The United Arab Emirates is a collection of seven Emirates in the middle east, with its most populous city being Dubai. Built up from oil revenues, the land was occupied as far back as over 100,000 years ago as evidenced by ancient stone tools used to butcher animals. In the colonial times, Portuguese and British forces jockeyed for position in the Persian gulf and the United Arab Emirates which geographically, forms a bottleneck passage to the Arabian sea and to India where the major trade routes ran. The biggest change occurred with the discovery of oil reserves after World War 1, it added to the economic growth and geopolitical importance of the region. When researching the landscape, the Emirates consists of the Hajar mountains (Hajar roughly translates into stone mountains), and vast expanses of desert with long coast lines. In the series, I have tackled many desert scenes, its amazing how complex and difficult it is to paint wind-swept sand dunes. The thought of another sand painting was uninspiring, then I found out that dune buggies (sand cars) are really popular in the dunes around Dubai. So in the painting, you are sitting in the back seat of a dune buggy, careering over the sand. To create a dramatic sense of motion, I used the good old Dutch angle... that is, when the horizon line is tilted on an angle. Because the dune buggy is level you feel secure, but still get the sense of being on a pitch. Adding to the effect, I made the hands on the wheel signify a sharp turn, and showed the right wheel. The roll cage gives a sense of perspective and motion. The driver here depicts a woman wearing a head scarf, in the google images women were often driving the dune buggies.
World Inspired Landscapes: United Arab Emirates, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, May 2025
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