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Water colour artist and Awali resident Andrew Hodgson is opening his debut solo exhibition on Saturday at Lina's CafŽ in the Diplomatic Area.
For the engineer turned caterer and landlord, who saved his earnings for more than a decade to enable him to dedicate his time to painting, this is nothing short of a dream come true.
And Bahrain, which has been home for him and his doctor wife Merlhi Lavarello for the last four years, has proved inspirational, he says.
Andrew's paintings capture a range of scenes that include stills and action shots. They vary from the hustle and bustle of Manama souk, the fish market, racing horses to peaceful impressions around the Tree of Life, the sailing club, Hawar Island and desert sands.
Andrew, 40, originally from the northern English city of Manchester, said that he hopes his exhibition will be a stepping stone on an artistic journey. He said: 'I will be showing all the good work that I have created in recent years. What we don't have in England is a lot of sunshine - everything is kind of dull. Here, there is sunshine and there are shadows.
'All my paintings have light and contrasts and at least a little bit of sunshine. I just love the effects of different colours on paper and especially when the paper shines through.
'Water colour kits are also ideal for travelling ... all you need is a little kit and block of paper in your rucksack. I also like the idea of completing a painting in an hour or two or even 10 minutes as opposed to spending days and weeks on it.'
Andrew's paintings reflect his travels. He prefers to capture images on his camera and select the best image for his next work of art. He said: 'I love the souk ... we go every couple of weeks and eat at Swagat. We walk through it and end up at the Central Market.
'I walk around and discreetly take hundreds of photographs and hopefully I can pick one where you can catch the light.'
On his travels at home and abroad he is forever looking for an image to excite. 'These are nice souvenirs; they really capture my travels and are a part of my life.
'It also becomes a special day when you paint in a special place. In Ladakh, India, for example, we stayed with a family in a little village just outside Leh. Behind the house there was a terrace of barley. I painted in the field over looking the barley and the house with the Himalayas behind me.
'I have painted the Taj Mahal from the river bank. In Varanasi, I sat in the boat and painted the Ganges.
'In Kerala, I painted the Chinese nets in Cochin and the Cherai beach. Painting like that is extremely demanding as usually a big crowd of locals stand around you chatting away, picking up your brushes and checking on what you are doing.'
The exhibition will run until May 8. Opening hours are daily 8am to 9pm and over the weekend from 1pm to 9pm. Contact Andrew on a.hodgson@gmail.com for more information.
