From the Bspot|Woman|Originally Posted August 15, 2009
Posted on March 5, 2010 Leave a Comment
i don't like
I am not a feminist. But I’ve always believed in a woman’s strength and ability to excel in fields not deemed appropriate to her. I do think there are areas where a man would prove far more adequate than a woman, but these are purely physical, like lifting a piano or shot putting.
I like the woman in this drawing. I like the way she’s standing there, like she’s waiting for an explanation. Her reaction to it will render the explainer weak-kneed and speechless. I want to be like her, and I want to be able to carry off a man’s shirt like she does.
From the Bspot|The Skinny|Originally Posted August 12, 2009
Posted on March 5, 2010 Leave a Comment
i don't want to eat
From the Bspot|Blue Canary in the Outlet By the Lightswitch*|Originally Posted August 28, 2009
Posted on March 5, 2010 Leave a Comment
we float and fly
Sometimes I fancy myself a bit of an architect. With this sketch, done on August 4th, I didn’t get very far. But I guess there’s as much architecture in a birdhouse as there is in a palace.
*They Might Be Giants, Birdhouse in Your Soul
From the Bspot|Plane Sketches|August 22-24, Too Many Planes to Too Many Destinations|Originally Posted July 12, 2009
Posted on March 4, 2010 Leave a Comment
the squares. i think this is when it all started
What was supposed to be a simple flight from Frankfurt to Kuwait turned into a nightmarish Juha-like trip which spanned three days. All thanks to the incompetence of our then travel agents. I was traveling with my ex-husband and three children, first to Amsterdam and then a road/train trip around Germany. A few days before our trip back to Kuwait, we luckily learned (to our horror nonetheless) that our flight back had been cancelled. So our revised and far-less-than-improved itinerary became as such: Frankfurt, north to Amsterdam, south to Abu-Dhabi, north to Bahrain, and then north again to Kuwait. The sketch above is the first incident of my square fixation. I was drawing the squares in a tantric-like state, from Amsterdam to Abu-Dhabi. I soon started a small sketchbook dedicated to just squares, page after page. I lost that book. Read More
Fairuz & Me|March 3 PM
Posted on March 3, 2010 2 Comments
i'm starting to feel you
She’s beginning to come together and I’m enjoying the process again. I know what I want, it’s just going to take time. Fairuz, you must be spectacular, spectacular, SPECTACULAR. Read More
From the Bspot|Plane Sketches|December 20, 2009|On Wataniya Airways Cairo to Kuwait|Originally Posted December 21, 2009
Posted on March 3, 2010 3 Comments
cairo post-apocolypse
This plane sketch was done in my ‘Ramadan’ diary. Some may remember it. I love being up in the air, it really clears my mind. And on this crucial trip, the distance and change of scenery allowed me to open my eyes, which I had left closed for too long.
From the Bspot|Plane Sketches|June 12, 2007|On Board Kuwait Airways Flight 543 Kuwait to Cairo|Originally Posted August 16, 2009
Posted on March 3, 2010 Leave a Comment
what crawls down your skirt?
This was a short flight aboard a rented Novair Airbus 33o (I think Norwegian). In a tumultuous period of my life, I found peace at 35,000 feet. I was alone on this trip, attending my friend Dagher’s wedding. It was my last trip to Cairo [I have been to Cairo since I posted this].
A Night With Yousef at the Avenues
Posted on March 2, 2010 Leave a Comment
clustermen (you can see my brother mohammed and his wife jana in the upper left hand side)
These were taken at an event raising awareness to keep Kuwait clean. The event was organized and headed by Ms. Iqbal Al-Eissa, Jana’s mom. My mom was involved as well so you can say it was a bit of a family affair. Read More
Homes:Yasmine Alkandari
Posted on March 2, 2010 Leave a Comment
yasmine's sitting room
My brothers and sister love me. Enough to allow me to use their wall space instead of stacking my paintings in my studio. These are two of ten charcoal works I did over the summer. The poor things got warped in a wave of heavy humidity we had around August.
There’s Always Something to Write On/Scribble in
Posted on March 2, 2010 2 Comments
boredom buster. the longest route possible home
I hate going out in this country. I have many obligatory family visits that put such a damper in my day, even though I happen to be fond of many of my family members. I just always prefer to stay at home. Especially when I’m at a crucial part of a painting and the whole affair of going and coming takes me two and a half hours. So to divert myself, I turn to the book. Not the Holy Book, but any sketch book which happens to be lying around in the car or in my purse. In this case I had my phone/notebook with me, savior.
Fairuz & Me|March 1 All Day
Posted on March 2, 2010 Leave a Comment
i know it looks like i didn't do much. well, i hadn't at this stage
Traffic Lights & Other Observations|Play Some Good Music Please
Posted on March 2, 2010 Leave a Comment
spring sticks its foot in the door
Sketchbook Twenty Ten Last Three Pages 76, 77 & 78
Posted on March 1, 2010 1 Comment
page 76. preparing for murder
Fairuz & Me|February 28 Afternoon
Posted on February 28, 2010 1 Comment
sorry, i screwed up your nose yesterday
Sketchbook Twenty Ten Page 74 & Page 75
Posted on February 26, 2010 Leave a Comment
page 74. not jet propelled
Fairuz & Me|February 24 Morning
Posted on February 25, 2010 Leave a Comment
you still have the same mouth but something is different
Fairuz & Me|February 23 Morning
Posted on February 23, 2010 2 Comments
it's still not her mouth! but i'm keeping it for now because she needs to sing
She’s driving me mad, even though I am enjoying painting her. She looks like the spawn of David Bowie and Tori Amos if they ever got together. Her mouth was so easy to sketch but painting it has proven rather difficult. I’m getting there though. Read More
Traffic Lights & Other Observations|Waiting Horses
Posted on February 23, 2010 Leave a Comment
double horse
Fairuz & Me|February 22 Morning
Posted on February 22, 2010 3 Comments
Fairuz you will get your mouth back soon. i'm just having a little trouble with it at the moment
She’s proving to be a little difficult. It’s very hard getting bits and pieces from one photo or another. I really need to feel her and it’s not happening yet. But it’ll come. I can’t wait to get back to my girls. At least they don’t fight back. Not like Fairuz anyway. Read More
2002 Vertical Sketchbook|Part One
Posted on February 22, 2010 1 Comment
dear prudence
In case anyone has or hasn’t noticed, I’ve been going through some boxes of old sketchbooks and scrap paper I’d hoarded (everything’s art, eyes rolled) over the years. I found so many partially used sketchbooks such as this one, mostly empty paged. It’s such a shame, I don’t know why I did that. I was so scattered. And when I go through them now, everything seems so fresh again. This is a smaller format sketchbook which opens on top, therefore being dubbed the ‘vertical’ book. Read More
Fairuz & Me|February 21 Morning
Posted on February 21, 2010 Leave a Comment
fairuz and the flower in her hair
When I painted Um Kulthum, it was because I was inspired by an exhibition at 360 mall to paint her and not her music or who she was. I don’t claim to have an understanding of Fairuz but I know how I feel when I see her or hear her music. She and her songs evoke memories of my childhood whereas Um Kulthum did not. Um Kulthum was a challenge I enjoyed the experience of standing up to; Fairuz I am painting with something more than that, a personal treasure of memories. So let’s see what happens!
I am using some photographs. But I feel that I don’t really need them. This sketch I did from memory and feeling. I might need the pictures just to inspire me or get some technical help and color inspiration. Read More
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