Soul Travel with Arabic Arts

My beloved niece asked me why I love to paint Arabic women and other subjects with Arabian touches. She is a Muslim (convert) so she is happy to see some of my artworks with such a theme.

I cannot explain my profound interest in them. Maybe this is also the reason my feet landed here. When I see Arabic artworks, I feel that my soul travels elsewhere to a whole new world where everybody understands the patterns of life, as reflected in Arab artists' geometric arts. That whole new world is an amazing converging point where everybody is respected and protected, regardless of race, religion or economic status.

The soul is the essence of life. Once it has experienced a different journey, it flies happily to another dimension, far away beyond the physical boundaries.

My first painting with an Arabic theme was "SuperMoon". It was painted for some months when I was in my worst trying times. The sight of the moon and the sounds of names with 'moon' as a common meaning gave me much hope. I knew that the moon I was viewing was the very same moon that my beloved family members were watching, too. I painted the top of a mosque, lighted by the moon. I could not understand the prayers of those going to mosques, but I knew they were for the good of humanity, including me.

Gulf News features watercolorist Martin Giesen and the story behind his paintings featuring mostly The Creek, how it changed dramatically from two (2) decades ago since his first arrival in the UAE up to the present, is truly amazing. He calls himself a visual archivist. Creatively and meaningfully he connects the timelines between then and now so the present generation can somehow predict what will be the changes in the future.

This reminds me of the artworks of Sir Alfred Munnings who painted the same scene (the view of Dedham and the river Stour) 'more than a dozen times'. Fiona and Philip investigate one artpiece if it is Sir Munning's original creation or not, in the Netflix's video documentary "Fake or Fortune?".

A part of me really wants to learn more about Arabic arts, culture, tradition, and heritage. One of my dreams is that one day I will organize a one-woman art exhibition that will showcase how I process my thoughts to stories through art as a medium with an Arabic theme.

Let my soul passionately marvel at everything and anything creative, and Arabic, that my eyes can reach, and let it wonderfully travel somewhere.

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Photo credits: Pixabay

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