An Interview with the Artist Ayfer Erbay

The Power of Suggestion: An Interview with the Artist Ayfer Erbay

The Power of Suggestion: An Interview with the Artist Ayfer Erbay

In “The Power of Suggestion: An Interview with the Artist Ayfer Erbay,” the enigmatic and supremely gifted painter and illustrator beautifully demonstrates how and why she allows the profundity of her work to be her voice.

By John G. Stamos

There’s an old saying that everyone, regardless of background or vocation, knows well and has heard thousands of times: Actions speak louder than words.  In the world of contemporary art, this is not just a saying, it’s an axiom.  The goal of the artist always is to convey his or her meaning through action – namely, the creation of art.  All great artists and all famous artists – the two groups remain mutually exclusive as often as they coincide – have, more or less, successfully accomplished this goal.  That’s why they’re great.  Or famous.  Or both.  They all get their meaning across through their work.  But there are certain individuals – also artists, also masters at conveying meaning through their work, definitely great – who nonetheless stand apart from the rest of their number.  The enormously talented Ayfer Erbay is one of these. 

Erbay’s oeuvre is remarkable.  Her paintings, which boast elements of the color-driven form of the Venetian School, the echoes of Impressionism’s “realism,” the insouciant independence of the Pre-Raphaelites, and Modernism’s innovative conceit, truly defy any attempts at succinct description or categorization.  Her drawings, which are executed with unparalleled technical draftsmanship, are even more remarkable for their ability (like that of her paintings) to take the viewer to a place beyond the line and shadow – into the shared territory of each subject’s emotional essence, and that of the artist herself. 

Yep.  She’s that good.

What Ayfer Erbay does, in her paintings and drawings, is subtly and ingeniuosly allude to the seismic level of emotion – turmoil, grief, elation, self-doubt, wanting – seething just beneath each of her subject’s ostensible veneer.  Looking at one of Erbay’s visual “hints” is akin to seeing the name of a zip file on your laptop’s screen and getting ready to click it.  Once you do, an enormity of data is going to be in your face.  Peering into a detail of one of Ayfer Erbay’s works is going to lead to that kind of Pandora’s box moment.  At this point, the mass release of emotion – the subject’s, the artist’s, and your own – is imminent and inevitable.  Look carefully at Erbay’s work (if you dare), and let it blow you away.  Let it take you somewhere else.

Ayfer Erbay is also self-taught.  But like her transcendent work itself, she personally defies the boundaries of typical descriptive nomenclature.  Is she a “naive” artist.  For sure.  And absolutely not.  Is she an “outsider?”  Outside of what?  As far as any attempt at categorization goes…  She’s great.  For now, let’s leave it at that. 

Erbay’s body of work is substantial.  She does not know the actual number of individual works she’s created.  But her pieces hang in the homes and offices of collectors, and on the well-lit walls of commercial galleries, throughout her home country of Turkey.  And her work has now begun to attract international attention.  But in spite of her celebrated oeuvre, she remains personally mysterious, and even something of a social media cipher.

Recently, the artist graciously consented to an interview with me here on The Renaissance Garden Guy.  We sat down to chat via instant messaging, and from her home studio in the Turkish city of Çanakkale, she set the record straight on her style, her inspiration, her mystique, and how she likes to let her work do the talking.   

An Interview with the Artist Ayfer Erbay
"Candle" 2022. Oil on duralite. Vivid color creating form, and gauzy shading and dancing light creating contrast seem to reference both the "colorito" of the Venetian School and the dreaminess of Impressionism.
An Interview with the Artist Ayfer Erbay
"Waiting" 2022. Oil on duralite. This is one of the most powerful works of contemporary art I've ever seen. I'm left without further words.

JS: How long have you been creating your remarkable art?

