David Paskett’s first exhibition in Dubai, “Drawn to Dubai”, conveys his impressions of the city during a residency at The Majlis Gallery in December 2012. The well-known British artist, who was president of the Royal Watercolour Society from 2009 to 2012, is presenting a series of drawings and watercolour paintings that include realistic portrayals of the boats and activity along the creek; dramatic depictions of the play of light and shadows in the narrow lanes and courtyards of the wind-tower houses in the historic quarter of the city; and abstract compositions that capture the look and feel of the markets, streets and cafés.
Paskett spoke about his experience of living and working in Dubai to Weekend Review.
You lived in Hong Kong in the mid-1980s and have regularly worked and exhibited in China over the past two decades. What brought you to Dubai?
My wife had travelled to Dubai and mentioned my work to the owner of The Majlis Gallery, who invited me to live and work here in the heart of the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood. It was my first visit to the city and I had no idea what to expect. I found myself drawn to the waterways and quay sides of the creek, the souqs and bazaars and the elegance of the Al Fahedi Historical Neighbourhood with its sunlit courtyards and dramatic shadows.
What are the things that caught your eye in this city?
The first things I noticed were the texture of the coral walls and the shadows in the alleyways in the Al Fahidi Neighbourhood. These things cannot be photographed. I had to experiment a lot to recreate with my paints the tactile quality of the walls and the beautiful light and dramatic shadows. Whenever I travel I always visit the markets and the waterways. In Dubai, I spent a lot of time around the creek. It was visually exciting to see the shapes, colours and surface textures of the dhows and the activity around the boats. I made friends with the sailors, who came from different countries. Interacting with them made me feel that I had become part of the whole scene and helped me to see things that I would not have noticed if I had simply walked past. I also visited the boatyards in Al Jadaf and watched the dhows being built and painted. I also enjoyed painting the fishing villages along Jumeirah Beach Road, with the Burj Khalifa visible in the background like a beacon. I am interested in contrasts and juxtaposition of old and new elements, and I found these all over the city.
How would you describe your style of painting?
For me drawing and painting is a tool for discovering and engaging with the things around me. I am not a landscape or portrait painter. I just paint what I see on the streets. But I am not interested in copying a photograph. My paintings are in between realism and abstraction. For instance, “A Square Meal” features a scene from a café as seen from above. I spent a lot of time on creating the right arrangement of the knives and forks on the square table, and despite the figures around the table, the painting has an abstract quality. I like to observe the effect of light and shadows on walls, places and objects. In my painting of a decorative elephant in a hotel boutique, I have combined the reflections on the glass door and the patterns formed by the light and shade to create a layered composition.
Did you work from photographs or memory?
I wandered around the city with my camera, my sketchbook and my paintbox in my bag. I used the camera to capture specific moments, which I then painted from the photographs. Some paintings began as sketches of ordinary objects such as a coffee pot on my table in a café and grew into realistic drawings of the entire scene before my eyes. And some were done from memory after leaving Dubai. These are like “memory maps” of the shapes, colours and things I associate with the city.
How was painting in Dubai different from working in China or England?
In China I use a completely different range of colours. In Dubai I had to get used to the intense light outdoors and the dark shadows indoors. I also found myself using colours I have never used before such as pinks, oranges, turquoise and pale green that seem to represent Dubai. I hope the warmth and affection I feel for this city comes through in my paintings.
Jyoti Kalsi is an arts enthusiast based in Dubai.
“Drawn to Dubai” will run at The Majlis Gallery until June 8.
