Sehar Hammad is at the forefront of Atlanta’s luxury sculptural artistry scene. Not only does she hold a prominent spot in the visual art profession, but she is a business owner to an art gallery that extends beyond, towards fashion and jewelry.
Traditional Muslim Upbringing
Born in a traditional Muslim Pakistani family, Sehar Hammad had an upbringing and family life that influenced her artistic journey. Being an individual that has traveled the world and a mother of four kids, Hammad’s journey is defined by her experiences with those close to her.
“My family had several farms, and my father was in the Pakistani Army — he was a
high-ranking officer. My mom was an artist, so I think I naturally came to what I do now, and my
husband and I have always loved to travel. We’ve seen so many countries together, and
whenever we visited a new place, I’d always make time for their museums.”
The Kingmakers
Learning Techniques from Foreign Cultures
Sehar Hammad has interest in other cultures and history that molded her craft and mastery in many mediums and techniques seen in many of her works.
“I had this habit of learning one local art form from every country I visited. I’ve learned from
Italy, Turkey, and Iran. We lived in Iran for quite some time, and also in Vietnam, and even
spent a while in Papua New Guinea. We weren’t allowed to interact with locals there, so I
couldn’t learn directly from them, but I still studied their art. In Vietnam, I learned
micro-painting, and in Iran, I learned sculpting.”
Iran has a traditional sculpting technique performed on canvases. Hammad was able to learn it and modify it to make it her own. There are various ways to complete this method, but she likes to make the sculpture lightweight with her own personal twist.
“Iran has this traditional sculpting technique done on canvases. I learned it there and then
made it my own. Over time, I developed a lighter, more refined approach that feels modern
but still rooted in tradition.”
Art as a Part of the Artist
Hammad made it clear that technical aspects of her art are important when it comes to her creativity and creative processes, but she also emphasizes the presence of her spiritual approach to her creations. There is a quote she has posted on her website that says “Owning original art is like owning a piece of someone’s creative DNA. It’s not just a painting. It’s a moment, a mood, a conversation waiting to unfold.” This quote highlights Sehar Hammad’s artistic values and ideologies. The fact that someone’s art is a part of them much like DNA reflects their personal twists and character that is found within an art piece.
“There’s always a story behind my pieces — they’re part of my life, really. Whatever I’ve lived, whatever I’m going through, somehow finds its way into my art. When someone buys a piece from me, they’re buying a piece of me. Honestly, when a piece sells, I feel a little sad. I get attached to my work because so much emotion and thought go into it. I’m an empath, so I feel every emotion very deeply.”
Untamed Grace series
The Catalyst of the Creative Process
This emotion that goes into Hammad’s artwork is the fuel for the creation that takes place, but also the spark that ignites that fuel.
“You can’t paint if you’re not in the mood. You have to be inspired. I can feel something
change inside me when I know I’m about to paint. Once I start, I can go all night — sculpting until I finish, because I don’t want to leave that piece halfway. When I wake up, I’m not the same person who started it.”
The spark isn’t necessarily something that an artist can control themselves. It occurs through external experiences and inspiration from others. Whether it’s a moment, nature, or another artist. For Hammad specifically there are little methods to spark the creative process.
“Honestly, it just happens. I don’t really have a set method to get into my creative groove.
Sometimes I’ll be in the middle of making dinner, and suddenly an idea pops up. I know I have to act on it right away, because the idea won’t stay for long. That’s just how it is with me — I have to start immediately. I keep my supplies at home so I can work whenever inspiration strikes. With my daughter at home, I can’t always go out to the studio, so this setup works for me.”
This isn’t something that is taught. Someone that creates will have an intense emotion that acts as the catalyst for creation.
A Female Business Owner in the Art Industry
Hammad’s artistry and techniques are not the only aspect where she provides her own personal twist on her sculptural art profession. It also shows through her unique and empowering business model as a female business owner. Sehar Hammad is the founder of Atelier Sehar; an art and design studio that “curates art experiences that extend beyond the gallery” into fashion and jewelry.
“I recently started designing dresses — at first for Pakistani and Desi clients. I used to make
custom pieces, but now I want to create for a Western audience too. My design line focuses
on modest clothing that’s professional, stylish, and wearable for all women. Before, I was
designing for a specific audience, but now I want to open it up to everyone.”
For Hammad, her art and brand is about expansion, but also about sharing her culture through her art and designs. A major part of her culture is Islam and her language, and no better way to display this than through calligraphy. She specializes in Islamic course calligraphy with beautiful sayings and phrases in Arabic.
“My page on Instagram is called Ayreen Jewelry. It’s all about gold-plated Arabic jewelry fused with calligraphy. I love using meaningful Arabic words — like ‘mom,’ which is ‘ami’ — and turning them into something timeless. I enjoy combining language, art, and emotion through jewelry.”
Challenges Faced as an Immigrant on the Art Scene
As a woman from Pakistan, a region with many languages, Hammad is a skillful multilingual with Persian, Arabic, Hindi, and Urdu in her linguistic arsenal. Although she learned English during her education in Pakistan, after her move to the United States, however, still was a challenge, but she persevered through multiple obstacles as an artist and an immigrant.
“It’s been about 15 years since we moved here. My husband got a job in the U.S., so we first
lived in Maryland and then moved to Georgia about five years ago. Georgia feels better than D.C. — D.C. was too fast-paced. Atlanta is still a big city, but it’s family-oriented, and that’s what I love about it.”
Sehar Hammad faced challenges not only as an immigrant, but also as an artist.
“I’ve faced many challenges as an artist — it’s definitely not an easy path. I’m quite introverted and tend to stay focused on my work, so navigating the art world took time. It can be competitive, but I’ve learned that if your work comes from the heart and you stay consistent, the right people will always recognize and appreciate it.”
Untamed Grace series
Evolving through Artistic Approach and Personal Growth
Through these challenges and obstacles Hammad learned how to navigate through a new world and its culture by evolving as a person and artist.
“When I moved here, I used to paint like I did back in Pakistan. My paintings were really
popular, but I never took pictures of them — and social media wasn’t a big thing then. After I had my first baby, I stopped doing art for a while because I’m one of those moms who’s fully focused on her kids. After my youngest, I decided to start again. It had been about nine years. I restructured my Instagram — before that, it was mostly food content! My style changed a lot after COVID. In the beginning, I just made calligraphy pieces, but now my art feels more emotional and personal.”
With the gradual shift in Sehar Hammad’s emotion and personality in her artwork, she also dedicates much more time with each piece. Slowly developing a relationship with each piece as it is created. When a piece of art has more emotions and stories to tell, more time and effort is given to it.
“Honestly, sculptures take a lot of time. I have ADHD, so I’ll spend one to three days painting and sculpting multiple pieces at once, then take a week off. I don’t create every day — it really depends on how I feel. It’s not something I can force.”
Tawaf (Raqs-e-Jahan)
For Sehar Hammad, a luxury sculptural artist from Pakistan, art is much more than the techniques and the mediums. It’s even much more than combining art with her brand that focuses on fashion outside of the gallery. Art is personal. It is an experience. It’s emotions. Her work isn’t just an extension of her that shows through the skill and time to master the craft. Her artwork is a part of her. Hammad’s art are the experiences and memories she had traveling the world with her husband. It’s the time that she spent raising her children. It’s her identity.
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