SiteOwner, Author at The Majlis Gallery - Haven for Artists AND Art Lovers.

John R Harris

WATERCOLOURS

Delicate and subtle are perhaps surprising descriptions for the work of a past rugby-playing Welshman, but they are frequently used adjectives for John Harris’ paintings. The contradiction is remarkable considering his career in art education, where he taught for 25 years in some tough schools in UK and overseas. Throughout, his interest in painting was a constant thread and in ’86 he realised his ambition to become a full-time artist.

John’s fascination with landscape spans the dark valleys of his native South Wales, its lovely mountains and rivers; the subtle shades of the English countryside; away to the Australian outback, the broad vistas of Africa and to the mountains, wadis and sparkling coastlines of Dubai and Oman.

Combined with his travels, John’s continuing artistic development makes for a busy life, keeping several galleries supplied with fresh paintings and working on the surprising number of private commissions that take him to unexpected and interesting places.

John’s work has frequently been exhibited with the Royal Institute of Watercolourists and hung in the Mall Galleries, London and at the ‘Welsh Artist of the Year’ exhibitions in Cardiff. He was the winner of the ‘Elgar’s Places’ competition in 2007, a celebration of the great British composer’s 150^th Anniversary.

John’s paintings are collected worldwide and he is delighted to have been associated with the Majlis Gallery since it started 25 years ago. A regularly updated collection of John’s work here showcases his abiding interest in subtle light, reflection and the transitory aspects of atmosphere. It underlines his powerful connection to the landscape.

www.harris-watercolours.co.uk

View John R Harris Portfolio

Jenny Croxford

Jenny Croxford first came to Dubai in early 1980 and was one of the group of talented artists who showed their work on our walls in what have become known as “The old days”,

The body of work that Jenny did then, just prior to the demolition of a large chunk of the Bastakia, is of great historic and architectural interest. Anyone who acquired a “Bastakia Series” from those early shows is truly the owner of a unique and beautiful record of a bygone era.

Jenny’s fascination with Islamic Architecture and decoration was first kindled during her travels in southern Spain and Morocco during the 1970’s. This was the work Alison first saw when she met her in Cornwall in 1979, Alison relates that “ I just knew that Dubai would be a spring board for her” and so it has proved. Jenny’s research into the mathematical intricacies of Islamic tessellations combined with her infinite talent as a printmaker, her knowledge and application of modern technology and her abounding creativity have won her recognition as a master of the art of print making.

This new collection of mono prints and original paintings sees an artist so in tune with her subject and her medium that she has taken her art to an even higher plane. A superb draftswoman (a skill that underpins the work of all good abstract artists) Jenny also makes her own papers and plates and mixes her own combination of inks and dyes and pigments. The pieces go through many stages of layering and building, often laying in wait for just the right piece of foil or translucent ink to be added to the composition. The final work emerges from the hand rolled press into the hands of a fairly exhausted artist. For it is truly a physical as well as creative process.

View Jenny Croxford Portfolio

Jamal Abdul Rahim

Born in Bahrain in 1965, Jamal Abdul Rahim has notched up an impressive portfolio of exhibitions, (Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Norway, Holland, Japan, Slovenia, Spain, France and the UAE to name a few.

Originally a Fisherman, Jamal always knew he was also an artist. His totally untutored journey into the creative world allowed him the freedom to experiment, discover and on occasions stretch the boundaries of conventional image making. It was the world of printmaking that first engaged him, his delight of feeling his way through the process coupled with his research through the history of art leading to some stunning large works taking a well-known figure or image, for instance the Mona Lisa or the Statue of David, and then personalizing it with colour and texture and often symbols of the Middle Eastern culture, Miro also a prevailing influence. Black and white surfaces are dashed, splashed or stroked with colour. Simplistic sun imagery lies alongside squirls and waves which overlay photo etchings. Poetry and music also fascinate him.

Jamal’s modern touch, which is often applied in a seemingly random fashion, is only found in the most confident of artists. He is a master of the print-making process but a fine painter and draftsman too, often presenting a series of etchings or paintings in highly original book form. More recently he has begun working in three dimensions, a medium that appeals to this physical but deep thinking artist who is fast becoming recognized as an important player in the Middle Eastern art world.

View Jamal Abdul Rahim Portfolio

Altayeb Amer

Syrian artist Altayeb Amer (b 1971) studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts Damascus. In his capacity as a creative graphic designer his designs and ideas have been implemented in many of the global brands and local companies in the Middle East. A true aesthete it is perhaps his passion for the creative arts – in particular painting that he has found his true calling. Altayeb’s unending positivity and faith that God will help fulfill aspirations shines through his work. Bright colours and spontaneous brushstrokes are his trademark. The artist uses a blend of abstract expressionism and Sufi symbolism to convey his beliefs. – he is passionate that ‘there can be no life without dreams” – his vibrant canvas conveying a message that is common to all beliefs that in life “you get what you give”.

View Altayeb Amer Portfolio

Alan Halliday

Alan Halliday was trained at the Courtauld Institute of Art where he was taught by Anthony Blunt and Anita Brookner, and also at Oxford where he was awarded a doctorate in the history of art. He has been painting full-time professionally for thirty years.

