1994 was a very busy and creative year in my life. I was managing more than one job and getting prepared for the final graduation presentation. This is the first time I was starting to work with large canvases (see pic 1) and using my own hand-made paints. At the final presentation I had to exhibit a copy of a famous artwork as it was a requirement, sort of thesis. I chose to copy Caravaggio’s St John the Baptist (see pic 6) which I sold to a French couple shortly after I graduated.
In summer, one of my friends got me a temp job: To give art lessons for Bogaziçi University’s alumni. It was quite a challenge for me, since these graduated students had very little idea of painting... Therefore, instead of giving lessons in the studio, I chose a different method, and told them “Let’s all go out” and asked them to paint the view from the garden’s of the famous Turkish poet Tevik Fikret. It is one of my favourite places in Istanbul, “Asiyan Museum” (see pic 3).
At the end of summer, I moved from Çukurcuma to a much better neighbourhood called Gümüssuyu, in Taksim area. The lead girl character was born in this place (see pic 4). In the beginning there were only two drawings with this character which were based on true stories from my life. A few years later, continued with these series using additional characters (see page 57).
“BlokArt” fanzine (see pic 5, 7) came out in August 1994. In the beginning, I was the editor, writer, publisher and distributor along with my brother and a few other collaborators. This monthly publication had interesting non political articles, critics on art events, poems, cartoons, satire, etc.
After collage, I felt pressured as an artist. But, I was very proud and happy to be independent, so I kept painting and finding new ways to survive. In this period I gave many paintings away as gifts to people who supported me along the way (see pic 2).