Dubai International Jazz Festival 2010

So this year the Dubai International Jazz Festival will take place at Dubai Media City from 10 to 19th February. For the duration of the event I will have a tent in the arts and crafts area which is in between the main and the secondary stage. For the first 7 days the event is free but you need to register for tickets. If you don't register then it is 100 dirhams on the gate. To register to go DubaiJazzFest.com. There are 500 tickets available for each night and already around 400 are taken so you will need to sign up soon.

For the last 3 nights (with the big names) tickets have been sold as follows:

50% of the tickets for the 17th of Feb featuring The Brand New Heavies,Charbel Rouhana, James Taylor Quartet, and U-Nam

70% of the tickets for the 18th of Feb featuring David Gray, Jane Monheit, Tizer, and Atilla Molnar

60% of the tickets for the 19th of Feb featuring James Morrison, Laura Izibore, Brett Dennen, and Marion Meadows

David Gray was absolutely awesome 2 years ago and I am really looking forward to James Morrison.

Getting the Colours You Want in a Painting

So some of the time I am just creating my own abstract works and I can pick and chose which colours I want to use in the painting so essentially the choice is mine, but at other times, say when I am creating artwork for hotels or interior designers, I need to include specific colours, maybe those that match the furnishings or decorations. Colour mixing can be a very difficult art sometimes and people often struggle with this. What I can recommend if you want to learn which colours are used to create a certain mix is to get a colour mixing book. Sometimes what you mix to get a certain colour can surprise you and for a quick reference to an exact colour I have found my colour mixing books in valuable. See the Amazon recommended products above for a selection.

Buying Art Materials in Dubai

As an artist I am often asked where I get my materials and what materials that I use. So for anyone new to Dubai or wondering where you can get art supplies from then the main shops I go to are Kazim at 'Magrudy's Mall' on Beach Road (near the flag past Mercato towards Diyafa Street) It is at the other end of the mall to Magrudy's on the ground floor and is a stationary shop but sells a lot of artists materials including canvases, oil paint, acrylic paint, artists papers, brushes etc. In fact almost anything you might want!

The other place I get my materials is Emirates Trading. They have a big branch near Maktoum Bridge and also smaller branches at DIAC, DUCTAC and Bin Sougat Centre amongst others. The nearest one to 'New Dubai' would be in the art centre at Mall of the Emirates, on the 2nd floor, access from the car park.

Guggenheim Exhibition in Abu Dhabi

If you get a chance before it ends (4th Feb) and you are a fan of abstract art then you must go and see the exhibition of more than 50 paintings from the Guggenheim collection in New York that are currently on display at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi. There are some really amazing pieces there that just aren't done justice by photographs including some by Kandinsky, Klee, Pollock, Cezanne and Mondrian to mention just a few. You can really draw some inspiration from this exhibition and it bodes well as to what the Guggenheim will have to offer when it opens in 2013.

Back to the blog!

So it has been a while since I posted on this blog. A lot of things have happened in the last year most notably obviously is the financial crisis that has hit us all. Art has been no exception to this and for the last year the market has definitely been on the slide for original artwork both for individuals and corporate projects.

A lot of the hotels and residential projects have been delayed or put on hold and so interior designers are not getting so much work in as well as the art sourcing companies that are employed to find suitable artwork for hotels etc.

Things have been tough but it does look like they might be on the rise again. Having completed artwork in the last few years for 4 Points Sheraton, Marriott Harbour, Sofitel JBR and the Dubai Mall Hotel amongst others, I have recently been asked for quotes for 3 more hotel jobs so hopefully projects are being put back on the table.

I am still down at the market at The Walk at JBR every Saturday so if you are around come and see me there. I have a few new lines in smaller paintings and also the multi-coloured paintings that were received so well when I started them last year.

Covent Garden Market Dubai

The marina Market becomes bigger and better by moving to The Walk at Jumeirah Beach Residence and becoming Covent Garden Market Dubai. It will feature around 75 stalls together with street entertainers and is located right amongst the cafes and shops on the beachfront walkway. Come down every Friday and Saturday (I will be there every Saturday) from 10am until 8pm until the end of April.

Feature in Time Out Magazine 4-11 December 2008

Carrie and I were featured in Time Out Magazine in an article about Al Quoz and how it attracts artists. You can see the article here without the picture and I have also uploaded a scan of it.