فارسی
Over the many years I have stayed (since 2008) on Hormuz I have taught painting to the women of the island. The interaction is rich and I hope to provide art to help support each individual to develop their own vision of colour.
In the years that have followed many girls and women who needed jobs and income trained at the center and since then many of the paintings are produced in their own home studios.
In the early years materials used in the artwork were traditionally made from organic matters sourced on the Island. The shells were used to container the ink and I prepared squid inks to make black paint. This is now a mystery how I made it. Now I know alternatives that can be used for it.
Knowledge about the colored earth and minerals on Hormuz led me to gain a rich understanding of this unique island. Now for protection of the Hormuz natural environment we avoid using the rare soils and minerals of the Island. For womens’ painting, I offer them colored soil from other parts of Iran or a mixture of stone powder and organic color for free.
In the early years the main problem was marketing their art works. Until a few years ago, girls had to sell their works in a public environment.
To establish this mission I had to pay the price. I went to the port myself to sell the women’s artworks. Two girls accompanied me. But we were faced with two men who, because of their jealousy or stupidity broke the women’s artworks. When I began to object to this destructive action, one of them attacked me. The day after I went back to the port and sold the broken works. As a metaphor, broken works show the wounds suffered by people in a small community.
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