Japanese housewife wins painting competition after reproducing photo

Dubai: Midori Yoshino's hobby of collecting Gulf News photographs has won her a Dh3,000 cash prize in a painting competition.

"When I first got a copy of Gulf News ... I could not throw away a single photograph and that turned out to be lucky for me," the Japanese housewife said.

Winner of the top prize at the UAE Social Club/Emirates Trading Establishment art competition 'How Dear You Are My Country', Yoshino's watercolour focuses on a fisherman. It is a reproduction of a Gulf News photograph published on November 4, 2005.

She said: "Japan has no colour in its printed news, except maybe one or two coloured photographs in the sport section. When I first saw Gulf News in 2000, I couldn't take my eyes off it. I had never seen so many colours in my life!"

Eight years on she continues to be amazed. Not a professional artist, Yoshino entered the competition to find a "connection," which she did. She said: "My husband teaches English while my daughters study.

In a way, they are all connected to the UAE. I wasn't. I am now." She chose the image because it spoke volumes. It took her six months to complete the painting.