A colourful spread

If art is the mirror of life it should reflect what is around us. An attempt to capture this essence are eight artists of Dubai International Art Centre whose works are being exhibited this month at the new Spectrum Building next to Lamcy Plaza.
"We feel honoured at being invited to display our work here, giving us an opportunity to show the people of Dubai the quality of work produced by our numerous members," said a member managing the affairs of the group.

With more than 1,000 members from over 50 nationalities, DIAC regularly invites artists to promote greater awareness about the different forms of art.
All the eight exhibiting artists are active members involved in teaching and conducting workshops at the Centre. Christine Bruyninckx has a formal degree in art and has worked as a cartographer before coming to Dubai.

Her main interest lies in painting on silk and she finds the drapes of the women's abayas and dresses very vibrant. While the wild wadi and wild vegetation attracts Christine, the Dubai Creek haunts another member, Patricia Al Fakhri. "Although I have roamed the country looking for subjects to paint, I find myself returning to Dubai's creek ever so often," she admits.

Al Fakhri specialises in landscapes executed mainly in watercolour and occasionally in pastel and acrylic. Often using softer shades, she captures the spirit of her subjects while subtly evoking the mystique of Arabia.
Violette Posth likes painting, classical music and practising Ikebana. Taking courses in Sumi-E, a Japanese method of painting with ink and watercolours, she harmoniously blends it with traditional Chinese brush painting and the result, on display, according to her is the exquisite painting of an orchid – an expression of elegance.

According to professional photographer Lyndon Ashmore, Dubai has a variety of subjects to shoot but he warns all novices to learn the craft well before embarking on this passionate profession.
"One should be able to reproduce the picture faithfully as found in reality," he says, whose contribution to this exhibition is an Arabic doorway with its dainty and delicate architecture. He has embarked on a collection of pictures with a prevalent pitcher housed at different locations – to provide a variety which he says 'is the spice of life'.

Another enthusiastic painter is Waheed Nasir, whose forte is 'still-life' painting with the accent on chiaroscuro – the distribution of light and shade on the objects. Says he, "I prefer oil because it enables me to bring out a kind of luminosity in my paintings and present it with a 'painterly' look." He adds, "I would like my work to tell a tale and involve the viewer in an emotional experience." That is why he makes use of
simple objects to which anyone and everyone can relate, and Spectrum has two of his works on display.