Meet the Tutor: The Geometry of Joy with Samira Mian

We often talk about the importance of connecting to your creative self, but for Samira Mian that connection is rooted in history, guided by the laws of geometry. Using tools that haven't changed much in centuries, Samira constructs intricate patterns that feel both timeless and contemporary.

She invites us into her garden studio to talk about precision, friendly robins, and the magic of the golden hour.

The Leonardo Connection

Most of us look just to the art world for stylistic inspiration, but Samira is looking for something more – it is “the maths-art crossover, I love so much” she explains. So, I wasn’t surprised that the sketchbook she’d most like to explore was Leonardo da Vinci’s – the ultimate polymath.

And who wouldn’t want to sneak a peek at those?  With more than 13,000 pages of notes and drawings, his notebooks are famed for encompassing everything from anatomy to astronomy, botany to palaeontology.  A genius making sense of his world on paper.

Samira’s love for maths, art, and beauty combined is evident in her ‘Desert Island’ toolkit. While others might reach for a brush or a needle, Samira’s essentials are all about precision – a “pencil, compass, and ruler." It is with these simple instruments that she builds the complex, interlocking patterns that have made her a favourite among the Ardington community.

The Helpful Robin

Samira creates her work from a dedicated garden studio, a space that experiences a very relatable pattern to most of us. "I oscillate between two states" she admits. "Starting off neat and getting messier as I get busier!"

While she doesn't have a cat or a dog ‘assisting’ from underneath the desk, she has a wilder sort of company just outside her door. Birds and insects are constant visitors, including one very specific neighbour. "A particularly friendly robin always seems to come right up to my door like he wants to help me out!"

Be Bold

For many, the precision of geometry could feel intimidating, but Samira’s approach to the blank page is refreshingly bold. "I love what I do, so I always go for the 'don't think, just do' approach," she says. This lack of hesitation allows her to quiet the inner critic and let the patterns take shape naturally.

Samira’s favourite time of day in the studio is Golden Hour - that magical time when the light shifts.  Not surprising then that her favourite views are always “when the sun is setting or rising."

I ask if she’s a tea or coffee girl and she laughs, remembering the golden rule of artists everywhere, “any drink will do, just avoid drinking the paint water!”  (I mean, can you even call yourself an artist unless you’ve accidentally dipped your paintbrush in your cuppa?)

A few of Samira’s favourite things

Favourite Colour: Turquoise

Favourite Museum:  The Victoria & Albert Museum

Favourite Season:  Spring

Favourite Smell:  Lavender

Favourite Book:  Any thriller by Lisa Jewell

Favourite Art Supplier:  Cass Art

Beyond the Compass

When Samira isn’t teaching the secrets of geometry at Ardington, she is an avid traveller and foodie, who loves good company. Her work has taken her all over the world and her class handouts are stuffed full of photos of Islamic patterns she has snapped across the globe.

Samira is also an artist who is always looking to expand her horizons. Next on the list, working with materials that are a mystery to her, like glass, wood, and metal.  We’ve got her covered there - just take a look at our onsite workshops for inspiration, Samira! 

Any Final Words of Wisdom?

"Don't think, just do."

She’s absolutely right of course, sometimes the best way to learn a complex pattern - or anything in life - is to simply put the pencil to the paper and let the journey begin. 

A massive thank you to Samira for giving up her time to answer my questions.  Her next class with Ardington features the Alhambra Roundel patterns. Be there or be square (or circular, in this case!)