We admire: Sayyaf Zubair

"I will never forget the day I happened to meet the great Indian painter, M. F. Hussain and showed him some of my paintings,'' says Sayyaf Zubair, a BBA student at the Heriot-Watt University in Dubai and a budding artist. "I met the famous artist at a friend's place in Dubai and was keen to show him my work. He was quite impressed and advised me to keep at it.''

Zubair started painting in his late teens and was worried whether it was too late. "He told me not to worry; he had started painting only after the age of 40. He told me till then he had only painted huge film hoardings. He also advised me to start painting from my imagination, rather than just painting something I saw.'' Zubair's brush with art started when people started appreciating the models of iconic UAE landmarks - such as the Burj Khalifa, DWTC, and Jumeirah Beach Hotel - that he made from Etisalat telephone cards which he stuck on thermacol.

"It has been my hobby since I read about someone who made models out of postcards. One thing led to another and early last year the Indian television channel Asianet featured a story about models I made. They are huge models - naturally, the Burj Khalifa stands tallest at 4m. Soon, other Indian television channels followed, and later I was the subject of an interview on Abu Dhabi Television. My work was even noticed in India, and a builder based in Bengaluru wanted me to make some models for him. But I was quite busy with my studies and didn't want to take on something that I could not do full justice to.

"Painting started out as a hobby and remains so to this day. I started painting on canvas with acrylics recently, and some of my Islamic style paintings have been appreciated very much.

I was even invited to exhibit some of my paintings at the UAE Anniversary celebrations, however, I could not participate because I was writing an exam. However, meeting the great M. F. Hussain remains an unforgettable event, and I would say it was a turning point in my short life as an artist."

Email
sthekkepat@gulfnews.com

Twitter @Shiva_friday