Dubai Dhow Port, 71 x 124 cm

Artist Statement

My work is driven by two main impulses: to capture a compelling narrative and to expand on a captivating formal arrangement.

More often than not, the initial impetus which triggers my painterly response is visual. This occurs in diverse ways: a striking light situation, such as early sunlight bathing a familiar landscape in glowing warmth; an unusual massing of forms, such as boats crowding at a quay; the dramatic impact of angled light on a building’s façade; or the dazzling texture contrasts of sheep grazing in an olive grove.

Meaningful content can strengthen the creative impulse. My return to serious painting practice after a long hiatus can be traced to lulls in fighting during the civil war in Lebanon. From the destruction of Beirut’s historic downtown area, haunting images arose that drew me to record them. In 1982, during a prolonged ceasefire, I set up my painting gear in Martyrs’ Square, the fulcrum of the battles between warring sides.

Living mainly in the Middle East and in the Mediterranean region has provided other meaningful topics: Byzantine monasteries, Roman temples, medieval forts, blossoming almond trees, the kaleidoscope of old ports in the Emirates.

I have found richness in simple things: men playing cards in a village café, a woman looking out from her balcony, a crumbling wall amid prickly pears, or men throwing out fishing lines on Beirut’s waterfront. A lot of my larger paintings make use of photo references and are studio based. More recent work reflects growing intricacy of detail. Maybe retirement from decades of university teaching has freed up the time and the patience needed to do justice to the demands of the medium.

But some of my best memories go back to the times when I took students for sketching sessions on an old wooden dhow on the Dubai creek. Here, the main triggers of my painterly interest occurred side by side: meaningful narrative and compelling visual stimulus.