Drawn towards creativity by the art, design, local landscape and her Emirati heritage and culture, Art Planet's Abu Dhabi-based local artist Um Khalifa Al Rumaithi, together with the UAE Red Crescent and Khalidiyah Mall, presents "Artistic Inspirations”, a series of paintings in aid of charity with 20 artworks on display.

The paintings, a result of spontaneous feelings inspired by nature, tradition, culture in a flurry of colours, are perfect for residences and corporate environments. Um Khalifa started her artistic journey by painting for her children's school activities. According to Um Khalifa, her husband supported and encouraged her to learn and enhance her skills further, so he bought her video training materials of famous artists to learn their styles and develop one herself. She kept painting with every chance she had and started from the basics, with her favourite artist being Bob Ross.

"My desire to create and express ideas and thoughts in a visual way started in 2008 by drawing abstract sand landscapes with acrylic paints and artists canvas. I have always been fascinated by nature, its natural beauty, different shapes and colours,” said Um Khalifa.

"The colours that I express come from creative visualisation. For each painting, I visualise the big picture, draw the basic outline, then paint the base and bring in the details at the end with the hope of bringing the viewer harmony, peace, relaxation and lightness,” adds Um Khalifa.

The timeframe depends on the canvas size and the complexity of the painting. Some of her best pieces were done on a small canvas, taking up to 30 minutes while the large pieces could take three to six hours.

Um Khalifa loves painting and hopes to support more community initiatives taken by the UAE Red Crescent.
Source: The Gulf Today