Another year painted…full of new faces, new places, great memories!!! I wish for your 2019 to be full of….surprises; that’s the pepper in our lives: surprises!
Doors…
And the door opened and I was happy to see familiar faces…I was at my second home, the house of good friends. You know, the kind of friends who become family.
Doors: we all pass through them every day of our lives. They are barriers we pass through to enter work, home, a place to talk to our God. They protect us. They keep our privacy. Yet, we open and close them without finding their purpose fascinating! I blame this on the fact that most doors are too plain to admire; too plain for us to give a thought about them.
Here in the Middle East, I have found doors that come in all shape and sizes…more sizes than shapes, in fact. I’ve passed some really tiny ones, and some so tall I feel very small!
It’s almost hard to ignore them, the Arabian doors. I look at them with amazement, these art pieces that hide behind them human life, human history, and a place for us to rest our tired souls and bodies.
Arabic writings…
A door that frame was once decorated by sea shells..
A door that once was…
Doors to find God…
Doors that lead to peaceful places…
The aged door…engaged 😅
Al Noor Mosque
Have you ever had the urge to go back to a place where you’ve left unfinished business?
Inspiration called me this morning to head up to Sharjah, to finally put an end to what seemed to be my obsession since last Friday night. The Friday, when for the first time, I managed to get myself into a taxi and said:
“To Sharjah!”
“Where exactly, Ms.?” Asked the driver.
“I don’t know…drive me in that direction till I say stop.” “Please.” Smile.
That warm evening while on Corniche Street, I noticed Al Noor mosque with the most amazing sunset kissing its roof good-bye for the night. The white walls were stained orange and I knew that’d be only for a brief moment. I cried out: “this is my stop, thanks!”
I knew then, I’ve made a big mistake for leaving my watercolors at home….till this morning.
I found myself again, sitting on the spot where I had admired the beauty of this structure. Looking for shade, I sat on a bench. I was in the place I wanted to be. I was once again outdoors, fascinated by the many wonders of the place I now call home.
The end result of my study….
And the final touch….
Happy Valentine’s day!!!
It is nice to have a day to celebrate the existence of someone (and hopefully more than one!) who makes your life worth…living!!! 
Alserkal Avenue
If you have ever thought people exaggerate when they say: “life in Dubai is exciting,” they’re not lying!!! I wake up everyday hungry to start my day. Everyday brings another opportunity to either meet interesting people (from all over the world), or learn something new, be it something about the city, or just life in general.
Today was a day to have a small taste of the art scene here in Dubai. My neighbor (and a friend I feel I’ve known all my life) and her friend (a new friend I also feel I’ve known for ages!) invited me to come to Alserkal Avenue.
Alserkal Avenue is a cluster of warehouses that over the years have been converted into art galleries, art studios and other creative shops. Alserkal Avenue oozes creativity, culture, knowledge…emotions! It is not wonder why this place has evolved into being an interesting art hub in the city.
Overwhelmed and tired, I have come home to write about my favorite pieces. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
Tony Cragg in Leila Heller gallery:
Tony Cragg
Safwan Dahoul in Ayyam gallery:
Angelica Dass and her project Humanae…which goes beyond skin tones. It touches the very core of human existence, who we are and how we define ourselves.
And since today is valentine’s day, I thought I would include a love story piece. Unfortunately I cannot recall the name of this photographer.
And last but not least..
A memory captured on a piece of art: priceless!
Working…
And us, the art lovers : )
Welcome 2017!!!!
A new year has began, and with it comes a new adventure! My new year’s resolution: to learn and enjoy my new home and its culture…
Do you know where I could start? 🙂
I wish you all, a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
The Locarno Film Festival has arrived once again!!!
It is hard not to get lost in the enthusiam of the Locarno Film Festival when one sees the making of the tents in “La rotonda,” the village at the round about of Locarno. One can hear shouts, laughs, the sound of hard work despite the heat and the baking sun. I love it; the town is once again, alive!
“La rotonda,” the village of the film festival.
“Piazza Grande,” the big open cinema!
Things aren’t just happening at the big round-about. The Locarno film festival also transforms our already beautiful town’s square, the “piazza grande,” into a massive movie theather!! We see movies under the stars…what more magic can there be?
Well, there is plenty of magic to around, you’d be surprised: this year’s guide is full of activities prepared by local galleries, museums, and the like. We, culture enthuthiasts, prepare our own spaces to wow the masses!
I won’t lag behind. This year, at my studio, I exhibit the work-in-progress of 12 talented Asconese students; hours of manual work dedicated to make a puppet show where the viewer can understand the importance of Ticino in the life of a well known artist in 1900’s: Marianne Werefkin.
The exhibition consists of 15 puppets, behind the scenes photographs of our fun memories, a short cartoon film, and the opportunity to play with the puppets themselves!
It is a fun activity for the big, and small in you! You can find me at my studio in Contrada Maggiore 6, Ascona, from the 8th to the 12th of August, 09:00 – 11:30. Can’t wait to meet YOU!!!
DUBAI’S INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ART AWARD FOR VISUAL ARTISTS
Just a quick and exciting entrance: I’ve been shortlisted for the 4th International Emerging artists award!!!!
My entrance: “Between the green leaves.” A painting depicting the beautiful forests of Val Bavona, Ticino, Switzerland. However, the painting is not only a representation of the the tall birch trees, but of the summer sunlight and the cool breeze under the big giants. “Between the green leaves,” is a painting that provokes feelings of comfort and tranquility. I am so glad it is part of the shortlisted work in this phenomenal competition!
Then she got an idea…
I watched “How the grinch stole Christmas,” seeing that Christmas day is approaching. Then I “got an idea. An awful idea. The Grinch got a wonderful, awful idea!”
Merry Christmas and a jolly good 2016!!!
Anothet Mr. Blok (my own Mr. Blok).
November 30th – the end of the month and the end of many hours of work, sittings, and polishing my little Italian!
This year I chose not to make a case study of a person I know but of one I have only seen in town: a friendly local chef working a door down the gallery. His name is not Mr. Blok, neither his first name is Jozef. Yet, you must wonder why I’ve called this piece “Another Mr. Blok,” and the answer to this question is the story behind this painting.
It was about 4 years ago when I became obsessed with the works of Van Gogh, one of my favorite painters. I remembered I used to know only his later work: the starry night, wheat fields, and sunflowers (dead and alive), and his self portraits – the famous Van Gogh’s ear.
Though Van Gogh’s work wasn’t always colorful. In fact, his early work was gloomy, earthy toned, and on the dark side. The first transitional – from dark to color- work, is a portrait not many of us know, yet of great significant: Mr. Blok. It is a portrait of a black bearded street book seller Van Gogh knew in The Hague.
It was 3 years ago when I discovered my own Mr. Blok here in Ascona: a bearded local chef who used to pass by my window on his way to work. I always wanted to ask him to sit for me but never really had the “nerve”to ask a stranger for such a strange request. This year I finally did. I was lucky he didn’t find it unusual to have an artist beg to paint a portrait of his. He agreed.
“Another Mr. Blok” isn’t a study of my subject or sitter, but of Van Gogh’s philosophy. In his eyes, everyone – the postman, the bookseller, the doctor, the prostitute – were of equal value. With this study, I too stand by this belief. Not matter where one comes from, what title one holds, what one does…there is always a special story behind a face.
The evolution:
Carmen Perdomo 