Telling stories, dot by dot

A Bahrain-based artist is trying to recreate her imaginations on canvas and tell stories dot by dot.

It was just a year ago, as the Covid-19 pandemic forced people to stay indoors that Zainab Javid was fascinated by dot painting, an art form that is native to Australia.

The 44-year-old mother-of-two started dabbling with the art, creating speckled paintings on canvas and ceramic. Before long the experiment turned into a passion and a profession.

The self-taught artist weaves in nature into her beautifully intrinsic pieces which feature elements of tradition, as well as sights that catch her attention.

Dot painting originated 40 years ago in 1971 and according to historical records, Aboriginal men used the art to tell stories through symbols depicted on sand. Today the art is internationally recognised as unique and integral to Australian Aboriginal Art.

“I am aware of the art and its links to the Australian natives, and I have read about it – but I chose this after I watched some great YouTube videos on dot painting,” Zainab told the GulfWeekly.

“The completed paintings looked unique and beautiful.

“I watched more videos to learn the art of dotting and started with homemade tools like cotton buds to create the dots.

“Later I ordered tools on Amazon as I could not find them locally - I practised a lot before my first painting took shape.”

The Pakistan national who lives in Riffa has two children, Nadir and Zoya, who keep her busy. A resident for almost seven years, she spends her spare time creating art on canvas and ceramic using a dot painting tool daubed in acrylic.

Among her versatile and diverse creations is a sunset scene featuring a heron, the freshwater avian commonly seen in Bahrain.

A baby elephant, a dancing girl, the Bahraini landscape with a palm tree, a camel, a girl with an umbrella are a few others etched in dots that spread hope and cheer in an often gloomy pandemic world.

Her love for tennis resulted in a work where a man is seen serving a shot.

“If I look positively, 2020 was the year I learnt this new skill of dot painting and I am glad I could improve a lot,” she said.

“I hope to use these pieces to bring joy to people.

“Now it’s been a year since I started and I have made quite a few.

“I also like to paint coasters and plates but my best work has been two commissioned paintings.

“One of elephants I made for a friend - it was a bit challenging, but was worth the effort – it was a Christmas gift from a wife to her husband. The other is the dancing girl from Thar, Pakistan.”

Dot paintings are originally simple and aesthetic -- yet the images hold deep meanings, at times sacred or even mysterious enough to hide secrets.

But what Zainab was drawn to was the sheer beauty of the art. “Once I was watching a sunset and on the background was a heron which inspired me to do a piece.

“Instead of a brush a dotting tool is used – it demands a lot of patience and practice, because if your hand slips you will spoil the whole painting.

“It is time consuming. “Some of my paintings took me almost two weeks to complete – though I started it as a hobby now I sell my works as well.”

She has designed her ways into the art by using concentric circles to create an image.

“For me a circle represents wholeness and perfection and arrangement of dots create a mesmerising effect which draws the viewer in.”

Married to Naseer Ali who works in Saudi Arabia, Zainab is also into quilling or paper filigree, an art form that uses strips of paper rolled, shaped, and glued together to create startling designs.

Her works are showcased @zainabs.quilled.creations on Instagram .