Birthday Ballet

 
I was very lucky in that a friend of a friend had a spare ticket for the sold out performance of Swan Lake at the newly opened Royal Opera House, Muscat. I love going to the ballet!

The costumes and sets were fantastic and the Mariinsky Ballet dancers were amazing. A bonus was that the new building is magnificent both inside and out. There are a couple of photos taken with my Galaxy below.

As you can see, whilst waiting for the performance to start I sketched some of the people in a box. The people I was sat with kindly said that there wasn’t a need for photos with my drawing and also wanted me to do the same to their programme, but then the performance started.

There is another ballet in February, which I hope to get tickets to as well.

Happy New Year everyone. 

I hope 2012 is a very productive one with lots of happiness for you.

Not a Christmas tree...

Sketching at sunset

 ... but an acacia.

It doesn't feel like Christmas here, although I was invited to a Carol concert and there are Christmas trees in the malls and hotels. As this is a muslim country we don't get a holiday, however the Dean has granted us Christmas Day off. I am heading into Muscat to have Christmas dinner with friends and their family. It is winter here, daytime temperatures are down to about 22C, so we will have the pre-dinner drinks outside on the terrace. Back to work on Boxing day - 7.30am, eek!

Acacia in Alaya wadi.

Last night there was an Omani wedding celebration on the waste ground opposite the apartment, with loud Arabic music - ouds, drums, snake charmer type pipes - and clapping and singing. Nothing like Christmas Carols or Slade's 'Do they know it's Christmas?'. It was an all male celebration. I took several photos, all without flash and have one that will become an abstract as soon as I buy some more acrylics. (Mine are in Italy). I want to sketch whilst I was there, but it was too cold (around 13c) to get my hands out of my pocket and I was trying to stay fairly inconspicuous.

Wedding celebration.

Future painting!

As I didn't sketch last night, and I have been very lazy with my art due to work and other commitments, I went out this afternoon to sketch this tree.

 Merry Christmas everyone from Oman.

May God bless you and your family.

Painting Oman

Scarves © Sue Pownall 2011

I was inspired to do some painting over the last few days, although I need to be completing some drawings.  The top one was done on Wednesday from a photo I took at the university's speech contest earlier that day. The scarves just lent themselves to being painted.

© Sue Pownall 2011

Then this morning, I went for a walk with my paints and sketchbook across the valley. I enjoyed walking around the farms (mainly date palms), and finally sat on a wall to paint this abandoned fort. I just wanted an impression of the morning and not an acurate painting of the scene, especially as over the years I have drawn hundreds of palm trees.

 Not yet finished. © Sue Pownall 2011

Juried in!

Secret Garden. Pen & ink. 380 x 260mm. © Sue Pownall 2011

I have just received an email from my mother telling me that both The Secret Garden and Al Saiq Window have been juried in to the Colchester Art Society's Winter Exhibition. 

Al Saiq window. Pen & ink 260x 260 mm. ©Sue Pownall 2011

Both are available for sale at the exhibition or as limited edition giclée prints on my website: suepownallartist

If you are in the area, why not pop along.

CAS Winter Exhibition.

St Martin's Church, West Stockwell Street, Colchester.

Finally, my newsletter is due out next week: have you signed up yet?