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AN AWARD-WINNING Bahraini artist was so touched by the plight of missing toddler Bader Mubarak that he decided to capture the little boy's memory on canvas to ensure it lives on forever.
The painting by Mohammed Mahdi is now on display at the Bahrain National Museum alongside two other examples of his work; including one which won the coveted Bahrain Annual Fine Arts Exhibition's Al Dana Award.
Bader disappeared while playing outside his house in Samaheej on July 10 last year and an unsuccessful nationwide search was launched.
"As everyone else in Bahrain I was very touched by Bader's story and I just can't imagine how difficult it must be for the family not knowing where he is or whether he is safe or not," said the 31-year-old artist, who is also the Ashraf store's display designer.
"I was very saddened by the issue and needed to express my feelings so I did a painting with Bader's photograph taken from a newspaper clipping and I drew symbols representing his mother and family members who are still looking for him.
"I have focused on the colour black in my painting because it represents despair and sorrow but we all believe in hope and a better future and for that I have painted clouds and rain."
Mr Mahdi said his thoughts and prayers are with Bader's family.
"I always pray that someone somewhere will find him safe and return Bader back to his family. It is very disturbing to know such things can happen in our country. How can a boy vanish while playing near his house? It is very sad that no one has been able to find him yet," he added.
Mr Mahdi started painting as a child and his work has become popular and highly collectable.
"I love painting," he said. "It helps me get my energy out and relaxes my mind. I have been painting since I was four and most of the symbols used in my paintings now are the same symbols I used to draw as a child but with improvement," he said.
"I believe that my drawings are very personal and meaningful because they are about events that I have personally experienced or issues that are happening around me.
"I don't like paintings which have no meanings.
"As a child I didn't get a lot of encouragement from my family because at that time people really didn't think much about art so I had to work hard to develop and enhance my painting skills.
"Luckily, now my wife is my number one fan. She loves all my paintings."
