The Theatre of Life Flowers for Kolkata
Oil on canvas 150 x 150 cm
The Theatre of Life, Flowers for Kolkata expresses the mesmerizing beauty of an historic marketplace. People are busy with their daily routines that quietly weave the fabric of life, the life of a community in this unique place. I wanted to evoke the sense of a beautifully orchestrated performance, where life unfolds before us in a vibrant market for ceremonial flowers. Where every glance, interaction and routine reveal the rich human drama at the heart of this place.
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Returning home after Friday Prayer Fujairah.
Oil on linen 150 × 180 cm
From my room overlooking wastelands between simple single block housing and a mosque, I would watch in wonder at these men, mostly from Pakistan returning to their lives after Friday prayer which I could hear clearing from my room. I was struck by the fact they were all men, all of a certain age, the atmosphere appeared somber, silent and reflective, most carry prayer mats, some even balance them on their heads to combat the high temperatures. A community of men, united in faith and united in their displacement in a foreign land, but a land that despite all the differences, professes the same faith.
The Theatre of Life Kolkata One
Oil on Linen on canvas 150 x 150 cm
The cast of this play is an Indian community taking their entrances and exits on a stage in Kolkata. This is an imaginary space, a stage that I felt had to be pink, though I’m not sure why. I was struck by the beauty of the colours and the dignity of these people despite all the challenges they face in a money driven world that looks up to the rich and down at the poor. Yet I see beauty, depth, history, humanity, resilience and a very strong sense of community with these people.
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The Theatre of Life Kolkata two
Oil on Linen on canvas 150 x 150 cm
The cast of this play is an Indian community taking their entrances and exits on a stage in Kolkata. This is an imaginary space, a stage that I felt had to be pink, though I’m not sure why. I was struck by the beauty of the colours and the dignity in these people despite all the challenges they face in a moeny driven world that looks up to the rich and down at the poor. But I see beauty, depth, history, humanity, resilience and a very strong sense of community with these people.
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The Theatre of Life Morocco
Oil on linen canvas, 163 x 97 cm
A community of hopeful workers, sellers and entertainers are on the move, a daily unravelling of life through routine journeys that one by one weave the tapestry of life, a life in the heart of the old medina. This painting tells a tale of life in this part of the world, on this stage, the world famous square, Jamaa Al Fna. I spent many hours watching the transit of people across this iconic square from the roof top of my Riad in Marrakech in order to create this extraordinary vista.
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Moroccan Ladies on the March
100 × 120 cm
4.000 USD
From behind, all we see are bundles of clothes, varried and often colourful, and yet some how we have a clear idea of these people, we sense them we feel them though we don't see them. This painting of Moroccan ladies was painted together with the Moroccan Men, it would appear men and woman are separated and walk quite different paths in life.
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Moroccan Men on the March
100 × 120 cm
The men on their march forward, crossing the square on mass, each one with a tale to tell, mostly in traditional dress yet no to the same. This painting of Moroccan men was painted together with the Moroccan ladies, traditionally men and woman are separated and take quite a different journey in life.
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The theatre of Life, On stage in Cairo
original painting 190 × 190, available as a print only. please find this work in my shop
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The Theatre of Life, Daily journeys Morocco
2018 Oil on linen, 195 × 195 cm
This work is available only as a print.
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Daily journeys of Cairo A symphony in Blue.
Watercolour 80 × 100 cm
This large watercolour is like a series of highways running across a square, all forms of transport move across the space, most are moving things from one point to the other in this busy scene acted out every day in this corner of the world. Cyclists transport, trollies transport, a horse is pressed into service, on foot and over shoulders transport, in this milieu of human traffic. Oddly to me, there is no van no pickup truck just brute-force and willpower. A sequent toil, all forwards. The blue represents the surface these people toil upon and mark the mood and suggest a twilight time of day.
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The Tough Men of Cairo
Oil on Canvas 150 x 150 cm
Standing on a street corner in Cairo for the first time, I was stunned by the passing traffic of people. People here are tough, they carry heavy weights on their shoulders and heads or pull even heavier loads in trollies and carts, some simply carry the weight of life and their years on their shoulders, amongst them, a boy soon to be a man lends a hand. I wanted to show through these people that life is tough in this place, the burdens they carry in life are written in their body language, their countenance and their dress. A human drama, the theatre of life unfolding on a stage in Cairo day after day.
