14 minute read
HARIS SARDAR: SPENCER'S FEATURED ARTIST
Spencer Feature Artist HARIS SARDAR
What is it with Haris Sardar?
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Actuary by day, referential surrealist painter by night
By Joseph Edward Schur
I'm a lucky guy. As the Publisher of Spencer, I get the chance to rub elbows with some extraordinary people. Case in point: Haris Sardar, one of the most imaginative, creative artists whom I have ever met. What's intriguing to me, and why I absolutely had to interview him was because I wanted to know what makes him tick. He has the rare ability of being able to harness both the left and right hemispheres of his mind, achieving great success. Genius? Yes, that's taken for granted, partially explaining how he can excel both as an incredibly successful actuary and a highly sought after painter.
But really, what is it with Haris Sardar? I suggest that you take a few moments and read his interview. You'll be inspired.
Flowerin' Audrey at Tiffany's
c. 2021 Oil on gallery-wrapped canvas, 72"x60"x2"
Boxed Golden Temple
Mardi Gras Sax Fantasy
c. 2022 Oil on canvas, 40"x40"x2"
Haris Sardar: I was born in the historical and stunning city of Lahore Pakistan. The land of the Mughal Empire (16th - 19thC) with astounding architectural jewels along with a rich and colorful culture of dance, gastronomy, sports, arts and fashion.
I am the baby of the family with 2 older siblings and grew up in a tight network of extremely creative cousins, uncles, aunts, and family friends. I was blessed with a very loving family and my childhood was full of wonderful experiences. Especially being born in a non-secular country as Pakistan, my parents brought us up in a tremendously liberal environment where freedom of thought, expression, creativity, and belief were encouraged and nurtured. From the very beginning music, poetry, painting, arts, crafts, jewelry design, clothing design and all forms of creativity were practiced in the household.
My father, in addition to being an agriculturist was also a hobbyist painter, mum took several cracks at designing clothes and jewelry, sister went on to become an uber successful set designer for lavish weddings and fashion events and brother sang and played the guitar. As a matter of fact, a number of my cousins and school friends are now primary art practitioners in Pakistan and beyond.These include professors atthe National College of Arts, singers, internationally renowned fashion designers and chefs and owners of major clothing brands.
Then there were the annual trips to our summer house in Murree where all the extended family would gather to escape the sweltering heat of Lahore. Murree, set in the beautiful foothills of Kashmir, for the young troupe of cousins was like being at theatre camp. We would rehearse, and put-up talent
shows for family and other local residents. Dancing, painting, singing and acting were all part of the 3-month long gig. Of course, between the creative performances we would regularly hike through the stunning mountains and geographical landscape of the area taking in all sights, sounds and smells.
Some of the other childhood memories that have a special place in my heart are fishing trips with dad, learning how to cook and bake with the aunts and mum, swimming and dance lessons with my brother, drawing and creative arts with my sister and cousins. Attending and dancing at the flurry of 7-day weddings full of vibrant colours and characters with even more vibrant personalities. All in all, I had an amazing childhood and would not trade it for the world.
What was your motivation to move to Canada?
The primary motivation to move to Canada was for university. However, quickly realizing the privilege of my upbringing, the main strife evolved to become an academically trained, selfmade man free of nepotism and any silver spoon treatment. That is also the primary reason why I abandoned the arts to pursue a career in finance.
I understand that you attended Western University. What degree did you earn, and when?
IgraduatedfromWesternUniversitybackwhenitwas theUniversityofWesternOntarioin2006withadouble called degree in Honors Bachelor of Actuarial Science and Statistics.
And now, you're are an actuary for the not for profit Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology (CAAT) Pension Plan. How do you overcome the challenge of shifting from your professional career as an actuary to facing a blank canvass as an artist?
Yes, that is correct, I am the Director of Pension Solutions at the CAAT Pension Plan. With $18bn in assets, CAAT is one of the largest jointly sponsored defined benefit pension plans in the country open to employers across Canada. At this point in time and with the nontraditional actuarial position at CAAT, I don’t even feel like it’s a shift to a blank canvas. I would classify it as more of a natural transition going from one to the other..
I get to be a creative actuary during the day to ensure sustainable lifetime pension for as many Canadians as possible whilst making a national impact. During the night and on weekends, I am able to translate the mathematical analysis and conversations with the c-suite employers into fuel for expressing my inner self on the canvas. Think of it as the art enables me to completely divorce myself from the math and in turn refuels the pension tank for the next day and vice versa.
