Picasso has said that “Everything you can imagine is real.” And no one knows this better than Maryam al Mamari who has been relying on her imagination to create things. She has a fertile mind that even just in her secondary school, she already reached a certain expertise in fine arts. “I was so attracted to colours in the primary school. I so much loved the natural landscapes and the cartoons. Later, I started learning painting from TV progrmmes, step by step imitating the small details of the paint. At that time, it was only the animation and cartoon characters I was fond to paint, but then, I knew that I have the talent,” she said.
Trusting her skills and what she is capable of doing, Maryam, after five years, sought membership in the Omani Society of Fine Arts (OSFA). Her goal then was to greatly improve her skills.
“I have this goal of participating on exhibitions and training courses. Back then, I was leaning more towards sculpture and photography. Painting would come later,” she said.
As she trains and on her journey towards developing her own style, Maryam shared, “I participated in several exhibitions organised by OSFA and the youth workshop in and outside the Sultanate like in UAE and Bahrain”.
“Like most of the other artists, the first picture that really captured my attention was Da Vinci’s Mona lisa,” she shared.
“I couldn’t grasp the secrets and the more that I look at it, the more I appreciate it. When I fully entered the field of fine arts, I started to understand the different aspects of beauty of that picture. I went on to analyse and appreciate the works of other international artists like Raphael, Francisco De Goya, Picasso and others.
“Each of my paintings have something to reveal. The closest in my heart however is the “Masks” because it was the first painting where I was able to express my character and my own style. I followed the contemporary abstract style mixed with pointillist style,” she shared.
“I believe that artists have a unique view to things different that those of ordinary people. We see beauty at each object, even the rocks and the silent leaves. I love silence and I consider it my biggest source of inspiration,” she revealed.
“Although I try to imitate different international artists, I make my paintings unique as I add Omani touches to them. From the audience’s point of view, the ideas of my paintings may look strange and bold but I consider my pieces a reflection of my being an Omani artist trying to reflect the reality of modern life in a different way.”
Although in her pursuit of the art there has been many challenges, Maryam shared that she is reading to face them head on and improve her skills so that she can also someday become one of the big artists recognized by many.
“In all my paintings, I want to spread peace, reality, imagination, dreams, good and life. With a brush and colors, artists wish to clarify ambiguity and to defeat evil in the world.”
MAI AL ABRIA
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