Hampstead Heath Hills Painting

Edhem Imamovic 1943-2019 History and background I was born in 1943 in Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Yugoslavia at that time). I have been painting for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately I did not study art. Art was considered as a luxury those days. After WWII, being without a father, life was very hard for my family. Being the oldest man in the house I had to start working. In latter years I became an architect. I believe that becoming an architect was my way to express myself as an artist. Nevertheless I was still painting whenever I had a chance. I was a member of one of Yugoslavia's most successful mountaineering clubs. I am a winner of two European titles and nine national titles. My inspiration comes from the beauty of nature. Its colours, shapes, seasons and richness have everything I need to transform an empty canvas into something beautiful. Living in the countryside, visiting numerous architectural sites during my work and training and competing in mountaineering competitions means that I spent a lot of time in nature. Watching its daily and seasonal changes, such as the way light passes through the foliage and the difference between white winter and colourful autumn give me a great knowledge of how to use that in my paintings. I took drawing lessons from Sead Hasanefendic, one of the most famous Yugoslavian artists. He was a professor in Sarajevo's university of art and later in Zagreb's art college. I spent a lot of time in his studio meeting many of his friends, already established artists and art teachers. They gave me some knowledge of the technique, mixing colours and how to use tone values. After many years of a nice and prosperous life with my own family, my life came to another big crossroad, the war in Yugoslavia, which started in the early 1990's. My family had to flee from the country, leaving everything behind whilst I stayed behind to fight during the war. I was captured at the end of the war. That was the most horrible time of my life. All the horrors and bloodshed of the war, tortures and psychological pressure of losing your life probably left some scars on me. I was exchanged with another POW. After years of separation, my family and me somehow managed to survive. We lost everything and had to start from the beginning. We had to rebuild our lives and our relationships. Now we have more time for ourselves and I have more time for my art.