Meet Reema Ameer | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Reema Ameer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Reema, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I was surrounded by art and creativity at an early age. Art, female empowerment, and entrepreneurship have all been natural interests for me and my business has allowed me to practice all these interests and share them with others. I use my art as a tool to tell visual stories that touch and inspire the women around me. After having three daughters, my passion for telling stories to lift my girls up, turned into the business I have today. I was able to demonstrate to them how the trials and tribulations I faced, can be turned into something beautiful. This is the message I hope to portray in all my paintings, and the message my business is built on.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Art for me, as it is for many artists, is a reflection of my most personal thoughts and experiences. Because of this, creating art is a therapeutic experience for me, that provides an important outlet for my emotions. My art is influenced most heavily by one of the greatest challenges I ever endured. At a young age, I lost my parents, and was severely injured in the incident that took their lives. I mention this experience, because this difficulty was a key turning point in my relationship with art. Art became less of a pass time, and more of a way for me to deal with the difficult feelings I was having.

Having your world turned upside down the way mine was at 23, created a Y in the road for me. Art made the path forward clearer and easier, and allowed me to translate my hardship into something beautiful. I was faced with an important decision: Do I allow myself to succumb to this pain? Or, do I find a way to move forward in my parents honor?

Picking up the paint brush and thinking of my mother, I have found a peace I did not think would be possible. Many of my paintings center around the female experience. Which although is different for every woman, has its similarities. I hope to depict all the beautiful, and all the ugly, that comes with life as a woman.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The itinerary will include these must dos in DC. Walking tour to visit the national mall, the Lincoln monument, and the Smithsonian Fine Art Museum. Grab a lunch at the famous Old Ebbitt Grill, a place frequently visited by Presidents. Hit DC’s finest French bakery, Boulangerie Christophe in Georgetown, followed by walking and shopping on M street in Georgetown. Lunch in the courtyard garden of Kafe Leopold’s a sleek cafe tucked in the alley behind M street. finish the day with a walk on the river through Georgetown Harbor. Attend a show at the Lincoln Center followed by drinks at the best rooftop bar in DC with spectacular views of the city, Top of The Gate at the Watergate Hotel. Another must visit are the National Portrait Gallery, the new National Museum of Women in the Arts, and the spectacular National Museum of African American History and Culture. Finally a day trip on bikes to Mount Vernon to visit the home of America’s first president, George Washington

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There is one person in the world I attribute my interest in art to, my mother, trailblazing Iraqi artist, Layla Alattar. I was blessed to be raised by a mother that taught me the value of a creative life. Through her encouragement, and by watching her artistic process, I learned to trust and tap into my inner creative energy. Not only did she introduce me to the art world, but she set an example for women entrepreneurs all over Iraq. Upon her tragic death, she left behind a legacy that Iraqis everywhere remember with pride, I hope to honor her life through my work and continue her legacy.

Website: https://www.artbyreema.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/art_byreema/

Facebook: Art_byreema