AE: In fact, I have loved painting since I was little.  Before I started primary school, I was painting, though I couldn’t yet read or write.  During my years in school, I attracted the attention of my art teachers and their praise encouraged me even more.  Though I had stopped painting for a period of time in my life, my interest in the art of painting has never stopped.  This interest was as powerful when I was young as it is now, and I couldn’t resist the urge inside me.  So I started painting as a hobby, independent of the curriculum of any school.  I was met with great interest from those who saw my paintings.  There were those who encouraged me to turn this talent into a vocation.  This is something I’d wanted all my life.  At first, I hesitated, then I listened to my heart.  Painting was an impulse I couldn’t resist, a passion I couldn’t give up…  I decided in 2014 to turn the art of painting into a profession.

JS: In what genre, or form, do you most like to create?

AE: Some painters like to paint in a certain genre.  Just like doing only drawing, or working with only oil paints, or only colored pencils, or only watercolor.  This preference is what initially shapes the work they will do.  These painters develop in this specific direction by working within this single genre.  In this way, their styles are formed after awhile.  But I personally can’t work within one certain or specific form or genre. There are, in fact, these three types of work that I cannot give up.  Drawings, color drawings, and oil painting.  I make my decision as to which I will do only after the subject is determined, and after I think about how to best achieve the desired result (with the help of a study).  Maybe I can focus on just one type of work in the future.  But it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen anytime soon.

"Freedom" 2020. Pen on paper.
An Interview with the Artist Ayfer Erbay
"Rosa Lacryma" 2020. Colored pencil on cardboard.
An Interview with the Artist Ayfer Erbay
"kitty" 2019. Oil on duralite. Erbay executed this work using only cotton swabs and toothpicks.

JS: What is/are your preferred medium, or media?

AE: I freely choose the materials I use while painting.  I am far from being attached to patterns.  I must be free in art – I must paint as I feel.  If I limit myself, I cannot be original.  I like to try different things in art.  Oil painting on duralite is a work done by others, but I wanted to make a difference and I painted on duralite using only cotton swabs and toothpicks without using any brushes.  It was very difficult but I enjoyed it.  My hands, my face, sometimes even my clothes became covered in paint, but when the work was done, I could see that it was worth it.  The paintings I made with cotton ear swabs (Q-Tips®) on duralite were highly praised by art lovers as well as other painters.  This feedback made me very happy.

But when I say why I want to make a difference, I must explain.  I want to tell you why.   There are people living in underdeveloped or developing countries who have talent, but cannot develop this talent, or even demonstrate it, due to obstacles – mostly the lack of quality materials – facing them in their homelands.  To produce a good work, talent, effort, time and quality materials are required.  But I don’t believe these obstacles should prevent the creation of art, or halt a developing talent.  Someone with paint can still use it to create beautiful works using the tools at his disposal and can actually create magnificent works more economically in this way, and still improve his skill at the same time.  That’s why I wanted to give this message to those who want to showcase their skills by using cotton ear swabs (Q-Tips®) and toothpicks on duralite.  When such artists ask me this question, I just say “make a difference.”  But while sharing the work I do with these tools, I always note that these are the tools I used to create this particular work in its description section.  In this way, I hope I am guiding talented people through obstacles to their progress and success as artists.  I am also happy when I see people who see my work and say that they want to work like this.

But, of course, in some of my paintings, I only use brushes on duralite.  In other words, what I will use in a specific work depends on my current desire.  In my drawings, I use pens, pencils or colored pencils on paper or cardboard.

An Interview with the Artist Ayfer Erbay
"Enjoying Tea" 2020. Oil on duralite using a cotton swab only. No brushes.
"Sweet" 2021. Oil on duralite. The artist worked with only a cotton swab and toothpicks when creating this work.
An Interview with the Artist Ayfer Erbay
"Gift" 2019. Oil on duralite using only a cotton ear swab (Q-Tip®).
An Interview with the Artist Ayfer Erbay
"The Deepest Form of Love" 2018. Colored pencil on paper.

JS: You’ve mentioned to me in the past, and you’ve referenced a bit earlier in this interview, the fact that you have no formal training as an artist. I find this utterly remarkable.  Your technique is flawlessly executed and your style is powerful and incredibly evocative.  How did you develop your amazing skills and unmistakable style?