Flowerin' Marilyn
Let's talk about your work as an artist, Haris. Do you find inspiration from other art genres, such as music, film and literature? And do they influence your sense of aesthetics?
My main inspiration comes from the ultimate creator, call it nature, the universe, God or the higher power. You will always find an element of nature in my paintings such as flowers, water, clouds, figures etc. Antonio Gaudi’s famous saying has definitely left a mark on me “Those who look for the laws of Natureasasupportfortheirnewworkscollaboratewiththe creator.”
Coming back to other art genres and given that I am a very visual person, most of my inspiration comes from film, television, dance and ballet. Although, there is a significant influence from Sufi poetry, music and of course fashion. For example, in my Flowerin’ Ladies series “Flores de primavera,”
For this particular series, inspirations were also drawn from the mammoth sized personalities of the leading ladies in my life, mother dear, sister and my spouse. I wanted to desexualize the female body by presenting it as radiant flowers yet maintaining the sense of elegance, strength, beauty and intelligence, all which envelop the essence of a woman.
Flowerin' Fighter, O-Ren Ishii
What is your creative process like?
My creative process is like the number 8 or infinity, whichever wayyouwanttolookatit.Number8istheluckiestinChinese tradition and I feel extremely lucky that my creative process works in an infinite loop. Be it while on vacation, in transit, working on pension merger pricing, attending social events, presenting to the board of trade and even while dreaming. Images of fully realized surrealistic paintings pop up in my mind as soon as I see something that inspires me. It can be something as small as a lily in the garden or as big as the SagradaFamiliaitself.RightawayIwritedownthecomposition and elements of that image and email it to myself, so it serves as a repository of ideas for the future.
The process varies slightly between when I am doing commissioned works or collecting for a show. I call the commission process “Haris’ Art Therapy” which begins with a questionnaire to hone down the collector’s affinities with a subsequent discovery call to finalize the subject matter. Next comes the sketch reflecting the agreed upon details sent for the client’s approval. Then the sketch goes on to the canvas followed up by a 50% completion call with the collector, one at the 80% mark, finally one at the completion stage. In contrast, the collection is completely my voice and no formal timelines. My art training went only as far as high school with water colour being the main medium. In middle school years I did learn dry and oil pastels along with pencil, charcoal and clay. I still remember my high school teacher saying once you have mastered water colour you can paint in any medium.
After the 18 year hiatus and having visited most of the major museums across the globe, I realized the pigmentation in the old classical oil paintings has not only weathered the test of time but the brilliance in colours can never be replicated in the newer mediums. Thus, when I started to paint again, I went straight to oils and never looked back.
You seem to gravitate to producing large works. Why?
To be frank, it’s as much of a business decision as a requirement to express myself. My first commission was on a 7ft x 5ft canvas which set my introductory pricing and left me addicted to scale and the corresponding pay cheque.
I do believe art should be accessible and that’s the reason for the limited edition, museum grade giclee reproductions, most revenue of which I plan on donating to charities.
Your work is incredibly detailed. I can only imagine that you invest a considerable amount of time into each piece.
Yes, a lot of time. Art not being my means to the next meal, I do have the luxury of time on my side. I want to produce my best work on every canvas I touch and fortunately/unfortunately the detail-oriented day career has forced me at times to bring out the single bristle brush and a magnifying glass to paint oils on a gigantic canvas.
From my actuarial consulting years and billing by the hour, I do keep a log of hours spent on every canvas. The time varies based on the scale and complication of the composition. On average I would say anywhere from 200-400+ hours per canvas.
I'm curious. What is the one tool that you use in your art that you couldn’t live without in your studio?
Oh this one is hard. If you count my hands and eyes as tools then that would be the first. Apart from that I love my highest quality artist grade oil paints some of which come from Paris.
Well, if you look at it, I think its apparent that unique is the first thing that comes to mind.
For me art is about originality, dedication to the craft and the sheer hard work that goes into producing original works. Even though I am inspired by the techniques of Dali, Gough, Monet, Greco and Sadequain, I am determined to define my own unique style with elements of surrealism, impasto impressionism as well as references to pop art.
