolpix and I’m always on the lookout for unusual skies and cloud formations. I think that if Andy Warhol was alive today he’d just love Photoshop’
Recent commissions include art and design work for Visacard, Newsquest media group plc, Harrods and Lucinda Ellery Salon (celebrity hairstylist), as well as several art websites.
Her work is in numerous art galleries, private and corporate collections throughout Europe
Muge Demir joined Pixels on February 1st, 2007.