AE: Thank you very much for your kind words.

True, I did not study painting.  As I said before, painting has always been a part of my life.  Since my childhood.  Adults who saw the pictures I made as a child for the first time had a hard time believing that the work was mine.  I guess I was born with this ability.  But it’s not just talent that develops and defines me as an artist.  I have an “urge to paint” that feeds my talent.  No matter how talented you are, if you don’t work, you can’t improve.

Before I made painting my vocation, I had years of experience.  Even when I took a break from painting, I was making observations; The shadow falling on the ground while looking at an object, the changing colors of nature throughout the seasons, the dew drops falling on a flower, the light filtering through a window, the burning candle on the table, the folds of a fabric, the sadness in a person’s eyes…  For a painter, observation is very important.

Since I did not receive formal painting training, there was no one I could get help from on this path.  I have been both my own teacher and student.  It’s exhausting to be both.  I’m walking this road alone.  And at the point where I stand now, I can say that I have developed my talent day and night patiently, by working hard and observing.  I owe all this to the passion for painting in my soul.

JS: Do you prefer to create from existing images – photographic or otherwise – of your subjects, or directly from life?

AE: I prefer to work on my subjects from a photo.  I choose photos from the topic I have set in my mind – I look for photos that have meaning and feelings for me, and sometimes I take the photos myself.  There is a still image in the photo.  Painting work can take a long time.  The photo never changes, so I can always pick up where I left off.  In this way, I can get back to work when it’s convenient for me to do so.

An Interview with the Artist Ayfer Erbay
"Melamet's Cardigan" 2017. Pen on paper. Erbay worked from a photograph she discovered in an old newspaper. The visual imperfections in the photograph which arose as a result of the original photographer's scratched camera lens, captivated the artist. Adding this element of imperfection to her image challenged all of her patience and skill.
"Snow Dog" 2019. Colored pencil on paper. A character study and interpretation by the artist of man's best friend.

JS: Does the subject matter of your original work arise solely from your own imagination, or do you re-create and/or re-interpret existing subject matter? Or both?

AE: I like to draw original pictures. But my works which have been formed solely and entirely by my imagination are few in number.  Sometimes I see my own experiences while watching a video clip, or in a movie scene, and I immediately stop and take a photo.  In such a case, my feelings, which I’ve just photographed, are what I want to tell.  Maybe I immortalize that scene, which passes in a few seconds, by processing it on paper or duralite.  I guess that’s exactly what art is.  To immortalize the “moment.”  As time flies by quickly, I stop the time of a particular scene which will, and does pass.  Adding my own interpretation, I fit my own experiences and perceptions as an artist, which no one knows but me, into a frame…   Then, if I draw a room full of things, it’s truly not just a room, because if one looks carefully at this room, it will whisper what it truly is…

An Interview with the Artist Ayfer Erbay
"In Tears" 2021. Pen on paper. The artist plumbs the often abyssal depths of her own emotions and bestows the dark bounties found therein upon the accepting psyches of her subjects. This work literally vibrates with emotion. The sobs which wrack this woman's body are palpable. Ayfer Erbay, with her pen and paper, and with the map of her own heart, has ensured that this is so.
An Interview with the Artist Ayfer Erbay
"Serenity" Date unknown. Oil on duralite. Erbay painted this during a period in her life when she was seeking peace and solace. There was much she wanted to say in this painting (which is also the featured image of this article). Does the asymmetry of the chair and the location of the opened, unfinished book, caught between the opposing positions of the two sources of light - artificial and natural - create a sort of tenebrist drama within this ostensibly comforting and familiar tableau? This is a brilliant and masterful work. Is rest and comfort really possible here? Is the simple title of this painting rife with irony? The artist leaves this for the viewer to decide.

JS: Do you ever work from memory alone?

AE: When I painted as a hobby, I created a lot of work from my memory.  All of them – these paintings – contained profound and deep meanings.  But later, as I developed as an artist, I saw technical errors in them.  In later periods, I did not paint from my memory.  While I’m sitting in a corner of the house watching TV or sipping my tea, a topic comes to my mind and I draw a sketch with pen and paper.  But it remains a sketch.

