Who?

I’m Ayla Marika, a visual artist and illustrator based in the rural Southern Tablelands NSW Australia, near Canberra and Goulburn. I specialise in hand-drawn illustration using ink and charcoal, as well as traditional painting. The illustration I produce is 100% hand-drawn using traditional mediums (eg pen on paper), which is then subjected to various degrees of digital manipulation. I appreciate classical drawing technique including anatomy and portraiture, and I consider good craftsmanship and technique essential to my art production and illustration. I am excited by the artistic possibilities of books, marketing and public relations and tie these into my art practice.

Style

I am inspired by music (psy, rock, metal), surrealism, graphic novels, cartoons, psychedelia, and pre-modern imagery. Topics I am interested in are the subconscious mind, energy healing, plant medicine, esoteric spirituality, and the natural environment. Visual artists I am influenced by include the Old Masters (esp. Van Gogh, Monet, Cezanne), M.C. Escher, Dalí, Hokusai, Chris Ware, Alex Grey, Brian Blomerth, Dr. Seuss, and Akseli Gallen-Kallela. In addition the visual arts, I find music to be a major source of inspiration and conceptual fodder, in particular Thom Yorke, Björk, Sigur Rós, Tool, Massive Attack, and Nine Inch Nails. I am drawn to psychedelic and ‘outsider’ art because of its purity of inner expression, Scandinavian design and folk art, and excellent music album art.

Services

As well as visual art and illustration, I am an experienced graphic designer and SEO WordPress website developer, which I carry out through my business Forssa Light Publishing. For more information on these services, visit forssalight.com

Qualifications

Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art)                              2017    Curtin University of Technology

Advanced Diploma of Public Relations          2014    Canberra Institute of Technology

Certificate IV in Screen and Media                2014    Canberra Institute of Technology

Certificate IV in Business Administration       2012    Canberra Institute of Technology

Diploma of Music Industry (Technical)           2008    Canberra Institute of Technology

Diploma of Music Industry (Business)           2008    Canberra Institute of Technology

Exhibitions and Achievements

How Food is Made book released                 2021    Published by Forssa Light Publishing

Finalist: SFL (Modulii) music video                2020    Canberra Short Film Festival read more

Review: SFL (Modulii) music video                2020    BMA Magazine read more

Installation: Mythinterpret Triptych                 2010    Burning Seed Festival (Burning Man Australia) read more

Interview

Southern Tablelands Arts ‘Stories from the Studio’ interview (2023):