The painting spells out the word hob, which means love in Arabic. The shape of the letter H begins the word and the corresponding swoop that leads into the letter B forms a heart before concluding at the dot, which in Arabic identifies the letter’s sound.
It is an artistic work that clearly bears the mark of a trained calligrapher. However, it may come as a surprise to the viewer to find out that the artist is not a native Arabic speaker. Sarah Sillis is from Belgium and, although she has lived in the UAE for more than 12 years, when she arrived, she didn’t know one word or letter of the language.
Now, however, from her studio at her Abu Dhabi home, she paints colourful calligraphic paintings for herself, her friends and private clients, as well as decorative pieces and abstract works without lettering.
“I’ve been painting all my life,” she says. “I started with pencil drawing, but I was very bad at traditional figures and animals and was drawn to abstracts or geometrical forms.”
After moving to Dubai in 2002 to work for Emirates, Sillis spent a lot of time in Sharjah exploring the art district.
It was then that she wandered into the atelier of Khalifa El Shimy, a well-known Egyptian artist who specialises in calligraphy and who works as a professional artist for the government of Sharjah.
“As soon as I saw his work, I thought it was amazing and so beautiful,” says Sillis.
El Shimy, noticing her passion and interest, offered to teach Sillis the basics of calligraphy.
She started visiting his studio and began learning the letters. For more than four years, she visited him weekly, sometimes several times a week, and would paint alongside El Shimy, who constantly guided and trained her.
“It was so much fun, I loved it,” she says. “It was thanks to him that I learnt all I know about calligraphy.”
In 2007, Sillis left the UAE and moved to Kuwait for a year; when she returned to Dubai, she made her first sale.
“I never even thought about selling my paintings because I was just doing them for fun, but one day one of my colleagues said he really liked three of my works and wanted to buy them for his house.”
Pleasantly surprised, Sillis agreed and from then on, other people started calling and asking her to paint for them and it turned into a small enterprise.
“I still never tried to sell,” she says. “I am much more creative than I am commercial, especially when it comes to my art.”
Although she maintained a full-time job, Sillis’s career as an artist continued to grow and she also branched out into another side business – selling Islamic swimwear.
Sillis converted to Islam when she was 16 and religion has played an important role in her life.
However, when it comes to her art, she does not only paint religious symbols.
“I paint them because they interest me, but I also do many other types of painting,” she explains. “For example, since I first started painting, I have been painting mandalas. Now I lead classes in these at the Dubai meditation centre.”
aseaman@thenational.ae
If you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals. A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com. Good guidebooks include the Lonely Planet guides to Northern California and Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.
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How do Sim card scams work?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards by claiming to be the victim, often pretending their phone has been lost or stolen in order to secure a new Sim.
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
BOSH!'s pantry essentials
Nutritional yeast
This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.
Seeds
"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."
Umami flavours
"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".
Onions and garlic
"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."
Your grain of choice
Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."
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The specs
Engine: 4 liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous electric motors placed at each wheel
Battery: Rimac 120kWh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power: 1877bhp
Torque: 2300Nm
Price: Dh7,500,00
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)