Waseem Saeed

Having a strong love for art since school, contemporary portraiture artist Waseem actually studied medicine at university and subsequently became a plastic surgeon. Whilst studying the anatomy, Waseem enjoyed the drawing element of his studies including the drawing of his operative findings as his career progressed. This interest in the anatomy led to him becoming a plastic surgeon which he considers a creative branch of study encompassing the anatomy, function and aesthetics.

With the desire to paint always on the periphery, years later Waseem, who grew up and lives in Manchester, picked up a paintbrush and began to paint female portraits. Focusing on injecting intensity of colour and detail to certain features such as the lips and the eyes, the artist applies expressive looser areas of form, texture and colour which contrast beautifully and draws the viewer into the portrait more deeply. There is a very alluring and tangible quality to each painting.

‘I am no stranger to human anatomy or the beauty of the human body. But surgery is extremely controlled – there is no fresh canvas to start again with and so much to lose. As an oil painter I gain a sense of creative freedom that I have missed. I am self-taught and it has gradually dawned on me that to achieve my aims requires as much discipline and practice as any surgical procedure – the images I want do not appear (for me) by rapid flourishes of the brush – but by hard work – in this sense it’s closer to surgery than I had first imagined.’