Alan first painted and exhibited with the Majlis in the early 1990s. He also exhibited, very successfully, in Beirut in conjunction with the Caracalla Dance Company. In addition to landscapes from around the world, Alan specializes in paintings of the human figure in general and dancers and performers in particular. He is currently Resident Artist with English National Ballet; and for the last twenty-five years he has drawn and painted all the dress rehearsals held by the Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera at Covent Garden. He has also been the on-set artist for award-winning films such as ‘Shakespeare in Love’.

Alan has recently moved to France and is currently engaged on a large series of canvases in his new studio in the Loire. He also undertakes commissions for paintings to be shown in major public areas. In this way, he has painted extensively for a number of cruise liners, and also the imposing new foyer of the London InterContinental Hotel at Number One, Park Lane.

View Alan Halliday Portfolio

Alexander Creswell

Alexander Creswell’s early years as the son of a diplomat instilled in him a love of travel and the observation of diverse cultures, observations that he recorded intuitively in sketch books and on scraps of paper. Largely self-taught he has become one of today’s most revered and collectible watercolour artists. He is noted above all else for his splendid series of commissions carried out for the British Royal Family and for his haunting paintings of and books on “The Silent Houses of Britain.”

His artist-traveler lifestyle takes him literally all over the world From New York to the Great Wall of China but he is often drawn back to Oman and the UAE to record the fast disappearing evidence of, as he puts it, “past footsteps”.

Alexander’s paintings so vividly capture the light and atmosphere of the Southern Gulf. In his words “you have to really understand a place before you can expect to paint it convincingly.” He spends countless hours wandering looking absorbing and recording his visual and emotional experiences in his own inimitable style. A style that owes much to his in depth understanding and command of the craft of watercolour painting.

View Alexander Creswell Portfolio

Off the Wall – Art Week

From 15th March to 25th March 2012

During artweek, The Majlis Gallery will be its usual hive of creativitiy. Many of our favourite artists will be painting, drawing and sketching in the gallery courtyard and out and about in Dubai.

Our Programme for Art Week is called Off The Wall and involves international and national painters painting “en plein air” around Dubai and the UAE throughout the 10 days of Art Week with the work literally being stuck to the walls for perusal and sale as its finished.

Art Week, the umbrella initiative that includes Art Dubai, Design Days Dubai, Sikka, showcases the broad programme of cultural events taking place across the UAE and beyond from 15 to 25 March 2012. Art Week positions the Gulf – regionally and internationally – as a place of artistic production and home to numerous cultural centres. From expansive new museum projects in Doha to the thriving Dubai gallery scene, from one-off happenings, projects and installations to festivals and fairs, Art Week serves to demonstrate the dynamism and progressive spirit at large throughout the Gulf’s cultural scene.

Art Week actively encourages collaborations with art organisations, colleges, commercial galleries and non-commercial spaces, and helps to promote the UAE as the centre of the knowledge economy in the region, and as a home for the creative industries.

An Art Week guide will be published at the beginning of March, with detailed listings, previews and maps of key areas across the region.

Build A Collection – Feb2012

Each month, to help you build on your existing collection or to make the first move we will be offering a significant piece at a price to suit your ‘Building a Collection’ Budget.

The Majlis Gallery is renown for the depth and breadth of our collection of original artwork.

Buying an original piece can seem daunting but we are here to ensure that it is an exciting , enjoyable and affordable experience.

Build A Collection artwork this month is by Lynette Ten Krooden

Wadi Series 1 Mixed Media on Hand Made Paper, Framed
Original Price Dhs. 5,500
Build A Collection Price Dhs. 2,250

Click here to order.

We can help you Build your Collection. Our passion is art, so let’s build.

Microcosms within the Macrocosm by Lynette Ten Krooden

From 25th February – 25th March 2012.

Elements of the Bigger Picture – An exhibition of works by Lynette Ten Krooden

Working with Lynette Ten Krooden is a constant journey of discovery. Her total commitment to delving beneath the surface of our fragile earth, Gaia, the Terra Firma, is the focus of her new exhibition:

Microcosms within the Macrocosm – Elements of a Bigger Picture.

Fossils, migrating jellyfish, rock structures, mineral deposits, the night sky, endangered species, in fact all things elemental, are the jumping off point for this stunning exhibition of large almost overwhelming canvases.

In her words:

“To understand my work, I need to take you on a personal journey.

Often I am categorized as a ‘landscape artist.’ This narrow definition is perhaps too restrictive if you consider the different influences on my work. The metaphysical quality of my paintings derives directly from my many years of traveling and being a scholar.

People know my work from the use of textures, layers and a unique gold-leaf process.

With multiple layering of rich colours, overlaid in some instances with sharp graphic line work I strive to add a unique depth to my paintings.

Gold-leaf, which I sometimes use in abundance, comes from the depth of the earth and we sometimes forget that it is one of the purest minerals available to man. I hope my work reveals my role as an agent of change, a visual communicator of the responsibilities of mankind.”