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BY day, Adel Al Abbasi is a successful banker who diligently crunches numbers behind his desk. But when he leaves the bank and steps into his 'temple' he becomes an impassioned artist with a flair for all things creative.
For the past nine years Mr Al Abbasi has worked as the head of human resources at Arab Banking Corporation. However, long before he started climbing the corporate ladder, he enjoyed exploring the intricacies of the world around him through art.
This fascination led him to explore different art forms from painting, to sculpture, drawing and photography and Mr Al Abbassi, 46, described his passion for artistic expression as a love for the 'simple things in life'.
He said: "I have always been passionate about art. To me, beauty lies in even the most simple things; a stray cat curling its tail around a corner, Arabic calligraphy painted on walls, the colour of the sea, the lines in people's faces which show their expressions, the juxtaposition of modern buildings against the mosque's minarets ... everything I see is a source of inspiration to me."
After a long day at the office, Mr Al Abassi returns to his home in Sanad to his wife, Sedika and three children Mohammed, 12, Amina, nine, and Fatima, seven. And, after spending some quality time with his family, he steps into his workshop and focuses on his latest creation.
He said: "Art to me is definitely an opportunity to escape into another world. It is very relaxing and I can spend hours on a painting and completely forget about time. I call my art studio at home my temple. It's a place where I contemplate and relax."
Many of Mr Al Abbasi's banking colleagues have shown great support and some of his pieces are now displayed at the Arab Banking Corporation. He has also been asked to create paintings for friends.
"I don't like to sell my paintings to colleagues as I feel it would be a conflict of interest and unethical, I'm just happy they want to show my work. However, I have been commissioned by a five star hotel in Qatar and sold many other pieces of work," he said.
Inspiration is something that Mr Al Abbasi claims he is never short of and describes art as a communication medium allowing the artist to convey messages.
"Interpreting what I see with my eyes and with what I feel in my heart is what inspires me. I want to show people my perspective of beauty," he explained. "As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. I say, a piece of art is worth a million words."
One of the highlights of his artistic career to date came in January when he won first prize for his trio of sculptures in the 37th Bahrain Annual Fine Arts Exhibition and was presented with an award by His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of Bahrain.
The exhibition, which continues until February 25, features work by some of the best artists in Bahrain whose creations illustrate their own interpretation of a chosen theme of 'Environment, is Water: Still or Startling' and is an opportunity for them to showcase their talents. It is being held in conjunction with the Culture Ministry at the Bahrain National Museum.
Although he has taken part in many exhibitions and contests, sometimes displaying his works at his father's showroom, Gulf Antiques in Adliya, Mr Al Abbasi described the theme of the exhibition as a welcome challenge.
He said: "I submitted three modern style sculptures made out of brass water taps. The first one was called 'The Ascent of Water' was in the shape of an uncompleted water drop ascending towards the sky. In this work, I tried to convey the message that water was obedient to the law of nature.
His second sculpture 'Heaven, Earth, & Water' was also made out of brass water taps in the shape of part of the globe or the bottom part of a drop. "The idea of this work was inspired by the philosophy of Ikebana, the Japanese flower arrangement where flowers are organised in three points asymmetrically to represent important elements of life: Heaven, Earth, and Mankind. However, I used different symbols for elements of life 'Heaven, Earth & Water'.
"The third work, called 'Dynamics of Water', was in the shape of a sail to emphasise the power of water and its movement. It was also to show that water is a way of transportation among nations."
When asked whether or not he'll ever put down his paint brush and focus solely on business, Mr Al Abbasi said: "Absolutely not! I will continue to balance my art with my job. I think they go together. I cannot see myself without art, or without a job! I don't live from art, I live for it."
