Artist Statement

Biija’s work explores perception, reality, the cosmos, and the Creator. She’s interested in portraying the mischievous creatures of the subconscious, from soul particles to floating spirits in their blissful afterlife. Each painting is a portal to the expansiveness of space, the universe, the inner worlds of the imagination. Condensing large experiences into their most simple, concise forms, She strives to show these large experiences for what they mean, finding their core, making them universal and reflecting the viewer more-so than the creator. Greatly influenced by the work of Joseph Campbell, the mythologist known for his comparative studies of both mythology and religion, her work also studies the journey from dark to light, and heavily reflects his concept of mono-myth, that all mythic narratives are variations of a single, great story. 


She challenges herself to portray a poetic and profound vision of maximum intensity with minimum means – using a minimal color palette and technique. Biija uses handmade, rich pearl-colored pigments, metallics, and glossy finishes. In some paintings,these materials create a luxurious mirror effect reflecting the viewer’s image and surroundings. The compositions continually transform depending upon the observed angle, creating an “aliveness”, also affected by light source and time of day. The constantvisual movement defies the perception of the artwork being inanimate. 


In her creative process, she works in large format using the medium oil on either panel or canvas. Using simple stir sticks or table knives, I allow the paint to fall off, splatter, or fling. Visually akin to the expressionism of Jackson Pollock, the organic, spontaneity of the dripping is similar and reminiscent of his massively influential work. She utilizes both this loose, even uncontrollable technique with precise controlled elements, contrasting this organic energy with the analytical man-made techniques of herfoundational layers.  This representation, of both the organic and technical, creates tension and embodies much of life’s paradoxes and dichotomies.