Stroke of creativity
Is actress Anzalna Nasir now an artist?
AFTER abandoning her passion for painting for years, actress Anzalna Nasir recently decided to pick up the brush again for a good cause.
“Every year I think about what I can do during Ramadan (to help people),” she shares during a buka puasa event in Kuala Lumpur recently.
“Coincidentally, I started painting and there were people who wanted to buy my works. So, I told them the proceeds of the paintings would go to charity and let them decide what the price is.”
So far, Anzalna has completed eight paintings and has sold all of them. All proceeds will be in aid of children battling cancer and in providing necessities for the homeless.
The actress paints a variety of subjects, from flowers and animals to buildings and scenery. The longest time she took to finish a painting (a rendering of the Eiffel Tower) was two days.
“A lot of work goes into it, and it’s tiring. That’s why I find it hard to let go some of my paintings. There was one where I drew a scenic view of Phuket. It was a personal memory of my holiday there. But I told myself, ‘It’s OK as it’s for a good cause’.”
Anzalna, 30, said the last time she painted was when she was a kid. “I won an art competition in Montreal when I was eight. But I stopped painting when I got back to Malaysia,” explains the actress, who went to primary school in Montreal, Canada as her father was pursuing his postgraduate studies there.
She adds she has been showing her recent artworks to her father, now a professor at a local arts academy, and seeks his advice.
“He won’t try to tweak the paintings at all. I’ll show it to him only when it’s done and he’ll give his feedback.”
Asked if she has plans to paint professionally, Anzalna says she sees it more as a hobby. “I’m not a professional, I just started doing this for fun. When it comes to painting, it’s all about the mood. If
I’m not in the mood for it, I can’t hold (the brush) at all. But when the mood comes, I can do it.”
The actress, who’s known for her lead role on the 137-episode soap opera Memori Cinta Suraya, is back on screen with telemovies Renyai Takbir Raya and Blog Laura.