Abu Dhabi art guru
artist Joined: March 1st 2009
Logged in: February 13th 2012
Logged in: February 13th 2012
After spending a year back in Australia, we have now moved to DUBAI. I may need to change the title of this blog!
Still painting & exhibiting and occasionally poolside, taking lots of photos and enjoying the UAE
Abu Dhabi Art Guru in Dubai!
Travel Blog Posts
Photo 16
A world away from the glitz of Downtown Dubai, I was very relieved to discover the 'real', working class, down to earth, gritty and historical areas of Bur Dubai and Deira, down by the Creek. For my first month or so in Dubai, it seemed all I had seen were shiney towers and massive malls full of tourists and expats, and it seemed that all that was on offer was shopping. When I finally ventured down to the area by the creek I was so relieved, a breath of fresh air , metaphorically and literally... At this time of year the weather is so mild, in fact I think it is one of the coolest winters in Dubai for some time... this means mild temperatures of low 20's and even a beautiful breeze blowing, and a ... read more
Photo 4
Hi, I am going to restart this blog with photos of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, where we visited on the weekend. It is so stunning, majestic and peaceful, I thought it would be a nice introduction back to the UAE. It was a long weekend in the UAE, for Islamic New Year, coinciding with the UAE National Day 40th yr celebrations, so it was a great chance to visit Abu Dhabi for 3 days...more to come on that later. To briefly fill you in, I started this blog several years ago when we were living in Abu Dhabi. After returning to Australia for a year or so, we have now just recently relocated back to the UAE, although this time we are living in Dubai. I will recap in the following blog entries, ... read more
old Queenslander
From Abu Dhabi to Brisbane : Well this has been along time coming! It was mid summer in Abu Dhabi when we got the call to relocate to Brisbane, back to Australia after 2 & 1/2 years in the UAE. From sweltering heat & humidity we travelled across the globe to a much milder version of summer... the Queensland winter, which is actually like a Victorian summer! Beautiful days filled with sunshine and a mild 22-25 degrees, and this is their winter! We couldnt believe the paradise we had landed in.... after so much heat and desert, it was overwhelmingly refreshing to be surrounded by trees, stunning tropical plants, gardens, scents, and lush green everywhere. We had been starved of green in the UAE, so our eyes and senses were acutely tuned to these differences. By ... read more
Winter Landscapes at Flinders Lane Gallery
Recently we were in Melbourne for my solo exhibition "Winter Landscapes" at Flinders Lane Gallery. www.flg.com.au The last few years have seen a few travels through Europes winter, contrasted with living in the Middle East, in constant desert heat... however my artwork has always remained focused on the winter landscapes, particularly those from the area where I grew up in Australia. However in more recent times, moving to Queensland, perhaps eventually, my artwork will diverge in to exploring these other landscapes and warmer climates I find myself in more & more... Melbourne winters are long... & can be a bit gloomy and grey, although often there is sunshine for at least part of the day, there is a good energy and buzz to the city with everyone rushing with a purpose, and the sound of trams ... read more
from our balcony
Ok, this is the last of my belated blogs from July in Abu Dhabi...only a bit behind in posting! Ras Al Khaimah is one of the northern Emirates of the UAE... about a 4 hr drive from Abu Dhabi, and for us, it holds the luxurious Hilton Spa Retreat! It is a bit of an uncomfortable contrast to a small city that seems predominatly quiet old and slightly dilappidated. There is a mix of new developments along side dirt roads with older rundown housing. It is also a big escape for those living in Dubai & Abu Dhabi and abroad, to come and soak in the sun & relax in some luxury. The drive from Abu Dhabi is completley through desert... freeways wind there way past flat vistas of sand & scrub, and the closer you ... read more
Original Hilton/ Sheiks wedding guest house
July in Abu Dhabi is overwhelmingly steamy and hot...approx 45+degrees everyday! Wearing the most breathable & lightest of clothing..always carrying water with you..and planning your day so as not to be out in the heat too much. In fact you can barley cope with being outdoors at all..so it is a time to be staying inside with the airconditioning or finding a pool to lay by... Al Ain is about a 2 hr drive from Abu Dhabi heading straight in to the centre of the country. That is, it is desert as soon as you leave Abu Dhabi until you reach this oasis town in the heart of the UAE deserts. Historically Abu Dhabians have travelled to Al Ain to escape the summer heat....in the past by a long and arduous camel train ride. Today ... read more
new control tower AD airport
Summer in Abu Dhabi..... The hottest months are probably May to September, with June, July, August being the most extreme... when I say extreme I mean it!.. It can be up to 50 degrees and is most often 45 degrees all day every day with very high humidity. So it hits you like a furnace!! In the hottest months you can barely be outside apart from the dash to your car or into an airconditioned building... a few hundred metres is the most you can walk in the middle of the day! You greet that airconditioning like a long lost friend! Retreating to Jones the Grocer for a long lunch is a good way to spend the day... followed by dinner at Pregos at Rotana, Abu Dhabi Mall .... favourite past times! Hot like you have ... read more
P1130437
York to Castle Howard.... Sorry this is quiet a belated blog... this trip to England & Scotland was earlier in the year, but life has been pretty busy since, so I am just slowly getting around to putting up some photos. We escaped the heat of Abu Dhabi for some extreme snow & cold conditions in the UK. It was a big shock but a novelty to be rugging up in winter clothes and having fresh cold air and the views of snow covered landscapes. We had been living in Abu Dhabi surrounded by sand & desert and extreme heats, so the winter was refreshing, especially as we only had to endure it for a month! It was particularly freezing in York, so that was a bit miserable, weather wise, but it was nice to visit ... read more
P1130019
This is actually a belated blog from our travels to the UK earlier in the year. When I returned to Melbourne I was so busy painting my next exhibition, that I didn't get around to posting them until now! So just briefly... after travelling in Italy, we arrived in London for Christmas. Everything is still heightened by our experiences of living in AD and missing the culture & way of life we are used to. So we ran around soaking up the sites, streetscapes, shops, food and having the novelty of wearing winter clothes! Although being close to Christmas, I still managed to visit the National Gallery, Sainsbury Wing, with their beautiful Rennaissance collection, as well as the Courtauld Institute at Somerset House, with ther Early Rennaissnce & Impressionist collections. The courtyard there is turned into ... read more
mosque
As the weather starts to cool down to the mid 30's.... life resumes on the streets of Abu Dhabi. These photos are from late last year...... sorry for the long delay, life got too busy, but it is nice to see these photos again. So here are some more photos of Abu Dhabi streetlife, the mosques on the many street corners..hearing the call to prayer throughout the day, and lit up at night. The sand colored skyscrapers lining the streets, a mix of old & new... Around October / November, for a few short months, the weather starts to cool a little to a civilised manner! It is still hot, but bareable! You can actually start walking along the street again, even a walk along the corniche esp in the evenings...After the long hot summer where ... read more