I want to bring a visual style that no one has done before and I think my lack of formal training actually helps me take more risks and define my own practice free of major influencers of the previous and current generations. This is simply because I have not studied them and my only exposure is from museum visits. I will start the answer to this question by quoting the man whom I made a promise at his crypt in Figures in 2019 to start painting again and resurrect surrealism in the new modern minimalist contemporary art scene.
“Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it.” - Salvador Dali
Therefore, for me a painting is never finished ever as I do suffer from that perfectionist syndrome. However, I have learned to walk away once my abilities on a piece have been exhausted.
Boxed Sagrada Familia
Flowerin' White Swan
Haris and Isabella Sardar with Bhaloo
Isabella is an accomplished artist in her own right. She is displaying one of her Mexican-inspired paintings.
The motivation is simple and yet complicated. It is my voice and I want to use my talent to tell a visual story of a teenage, Muslim-born boy’s immigration to Canada from Pakistan in the midstof the 9/11 crisis.
I want to tell the story of my secular beliefs and the ideology of oneness of humanity without the divide of man-made political borders, religions, race, sexuality, or cultures. I consider myself a human from this world, this universe, a true global citizen that has been impacted by people from across the world. I also want to represent the majority of people of South Asia who are peace loving, open minded, and respectful of women and their elders. I want to change views on either side of the spectrum, by breaking down the pre-conceived ideology of differences between the East and West. Hello people wake up, we are all the same!!!
There is also a political agenda in the near future, and I don’t want my art career to die before it has really even taken off. I will wait to paint my thoughts on the American price of freedom and aristocratic lifestyles of the bigoted religious quacks and such subjects until I am a bit more established.
And then of course the mental health affliction that has touched every person’s life, especially the creatives. I want to produce works to normalize mental health issues and spread awareness of available treatments and the advances made in this field.
The motivation goes on to include charitable efforts. I want to donate as many funds, especially from the sale of the giclee print reproductions, to mental health, heart and cancer societies as well as for children who cannot afford art supplies.
Lastly, the motivation is to leave behind a legacy. If we never have kids, at least these babies of mine may keep me alive beyond the usual second generation.
What adjectives would you use to describe your art?
Colorful,Impactful,Surrealist,Unique,Original,Provokingalthough the technique can improve.
How does living in Toronto, Canada inspire your art?
The multi-cultural hub that we are lucky enough to call home has exposed me to people from all walks and corners of life. It is the city that honed-in on the oneness of humanity aspect of my belief, where my actuarial life mentors and champions have been Jewish and best friends agnostic. It is Toronto where I met my Mexican spouse who was raised Catholic, most x-pat family and friends from Pakistan identifying as Muslim, colleagues and friends from every country possible representing a colorful spectrum of culture, sexuality and political views.
Canada and in particular Toronto has provided me with a platform where I can be myself and flourish in both my actuarial and art careers.
What are you working on right now?
IamworkingonFlowerin’ veiledattheArtExpoNew Rhiannafrom York2023. the2015MetGalatobeun-
Flowerin' Desi Dancer –Leela, Padukone
Thefirstorder/cancellationofbusinesstopreparefor the show was to cease all commission work and push all interested collectors to after the show. I am very lucky and blessed that the commission line-up is going well into 2024.
Apart from that I have managed to save a few pieces from my collection that will be going to the show such as the Flowerin’ Black and White Swans etc. I plan on painting2morepieceswhichincludeFlowerin’Rhianna and am contemplating a Flowerin’ Marilyn 2.0 on a larger scale for the show as the original has already been collected.
Apart from that, there are a lot of logistics to figure out such as crating, shipping, customs, boarding and lodging. Also, my sister and manager for South Asia is preparing merchandise, print media marketing materials, booklets and so on. There is a lot of coordination required and it is going to take a village to get ready.
Luckily, numerous friends from Toronto, actuaries from various cities around North America and other family members are going to be flying in for the show, thus there is real excitement.
We are also very thankful for all the family and friends currently living in teered/toldtohelp New out. York City that have volun-
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Keep on going you have always been on the right track! You will eventually find your calling and the path that was laid out for you is exactly what you need in order to follow your passion but from a place of strength. Oh and also eat less, exercise and don’t touch that first cigarette.
Mohatta, Bordeaux, Milan! This is the dream of Mij Rahman - by Haris Sardar
