When I was researching Kuwait it was pretty clear that most of the country was a flat desert, in fact, Kuwait is the flattest and most desert like of all the countries in the world, and it has the highest water-stress index. That is an index that indicates the amount of fresh water available for drinking and agriculture. It turns out the Libya is in the top four most water-stressed countries due to its arid nature and massive deserts. Here and there the Libyan landscape has an oasis, as you can see in the painting it is a clear lake of water surrounded by lush foliage. The history of Libya is long and complex, it was populated by Berber indigenous people thousands of years ago and to this day, meanwhile Christian crusaders were in charge followed by Muslim conquest and conversion to Islam which remains the majority religion. In modern history Libya is known for violent militant actions, and incessant civil war leading to deep divides across this oil rich country. Speaking of water consumption I just read that Quebec companies suck up billions of liters of water every year, for industrial activities like mining. It may seem that Quebec is water rich, but south of Montreal in the Sutton region they are reporting water shortages. Salt water creeping up the st Lawrence river is another threat to our fresh water, and a reduction in the hinterland snowfall. In the near future water will be more valuable than gold.
To do the painting I painted the top part and the bottom part in parallel, trying to make them as identical as possible to give the illusion of a crystal clear oasis. I started a new compilation page called World Inspired Landscapes Part Two, which will close out the series at Zimbabwe.
World Inspired Landscapes: Libya, watercolour 9 x 12" watercolour paper, January 2024
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