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Under My Ophelia
Posted on February 8, 2010 1 Comment
My daughter’s question prompted me to search my photos of Ophelia in progress. I was shocked at the pictures I found, and flooded by a deluge of memories and emotions ranging from sadness to whimsy. The photos have made me realize how ephemeral my works, in their varioius stages, can be and why it is […]
Homes: Laura Boushnak|Pristina, Kosova
Posted on February 2, 2010 2 Comments
When photographer, and dear friend, Laura Boushnak visited Kuwait, she was so generous with her time, taking photos of me in preparation for my Yellow Tape Portraits exhibition, and consequently during set up and the exhibition itself. I couldn’t see her off with nothing so I painted her a picture.
Homes: Mai Al-Nakib & Adeeb Abu-Ghazaleh
Posted on February 2, 2010 Leave a Comment
Mai and Adeeb’s painting is accompanied by two sculptures by Abbas Mallek on the left of the photo. Mai wrote to me that it ‘plays the music for Abbas Mallek’s wonderful dancing Kuwaiti man and woman’.
Homes: Farah Behbehani
Posted on February 2, 2010 Leave a Comment
This painting hangs in the dining room of Farah Behbehani’s home. I love the way the carpet echoes the colors of my girl. The painting itself is one of a kind. I had never (and probably never will) painted what I call tantric lines on a canvas before. These lines emanate from another face within […]
Homes: Mohammed Alkandari & Jana Alnaqeeb
Posted on February 2, 2010 Leave a Comment
I’m introducing the Home section here (which was part of my now defunct blogspot site). Because when I am parted with a painting I feel a little gut-wrenched, I ask for it to be photographed in its new home. And to my delight, many have obliged, bless them. This is the first installment, the home […]
Goodbye, Ophelia
Posted on February 1, 2010 4 Comments
It’s been a bittersweet week of hellos and goodbyes. First Um Kulthum and now Ophelia. I didn’t have much time with Um Kulthum so the farewell wasn’t so bad. This one, however. She’s been with me for a year now. Her space feels so empty already. On the other hand, she will be in a […]
Um Kulthum & Me
Posted on January 23, 2010 Leave a Comment
In every painting I do, there is a process of conception, initial implementation (or preliminary sketch), destruction, reconstruction, destruction (this particular cycle is unpredictable. Factors may include my emotions, events which may influence the progress of the painting, or just having a really good day and somehow clicking with my painting). Many times, the ‘completion’ […]
Um Kulthum
Posted on January 19, 2010 1 Comment
I FINALLY started this painting. It’s been a long time coming now. I listened to some her music, watched some videos on youtube and printed some photos. I avoided the sunglasses because of two reasons: the first is that it’s been overdone and somehow the glasses came to represent her more than her voice. Secondly […]
Cultural Re-Expressions 101
Posted on January 11, 2010 1 Comment
I loved painting the qutras (headscarves) on these men. The main character in the white, summer dishdasha is a little like the eating boy. He’s in his own world, sitting on his throne atop a hill, oblivious to all. In fact, it’s funny because this man in all his arrogance was based on someone I […]
Cultural Re-Expressions 101
Posted on January 11, 2010 1 Comment
In 2004, my brother Tareq and I collaborated on an exhibition of his conception and design which he used ‘Cultural Re-Expressions 101’ as a working title for. Soon, that title disappeared and it became ‘that show you did with your brother Tareq at the Life Shopping Center’. Basically, he had this idea to present a […]
From The Yellow Tape Portraits. Four, Thirteen, Six
Posted on November 26, 2009 Leave a Comment
Yes, yes, they’re not in order here, but Thirteen was indeed painted after Four. I titled them after they were all complete and hanging in the gallery. I added two bows to the one above, right before the show. She’s wearing her skin on the outside rather than covering it up.
The Famouses
Posted on November 22, 2009 4 Comments
These are my paintings of iconic people, all of which were commissioned by my brother, Mohammed. And all of which reside with him and Jana (visit them here).
Si’s Girl
Posted on November 21, 2009 Leave a Comment
Si’s Girl, 2007 Acrylic on canvas 91×152 cm In 2007, just out of the blue, I decided to paint a picture using dark, dark colors. I can safely say that this is the darkest painting I’ve ever done. It was painted at a time when I felt my happiest in a long while. I usually […]
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