Creative genius
With the new Emirati Expressions exhibition on at Manarat al Saadiyat and the massive Abu Dhabi Art fair recently, we've been feeling artistic. Ready to try our hand, we headed down to the newly opened L’Atelier Des Arts in the Fotouh Al Khair shopping centre (that’s the old Marks and Spencer building on 2nd/Airport Road).
You wouldn’t believe all the classes they have on offer. On our visit, three different groups were learning how to paint on porcelain, paint with acrylics and create mosaics from instructors who clearly know what they’re talking about.
Proprietor Shirine Saleh taught the porcelain class – like a teppanyaki chef, she stood in the middle of a semi-circle of workspaces where she could demonstrate and monitor what her students were doing. Starting with creating colour, she showed the budding artists how to mix pigment powder with oil. All the materials needed to replicate the project at home are sold in the shop, and Shirine caters her instructions so that her protégés can work on their own later.
Though the majority of L’Atelier Des Arts is devoted to selling art supplies and gorgeous paintings and such downstairs, these classes are certainly not simply a sales pitch. The friendly environment is charged with coffee and creativity, and many courses are taught in both English and Arabic making L’Atelier des Arts a great place to meet a cross-section of cultures with a shared common interest.
For the ladies working with porcelain, the initial course is the hardest as it's the time when the students learn to mix the paint and hold their brushes. They practice on a small plate, and after about an hour of trying out the techniques, they’re ready to wipe their plates clean and start in earnest.
Whether you’re a serious artist with true talent, or you’re just looking for a great way to spend a morning tapping into your inner creativity, L’Atelier Des Arts is sure to have a course for you.
What? Art classes
Where: L’Atelier Des Arts, Fotouh Al Khair Centre
Cost: starts at around AED 400 for four classes – see their website for complete details
We say: Tap into your imagination and create! Classes for kids start in November
Contact: 02 639 7104 or www.latelierarts.ae
Laura Fulton
