Ibtissam Dib is passionate about Nature’s structure, balance, and harmony. She holds a Master’s degree in Art Direction from the faculty of Fine Art in the Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts. (ALBA, Balamand 2014). Beside Graphic Design, her main focus is to “Make Art with Nature.” Ibtisam developed her project, “Wildcraft,” where she offers workshops that focus on the art of paper recycling as well as workshops of painting as a therapeutic experience. “Into the wildink” is the space where she illustrates her journey into the wild.
I was 6, maybe 7 years old. I remember standing on the balcony waiting for my dad to finish his garden work. Holding tight to the fence, I was looking down and observing the water drops covering the green grass. “Is it winter yet, dad?” I asked passionately. But it was the month of October with all its magic!
While observing and imagining how the green grass will survive the winter, I found something strange that I had never seen before. I was curious about those little caps covering the ground around an old tree trunk. I came down to have a closer look, and I was astonished with the little layers hidden under the caps.
Since then, I became curious about every detail of nature, because of that sudden spike of excitement I felt when I discovered something new. It felt magical and out of this world! And I wanted more of this feeling. So, whenever I had the chance, I used to run out in the wild following my father’s steps to search for elements I don’t see every day.
In my unconscious, I collected visual shapes, like the fine lines in the leaf veins, the patterns formed by the dew drops, the flower anthers, and the flock of birds flying in the sky forming beautiful abstract shapes. And that’s when my art journey began! I started to translate the details I observe on paper. My illustration reflects my journey into observing textures and patterns in the wild and combining them to come up with a unique illustration. This is what I call today wild-ink.
When I started to go out in nature to discover and observe nature’s details, I gradually started to become a calm woman. I can now resist the chaos and negative energy that might surround me, I learned how to overcome problems peacefully.
My illustrations reflect this image in me, of a woman standing in peace among chaos, remaining calm and steady, and appreciating the silence while breathing out the confusion residing in my mind.
Mushrooms, the very first stimulus to my imagination, inspire me with the way they are formed and in their intricate anatomy. How can you not fall in love with the curves and groove-like gills?
I believe the fascinating existence of this complex world is the basic form of inspiration to humans.