Over the course of any given week, we scroll through the work of hundreds of Charlotte creatives on Instagram. But, @henna_by_sana, the account of self-taught Queen City creative, Sana Nisar, always stops us in our tracks. Her designs are intricate and beautiful, a labyrinth of minute detail and design. They command your attenion. You can’t just glance at them. You have to get lost and wonder at how it all comes together.

Henna is an art form that’s over 5,000 years old. It gets its name from the henna dye, made from the plant lawonia inermis. When applied to skin, henna stains the skin a reddish-brown hue — but only temporarily. It gradually fades as your skin exfoliates. 

Practicing henna for nearly a decade, Sana moved to Charlotte in 2019 from Columbus, Ohio. She lives here full-time, but is still in demand back home and makes frequent trips back for weddings and one-on-one henna sessions.  

Sana is proud to practice a time-honored artistic tradition with deep roots in South Asia and Africa. She says her work provides an outlet that is “very therapeutic and calming to not just me but also many of my clients.”

Of Charlotte, Sana says, “I’ve been able to network with other artists in the area and absolutely love how approachable and supportive they are towards other artists.”

Sana, you’re our new best friend, and we’re glad you’re here, too. 

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A post shared by Henna Artist (@henna_by_sana) on Jul 9, 2020 at 5:16pm PDT