JS: Your illustrations of famous individuals are beautifully, faithfully, and meticulously executed.  But there is a definite feeling of depth and uniqueness, or singularity, about each one that makes it truly a character study and an interpretation, rather than merely a re-creation.  The emotion and nature of each of your subjects is palpable.  What do you impart to these renditions that gives them such depth and dimension?

AE: I don’t paint anyone or anything I don’t want to.  If I’m painting a celebrity, it’s not just because he’s famous.  His ideas, his posture, his personality, his art or his experiences should impress me.  If I’m going to paint a celebrity on request, I’m going to read the life of that celebrity first.  For example, Marilyn Monroe, known for her beauty, has a sad past.  I watched the Joker movie first, I was very impressed, I felt the character’s pain deeply.  Like this…  My own experiences when drawing celebrities combine with theirs.  When these experiences are put on paper, they come out strongly on the faces of these famous people.  I think that the depth in the portraits comes from common, familiar feelings I share with each particular subject.

"Sharon Stone" 2020. Pen on paper. Erbay's ability to connect with each subject's inner turmoil informs her pen on paper drawings of celebrities. Here, the imperious screen siren seems vulnerable, unsure. Her insecurity is referenced by a bit of well-placed shadow. These are not drawn copies of photographs. They are character studies.
"Marilyn Monroe" 2019. Pen on paper. Erbay's slight downturn of Monroe's mouth (to the viewer's left) makes this not a smile of genuine happiness.
"Why So Serious?" 2020. Pen on paper. The artist could relate well to the subject's inner pain, and was able to capture it perfectly in this work.
"Elvis Presley" 2019. Pen on paper. The technical excellence of Erbay's draftsmanship is rivaled by her ability to create, in subtle fashion, a glimpse into The King's state of mind.

JS: You imbue all of your subject matter with a very definite and tangible poignancy and emotion.  Do these elements of your work originate from within you?  In other words, does your work reflect what you’re feeling and experiencing internally before and/or during its execution?  Or do you sense an intrinsic resonance or emotion from your subject itself and capture it with your brush or pencil?  Perhaps a combination of the two?

AE: There is so much pain in the world. Wars, hunger, thirst.  Global warming due to polluted nature, violation of animal rights, cruelty to children.  I am an empath and an emotional person, and I can feel the pain of others in my heart.  This can be an exhausting trait.  I think life is often not fair.  Honestly, my life hasn’t been easy either.  I also have had my share of difficult experiences.  I’ve gone through periods of intense pain.  Walking on a bumpy road is tiring.

I read somewhere an artist’s words: “A picture is a poem without words.”  Poets describe their feelings with poetry, I describe my feelings with pictures. When I see a photograph and the feeling is familiar, I decide to draw it.  I have my experiences, my voice in my works.  I don’t just paint with my hands, I paint with my soul.

An Interview with the Artist Ayfer Erbay
"Longing" 2021. Oil on duralite. Tenebrism at work here? You bet. Caravaggio would be proud. This work is a masterpiece.

JS: What inspires you to create, and what is your preferred subject matter?

AE:  It is life itself that inspires me. Their experiences, their feelings…  Emotions are not something that can be seen or touched.  You can hide your feelings with masks, but you cannot change what they really are.  Although emotions are intangible in their raw state, when they are transferred to a canvas, or a piece of paper, they become something visible.  Here, your emotions are screaming “I’m here!”  They are free now.  And no one knows who these feelings belong to.  The joy of seeing this result is indescribable.

Before starting a new work, I determine my preferred subject according to my current mood.  Sometimes I discern this subject long before I do anything else with this particular work.  And I find myself waiting for its time to arrive in order to begin.  But lately, my favorite subject is women who suffer, cry, and grieve.

