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THE BEST STORIES ARE IN THE DETAILS
Sahwa Mustahail
If wishes were horses

“The paintings that I create reflect my mood at the time. With a change in mood, the paintings change. But on the whole, my art reflects my personality. I usually paint things that I love and I like adding a point of view. Some of my work is surreal, and sometimes it is expressionist.�So says Sahwa Mustahail, a fashion design graduate and artist.

“I began painting when I was little. I must have been in grade four. As I remember, I wasn’t very good with colours; but I realised that I loved drawing. My sister used to draw a lot and I looked up to her. She is far more relaxed as an artist than I am. It’s only now that I use my rigidity to my advantage. While a lot of things inspire me, I do not like producing work that is purely decorative and does not say something. Still life painting is not graphical enough for me.�br>
Instead, Sahwa experiments with a mix of elements and techniques �drawing on her love for animals (“I love the outdoors, although bugs scare me�, her use of typography in her paintings and her take on fashion design, which she studied at MECIT.

“The fashion design course taught me that a garment is a piece of art with functionality. This gave me the opportunity to explore my art in a different perspective. Design is not easy. But it is a channel to discovery.�br>
Sahwa created a clothing line as part of her final-year college project, and says she was inspi-red by elements of Omani men’s wear that she then adapted for women. “The clothing line is under the name of Sateib K Sajdi, a combination of the five main Arabic qualities that portray the identity of an Omani man: simplicity (bseet), hospitality (joud), kindness (taib), generosity (kareem) and bravery (shja’a). The collection highlights the Omani soul in a westernised manner.�

“The field of art and design has no boundaries. I believe that a person from a strong cultural background should get inspired by it, and be an ambassador of one’s own country.�/p>