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Portrait painter Rayan Badr El Din A Ibrahim, who has made a name for herself in the art scene in Sudan, has donated an array of her colourful canvas creations to raise awareness and funds for a furry cause.
Her animal passion project began when the talented 24-year-old came across a Bahrain Pets Adoption account on social media. The group is made up of three big-hearted volunteers using their own finances and dwellings to cater to rescued or abandoned cats.
“I was inspired by Bashayer, the lovely lady who started the project from scratch in 2018,” said Rayan, who lives in A’ali. “What she is doing is amazing and I loved the idea of helping cats through art.
“My motivation was to help these poor pets and when there is great motivation such as this, it is only natural to want to help. Plus, I’m a cat owner myself. What I’m doing may not be much, but every little bit counts and it’s the least I can do.”
Bashayer Mohammed, the founder of the cat crusading group, has 12 felines living in a small cabin at her home in Saar up for adoption and is delighted with Rayan’s efforts.
“Rayan is such a talented young lady and has a kind heart,” said Bashayer, 34. “Although she’s unemployed, she still finds a way to help us out. We are made up of a small group and we struggle with the rescue’s medical bills.
“People like Rayan can help us out by donating towards our bills at certain clinics and any amount is much appreciated.
“We even need cat food and litter for our fostered rescued cats, toys, blankets, carpets for the floor and cat trees too.”
Moved by their daily plight, Rayan offered them four paintings and prints, priced between BD20 to BD50, to help the foster parents cover hefty medical bills for rescued kitties.
She said: “The funds raised by these paintings will support the vaccination, spaying and neutering of rescued kittens and cats so that they will be ready to be adopted and taken into a forever home.”
Rayan best describes her portrait painting style as “classic with a bit of colour mutation”. She uses vibrant touches of colours to emphasise details and emotions on the face of her subject using an array of mediums including glue, glitter, pencil and pen, water colours, acrylic and oil.
She discovered her passion for painting as a child but only took it seriously after graduating from the University of Khartoum in Sudan where she studied medical laboratory science with a specialisation on clinical chemistry.
“I started painting as a hobby at first and then painting became like therapy for me,” she said. “It became a way for me to relax and soon became a big part of my life. It helped me to find myself, to communicate with others and share my emotions with the world. I believe that art touches the soul and can convey powerful messages and energy.
“It’s like music. It stirs the emotions and is a universal language. It made me confident and happy. What I also love about art is that it shows our differences as human beings and how it is beautiful to be different which creates acceptance.”
Rayan explored her affinity for art in Sudan during her university years by joining showings such as the Sudanese Artist Exhibition with Gallery Na Group and also volunteering to paint murals at a child development centre and for the Sakina Charity Institute.
She also staged her own solo art exhibition entitled Melanin, in Sudan and is working on hosting a showcase in Bahrain.
She said: “I hope to use my work as a way to share happiness and compassion as well as to showcase my beautiful and rich Sudanese culture which is why I am planning to stage an art exhibition in the kingdom about that. I have not yet communicated with the rest of the art community in Bahrain; however, artists can reach out to me on Instagram @rayanbaderart.”
Rayan would also like to thank her father Badr, 61, who is the director of Arab Open University, her mum Manal Abdel Monim Hassan, 51, and her siblings for all their support through her art explorations.
Those interested in lending a helping hand to the Bahrain Pets Adoption can follow @bh_adoption on Instagram.