"Me Before You" 2022. Colored pencil on paper. At first glance, the subject's expression can almost be considered inscrutable. But a closer look at the ever-so-slightly knitted brow, the downcast, lashed eyes, and the lips poised at the brink of a frown reveals the almost tangible tremble of nascent heartbreak and the promise of rolling tears. This woman's gripping sorrow on the brink of release is made all the more profound and terrible when juxtaposed with the work's prosaic, even cheerful, accoutrements - the subject's crisp white blouse, the croissant on her plate, the nearly cerulean backdrop. This is a study in dawning misery made almost terrifying by the satisfying complacency of its setting. Look closely at this one.

JS: What particular experience, or experiences in your life, if any, do you try to re-live, or at least convey, through your work?

AE: I try to convey my dreams, hopes, aspirations, experiences, even what I want to live but cannot live, into my works. For example, at a time in my life when I am very tired, I dream of resting and I paint a peaceful room.  Sometimes I draw a squirrel for the child part of me that still exists in me, and I am happy.  I am immortalizing a frame from a moment I missed in the past.  The viewer sees various figures or characters in my paintings, and in fact, I am really behind what they see.  It is my emotion, my being, my voice that they see.

"Cute Squirrel" 2019. Colored pencil on paper. Channeling childhood joy.
An Interview with the Artist Ayfer Erbay
"Tea and Cupcakes" 2020. Colored pencil on paper. The artist admits that this work puts a smile on her face.

JS: You’ve mentioned that you got away from your art for a period in your life. Why did you stop creating, and what motivated and inspired you to once again take up your work?

AE: There were times when life for me was very difficult. These were very stressful times.  Life, it seemed, was a very difficult process – losses and troubles were adding up for me, and it demoralized me.  During these times, I could not find the strength within myself to paint.  But I realized I missed painting.  Because for me, while painting, all the hustle and bustle of the world, all the pressure of life, all the tiredness of the day, is left behind.  And these are the moments that I know, that I am happy, that I want to be in…  To regain my strength, I turned to my art, which I am passionate about.  Then I began my work once again.  The hours I spend working on a painting are for me the door to another world where I get rid of the troubles of this world and find peace.

An Interview with the Artist Ayfer Erbay
"Princess" 2020. Oil on duralite. Painted only with toothpicks and ear swabs (Q-Tips®). The subject of this work is Ayfer Erbay's daughter. The artist gave her the work as a gift for her birthday.
"Love" 2021. Oil on duralite.

JS: You’ve also mentioned that you don’t like to advertise your art.  Do you create it with an audience in mind, or do you prefer to keep your work private?

AE: Actually, this is not to keep my work a secret.  I really like to share my art with people.  Different people can live similar lives and have common feelings.  And I know that when I project myself into my art, maybe I’m also projecting someone else into it who wants to do it and can’t.  It would be selfish of me to hide my art from them.  I would never do such a thing.  However, on social media platforms for example, I prefer to stay away from both possibly boring them and creating the feeling that I am advertising by showing my work to people who may not be interested in my art.  I have already displayed a limited number of images on all of my social media pages.  But I wish to primarily confine the displaying of much of my art to one social media platform.  I don’t want to spread it all out across a large number of social media platforms.

"I'm Pretty Small" 2018. Pen on paper. Erbay discovered the original photo of the subject of this work in a magazine. Elements of the little girl's essence revealed themselves to the artist, and she rendered this poignant study.
"In the Moonlight" 2021. Pen on paper.
"Kitty" (with an upper case "K") 2016. Colored pencil on paper.

JS: Although you maintain various social media accounts, you definitely keep a low profile, and you remain largely mysterious to those who love your work.  Is this intentional?

AE: Yes, I have various social media accounts, and I use each one for separate purposes.  But for those who are wondering, and as I’ve just mentioned, I have displayed some of my pictures on each account.  Many art lovers, who also happen to follow me across all of my social media accounts, know that I do primarily display my art on one particular platform.  I use each of my social media accounts for posts I am interested in within different fields.  For example, Twitter is a platform where I question the universe, try to get to know the world, and want to draw attention to nature.  Facebook is where I connect with people I know.  Instagram is the platform where I showcase my work.  I do not intentionally attempt to be mysterious, but publicly, I do prefer to express what I truly am – how I truly feel – through my art.  My feelings, my passion, my turmoil, I transfer to my work and make real by my use of a line, or a color, or a shadow.  I communicate most powerfully in this way.

