Over the past four months, as lockdown measures became part of everyday life across the country due to the coronavirus, artist Asso Nazaryan decided to transform walls at the front of her Doncaster East home into colourful mosaics using pieces of crockery, tiles, flowers, plants, and little figurines.
She didn't stop there. She also decided to touch up a bird pond and her letterbox, among other pieces.
Her passion for ceramic art also extends to creating pieces inside her home.
“I do have some projects inside as well. But they are framed and are on the wall. I have also done some artwork in the bathroom of birds on the tree using tiles,” Ms Nazaryan told SBS Kurdish.
Check out the ceramic additions to her home:
“I have a lovely friend with a baby and whenever the baby breaks any dishes, they give it to me.
“Even my neighbour asked me if I would like some crockery from her. I also buy them from gumtree or second-hand shops.”
Ms Nazaryan’s unique and colourful work has resulted in a growing Instagram following.
Asso Nazaryan Source: Supplied
The self-taught artist said she often finds inspiration from watching YouTube videos or by using her imagination and creativity.
“When I injured my right hand, I couldn’t do ceramics, I used coffee beans instead to create art,” she said.
But her passion project hasn’t come without its challenges.
Ceramic art by Asso Nazarayan Source: Supplied by Asso Nazarayan
“When I was doing the art on the front wall of my house I fell down from the ladder and hurt my right hand,” she explained.
“I had to stop work for a while, and you can’t imagine how it affected me - I burst into tears.
“It was really, really difficult for me to stop.”
However, she says her friends and family supported her along the way and were kind enough to help her finish the project by breaking crockery and gluing them to the wall.
Now that she has fully recovered, Ms Nazaryan said there are a “few more little walls on the balcony I want to do”.
Source: Supplied by Asso Nazarayan
“One of them is going to be a tree full of birds. I am going to draw the tree with paint. I have already bought some plates in the shape of birds which I’m going to break and put them on the tree,” she said.
“The problem now is that the weather is cold, and I don’t like cold weather and I can’t go outside to work, so that’s why I am stuck inside the house doing some small projects.”
Ms Nazaryan worked as a social worker before switching to artistry.
Due to the nature of her previous job and the traumatic cases she had to deal with, she found it difficult to continue in the field.
Instead, she has found solace in art.
Source: Supplied by Asso Nazarayan
“I was working in family violence and it was really stressful,” she said.
“I had too many traumatic experiences and decided to stop work.
“I was working at a crisis centre and it was really tough hearing all the difficult stories from people.”
When she decided to put her professional life on hold, a friend introduced her to ceramic art – and that’s when she discovered a new love.
“It’s really joyful and relaxing. I found I had a passion for it,” she said.
“I had been going to art classes when I was younger back in Iran, so that was the trigger.
“I started with a little project and then it developed into a bigger one. During the first lockdown I had to stay home, and I couldn’t go anywhere so I started doing the walls.”