Beach football Morocco
Oil on Canvas 115 × 95 cm
The young Moroccan boys descended down from the cliffs, dressed in their football colours, as many colours as players, they played all morning on that hot December day, gradually the teams became larger as more players arrived. not a blade of grass but the sand made a perfect pitch for these boys from the South to do their thing. All this I observed from the rooftop of a coastal villa, soaking up the winter warmth and enthralled by the skill and determination of these boys, not a mobile in site, just in the moment in this beautiful corner of the world that I had the brief privelage to be part of that day.
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The Theatre of Life, Shopping in Kuwait
Oil on Linen 90 x 120 cm
When I lived in Kuwait, I had the occasion to visit the old Souk area many times, here I found the people that fill this stage, I was drawn by the dress that clearly identify them as belonging to this place and indeed from other areas of the Gulf region. Those who know can tell by details in their attire. There are also people from Qatar, The UAE and Saudi Arabia in the painting I am told. I was fascinated to observe the flowing black garments that sweep the floor of the ladies, and the variety of whites of the men, it would be a very black and white world were it not for the colour of their shopping bags, some men’s headscarves and the flash of coloured socks underneath the black abayas.
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Daily journeys A Tapestry of Life Cairo
Watercolour 100 × 130 cm
This watercolour tells the tale of how the tapestry of life is woven each day in Cairo through the daily journeys of its people, with the aid of horses, donkeys, carts, trollies, bicycles, vespas and some good footwear.
The colours of the ground, with a certain artistic license, are designed to take the viewer through the space, stopping on the way to reflect on each individual’s part in this great drama. Each day, the curtains rises on a new performance of this frenetic, breathtaking drama, the Theatre of Life played from the streets of Cairo.
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Daily journeys A Tapestry of Life Cairo
Watercolour 100 x 120 cm
This watercolour tells the tale of how the tapestry of life is woven each day in Cairo through the daily journeys of its people, with the aid of horses, donkeys, carts, trollies, minibuses, bicycles, vespas and some good footwear.
The colours of the ground, with a certain artistic license, are designed to take the viewer through the painting, stopping on the way to reflect on each individual’s part in this great play. Each day, the curtains rises for a new performance of this frenetic choreography, the Theatre of Life in downtown Cairo.
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On your bike! Moroccan Gentlemen
Oil on Linen 70 × 120 x 120 cm
It may sound odd, but one of the things I most loved to observe in Morocco were the gentle old men on their solid old bikes, they were everywhere in the Medina of Marrakech and I'm sure this is the case all over the country. The bike is their way of getting around, they transport whatever they need , including their families on these two wheeler wonders. Coming from Spain where a bike is a sport these days and the attire is strictly followed for their immediate incorporation into the Tour de France should it be necessary, I just fell for these humble and dignified men on their honest bikes in a world that seemed so far from mine. The feelings these men on their bikes stirred in me make this is a painting very close to my heart.
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Break time!
Oil on Linen 60 × 60 cm
As a teacher, I had a view over the playground for 25 years, I was often a little too busy when the students were on their break, it was time for me to get things ready for the next lesson. But now and again I enjoyed observing them playing, and how their animated and athletic positions could be frozen by the camera to create great poses, poses that as we grow older become less expressive and more static. This is a great subject for a painting, indeed the students did some great paintings and drawings of their playground and themselves with me.
Rainy days The Indian Monsoon
Oil on Linen canvas 92 × 120 cm
When it rains, it’s heavy and comes in prolonged showers. In this scene you may be able to locate the place, the clue, two taxis are the iconic yellow cabs of Kolkata, soon to be sadly fazed out. I was caught in the rain and had the chance to see the local people on the move, underneath umbrellas despite the heavy rain.
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Watercolour Daily journeys Cairo
100 × 120 cm
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Watercolour The Theatre of Life, Cairo on the move
100 × 130 cm
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Selling Sardines The Morocan Way.
work available as a print only
2019 Oil on canvas
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Watercolour Moroccans on the move.
40 × 60 cm
Watercolour Egyptains on move daily journeys
50 × 70 cm
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Watercolour Cairo on the move in Red.
80 × 100 cm
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Watercolour Daily journeys Cairo
60 × 42 cm
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The Theatre of Life Cairo
Oil on linen canvas 100 x 100 cm
The people of Egypt and their daily journeys across a stage in Cairo define this place, give it character and tell its story. A story of struggle, strength, faith and perseverance that hold their community together. I feel very fond of these people. There are players in this scene that I have observed many times and indeed painted them before or created artistic photographs of them, such as the young girl who forlornly attempts to sell balloons, the understandably bad tempered road sweeper in green and the beautiful, tall figure of the old tea seller that must have crossed this square a thousand times. The characters of a play from Egypt on stage in Cairo.
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