ASK THE ARTIST: ALEX SYRIAN
Celebrating love in all its wild and beautiful glory — our LIMITED EDITION Valentine's Day Slice is our most inclusive treat yet...
Say 'ti amo' to our Persian Love Slice.
Naturally, it's more delicious than even your wildest dreams could concoct. So when a slice tastes this good, well, one packaging design is just not enough.
Enter: Alex (@alex.syrian.art), a Syrian-born artist based in Melbourne, who has lovingly created three amazing watercolour illustrations to celebrate ALL that is LOVE!
Featuring Tarzan and Jane; Roxanne and Jane; and Tarzan and Wayne — the Love Slice packaging combines Persian, Syrian, Japanese, Australian and American art and influence.
So who better to step us through the inspiration behind our beautiful packaging than the artist himself?
MEET ALEX:
Who are your biggest influences (overall)?
My biggest influence/inspiration is my Mum. She is the strongest person I have ever met and her journey and the sacrifices she has made for her family are truly incredible. Whenever I need advice, I can always count on her for her words of wisdom.
What inspires you? / Who are your biggest artistic influences?
Things that inspire me most tend to be linked to my childhood. Sometimes I feel like a I never truly grew up and anything that is nostalgic or reminds me of my childhood, tends to make me happy and this usually shows through in my art. The artists who I most admire and who inspire my own work are John William Waterhouse, William Holman Hunt, Caravaggio and of course, anything associated with Disney!
What drew you to create in watercolour:
Watercolour for me is hypnotic and very addictive. The allure is many-faceted, but it is the unique spontaneity of the medium that I find most fascinating. Sometimes things don’t go to plan and you need to work with it. As Bob Ross used to say: “we don’t make mistakes, we just have happy accidents”.
Where are you from and how has this influenced your art?
I was born and raised in Syria. From an early age, my Father encouraged me to create art and I even competed in some art competitions in Syria. When I was a teenager, my family and I migrated to Australia. This shift in location and culture was rather significant. I found it very difficult to assimilate at first and spent a lot of time burying myself in my art to cope with the adjustment. Art gave me an outlet to express myself, something which had been difficult for me due to the language barrier.
How did you develop and hone your skills?
Through practice and trial and error. I did not have the opportunity when I was younger to receive any formal training and therefore, most of my skills are self-taught through continual experimentation.
What is the best piece of art that you have created?
LOVE is LOVE! The art I most love to create is that which carries a positive message. Having the opportunity to work with Springhill Farm on this project that celebrates inclusion has truly been an honour. I thoroughly enjoyed working on this series and I am really thrilled to see how they have turned out from inception to final packaging.
VALENTINE'S DAY RANGE:
What was your inspiration for this series?
Love, equality, and the beauty of nature!
What is your process?
After learning about the product and the message behind it, I went about creating a series of sketches depicting various combinations of genders playing on the classic Tarzan and Jane relationship. I did some tropical plant studies and created a series of sketches from these too. After this I went about deciding on which poses, combinations and natural elements worked best before finalising the sketches, ready for painting.
What does Valentine’s Day mean to you?
Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating the people you love most in your life. For me that it my partner, my family and of course, my fur baby: Tink
JUST A BIT OF FUN:
What is your dogs name?
Tink or Tinkerbell!
What’s your favourite time of day?
Wine time!
What’s your biggest weakness?
Tink she can get away with murder!
What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?
Whenever someone falls in love with a piece I have created and buys it, I find that the biggest compliment of all.
Sweet or savory?
Can I chose both? I literary love both!
What’s one thing other people don’t know about you?
I love eating raw lemons!
What are three things you can’t live without?
Tink, art & family!
Leather or lace?
Leather is way more fun! Shoes, bags, furniture, underwear…
What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
Snorkelling on the great barrier reef was an incredible adventure.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
Don’t cut your own hair again (Lockdown life).
What’s heavily played on your music playlist right now?
Dancing Queen
Fav board game?
What Do You Meme.
How do you start your day?
Grateful.
What does a time out moment look like for you?
Sitting in my garden or somewhere in nature and refocusing myself through meditation.
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Go on, SHOP THE RANGE and take home your own piece of Alex's beautiful artwork!
