Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
The popular Artology studio in Saar is putting the finishing touches to a new extension which will see the artistic haven able to accommodate more classes for youngsters and adults looking to express themselves by creating a ‘beautiful mess’.
Founded five years ago by art savvy sisters Thajba and Reem Najeeb Artology started off as a sanctuary for them to create artwork together, undisturbed, but word spread quickly and it soon became used to host classes and workshops.
Thajba, 33, an IB art teacher at Ibn Khuldoon National School, said: “At first, Artology was just a place for me to work on my art as my husband was not thrilled with the amount of paint and art mess I left around the house.
“My sister and I converted a squash court in Saar into our home away from home. We would paint there to de-stress, going on until the wee hours. It was pure relief when my friends and I would sneak away to Artology to paint.”
Realising the demand, the sisters began staging children’s classes twice-a-week, Saturdays through Thursdays, along with private classes, workshops, adult sessions and classes for college students and teens.
Reem, 38, a mother of three, would work with the children by planning fun-filled classes around various projects. Meanwhile, Thajba used her teaching background to help IB, GCSCE and scholarship students working on their portfolios.
Thajba said: “I work on students’ critiques, analysis, media techniques and experimentation. I push them to be confident and to accept mistakes, never give up and enjoy their artwork.
“Both my sister and I encourage our members to create ‘a beautiful mess’ as to not be afraid of what they do because we won’t judge.
“Art doesn’t have to be structured if someone doesn’t feel like painting, we try other ways to motivate them, take them outside, listen to music, anything to help inspire them.”
Inspiration is something they know all about, having recently ended a successful two-week summer camp for children. It included arts and crafts, yoga sessions, swimming and henna. The children also learned about piñata design, splatter art, Jackson Pollock and graffiti art.
It proved so popular that when the new extension opens during the second week of September, additional teachers have been brought in to meet the demand.
Thajba said: “At the moment the classes are split between Reem, our sister-in-law Amna Qureshi and myself. We also have an art helper, Maliha Babar, who is a student at the University of Bahrain.
“The new extension is 24sq/m so we will be able to hold more classes, in fact we will be able to hold two sessions at one time thanks to the help of the new teachers, who both have backgrounds in art. It’s really exciting as we can cover a lot more.
“There are going to be new classes because every teacher is different, some will focus on new technology and concepts but every project is reviewed by founders before it goes forward.”
Although, when finished, the studio will be able to accommodate 89 students a week, spaces are filling up fast with some parents having already booked sessions for their children since May.
Meanwhile, Thajba is working on completing her own collection of art inspired by her recent trip to Pakistan. She will be showcasing her paintings, themed around ‘connection’ in Karachi in December and later on in Bahrain.
All art classes are an hour-and-a-half long priced BD8 for children under the age of eight and BD10 for children above the age of eight. Sessions for teenagers are priced at BD12, classes for adults cost BD15 and private classes are BD20.
For details on upcoming events, contact 36790785 or 39789878 or visit Artology Bahrain on Facebook.
