Cobourg artist discovered her gift belatedly

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By Cecilia Nasmith

A walk through Mahnaz Azadegan's Cobourg home is as good as a stroll through an art gallery – different media, different subject matter, different styles – with one big exception.

Despite the stunning beauty of the work, the artist featured here never had formal training.

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Known to her friends as Mary, Azadegan came from a large family in Iran where, despite being steeped in the arts, she never had her own talent recognized.

She was the only daughter among seven children in her family growing up in Isfahan, a beautiful city in central Iran rich in history, ancient architecture and the tradition of hospitality.

Her father was a well-educated historian and avid book collector, as well as a passionate and skilled calligrapher. Two of her brothers began exploring art at a young age and were soon producing fine drawings and portraits.

A shy, quiet girl surrounded by boisterous brothers, she recalls now, “No one noticed, when I was a child, that I was also born with an artistic gene.”

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She did not even discover that herself until years later, when she had moved to Canada with her husband and two of their three daughters.

Once the family made its way to Cobourg 40 years ago, Azadegan got a job in an art shop and found herself surrounded by many beautiful paintings on display. One day, when things were slow at the shop, she picked up a pencil and piece of paper and started drawing the head of a horse. She looked at the finished work and was quite pleased.

“This was the moment I realized that I also have the same talent but, unlike my brothers, I had not had the opportunity to discover and nurture it,” she said.

“The next day I drew a bird, which fueled my enthusiasm and newly discovered love for painting.”

And so began Azadegan's journey of self-discovery and hard work that helped her nurture and develop that artistic gene into a full-blown talent, completely without formal training from any school or college.

“I acquired knowledge and skills in this field through self-study, self-learning, personal research, regular practising and consultation with one of my brothers, who is an architect and a professional artist,” she said.

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Her brother, as well as her son-in-law in Grimsby, have been invaluable in encouraging and fostering her talent, as has a neighbour in her own Cobourg community, local artist Beth Hoselton. Her kindness and encouragement was the closest thing she ever had to lessons.

Azadegan admired Hoselton's refined style, though she has explored a variety of styles on her own, from simplistic African-inspired designs to the kind of intricate still life where each petal on each flower in the pewter jug is visible – and the play of light on the pewter is fascinating.

Sometimes, she admits, the details tire her out and she may step away from a piece for a while. When she needs a distraction, she may work on her ceramics – like the flock of colourful chickens on the floor beneath a coyly posed portrait of her granddaughter peeking out from behind a flower – or perhaps paint birds or flowers on rocks.

But when she goes back to that painting, it's part of her talent to work on it until she gets that all-important instinct that the work is done.

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Discussing her work during a visit from her friend Kim Campbell – the closest thing she ever had to a sister, Azadegan said – she is in the presence of a true fan.

Campbell recalls the first time she saw Azadegan's artwork.

“I said, 'Mary, you need to show your work to the world. It's absolutely breathtaking!'

“I was blown away - the colour, the attention to detail.”

Azadegan finds inspiration can hit virtually from anywhere – a picture she has seen, an animal that impresses her, a family moment she wants to memorialize, like the lovely scene of her son-in-law nuzzling his first grandchild or the moment she captured when her daughter and granddaughter shared a playful hug.

Campbell's own favourite is a scene of Venice that she found “exquisitely stunning.”

If she had a favourite subject, Azadegan said, it would be animals.

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And when doing any portrait – be it a snarling tiger or a beautiful granddaughter – the eyes are life itself.

“Maybe it's because when I'm painting, I say a prayer and thank Him for this talent given to me,” she said.

It has also been a way of coping with her husband's illness. When she has the time to step away and paint for a while, she said “you don't know where the time goes.”

Based on her own experience, Azadegan would have three words of advice for any aspiring artist - “practice, practice, practice.

“Don't feel, 'I can't,' but practice, practice, practice.”

Don't pick up a brush the first thing, she suggested – start with a pencil-and-paper sketch and build up. Learn for yourself in what media you may be strongest. For example, she started with acrylic and went on to explore what are – for her – the two most difficult media. With oil or acrylic, she explained, you can always paint over top of a mistake. With watercolour and pastel, any misstep you make is there for good.

“Never say, 'I can't,'” Azadegan urged.

“I said to myself, 'you can do this,' and then I practice, practice, practice.

“The first time you know will be very difficult. There's always somebody else to tell you what to do, what colour.”

At this stage, Azadegan has found that blessed independence to be sure – for herself – of what she is doing and how she wants it done.

“When I am engaged in this form of art and artistic expression, I am transported to another world, a world of beauty, peace and tranquility – a world where no one is judged by the colour of their skin, but all colours are celebrated, appreciated and blended in harmony.”