An Interview with the Artist Ayfer Erbay
"If I Cry, Will You Hear My Voice?" 2021. Colored pencil on paper. My response to viewing this work for the first time was visceral. I'll never forget it for as long as I live.

JS: Do you ever offer your work for sale?

AE: In addition to the various galleries throughout Turkey where I’ve been invited to exhibit my work, I exhibited and sold my paintings in street stands opened by the municipality years ago.  I also draw charcoal portraits to order.  Of my oil painting works on duralite, the small paintings that art lovers receive as gifts from their loved ones are among the most sought after by my patrons and collectors.

JS: How can a collector purchase your work?

AE: I have a page on Instagram where I exhibit my works. Art lovers can reach me via DM on my Instagram page:  https://instagram.com/painter_ayfer

John, thank you so much for your interest and sincere support for my art.  I hope your readers will enjoy our interview.  I wish you success and happiness throughout your life.  All the best!

"Grape" 2019. Oil on duralite. Painted using only a cotton ear swab (Q-Tip®).

Dear readers and subscribers, I can tell you that interviewing Ayfer Erbay has been a most fascinating and edifying experience for me.  And it’s been a total pleasure.  Not only is she an incredible artist, she is an incredibly kind and gracious human being.  Her wonderful, generous, and accommodating spirit was evident throughout the entire interview process, and her incredibly articulate responses to my questions (this, in spite of the language barrier between us) allowed me to really get a handle on what truly makes her the artist, and the human being, that she is.  And obviously, getting the chance to not only view some of her incredible work, but to also offer my thoughts on it, has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me.  This entire process, which has so effectively and powerfully informed me, leads me to say simply that Ayfer Erbay does, through the genius and passion of her work, emphatically get her point across.

To connect with Ayfer Erbay, and to view and purchase her work, please visit her on Instagram at https://instagram.com/painter_ayfer  There, she invites you to contact her via direct messaging.

Cheers, and Happy Gardening!

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10 thoughts on “The Power of Suggestion: An Interview with the Artist Ayfer Erbay”

  1. Ayfer’s work really captures a moment in time. She gives us an insight into the emotions of those she paints. Great job John, of interviewing her and bringing her art to my attention. Thanks for all your hard work.

    1. Thank you Kevin, for your excellent observations. I agree with you – her work is so incredibly evocative. And thank you for your very kind words regarding my efforts to bring her remarkable talent to your attention, and to that of all of The Renaissance Garden Guy readers and subscribers. I can summarize by simply saying that it’s been absolutely my pleasure.

    1. Thanks for your spot-on thoughts, Carla. I completely agree with your assessment. Emotion is what her work is truly all about. I feel exactly the way you do when I view her work.

    1. Thank you, Rick. I appreciate your kind words. I’m glad for the opportunity to help introduce Erbay’s work to an appreciative new audience of collectors and art fans. I’m happy for your very positive response to her work.

  2. She is a very unique and fascinating artist her art is very beautiful. One in particular “the candle” looks real I can feel the heat and the flame flickering …….
    Her portraits are awesome!
    Congratulations on this interview beautifully written, very captivating 🙏😊❤️

    1. Thank you so much, Roxxy. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. And I’m glad you got a chance to see her work. The view through the lens of your own personal creativity and artistry provides such a fascinating perspective. I always love to hear what one artist thinks of the work of another. Thanks again for your interest and wonderful input.

    1. I’m so glad you liked it. It was a pleasure for me to experience her incredible work from such a personal perspective, and it was fascinating to gain insight into her creative process and inspiration. She’s a brilliant artist, and a really lovely person, as well. Writing this article and conducting the interview with Ms. Erbay was absolutely a pleasure for me.

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