Adrian Aleluya live-painting during the exhibition. Pic by Hana Ramadan/The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: En plein air, a French term that is used in the art world to refer to the act of painting outdoors, is the Urban Sketchers Doha’s primary lifeblood and the core tenet of their manifesto.
The inaugural exhibition showcasing the talents of the Urban Sketchers Doha ensemble titled “The City is Our Studio” kicked off on Thursday, February 12, at Lusail’s Art Factory.
Qatar resident Maria Theresa Tuates, a Filipino artist and founder of the art community, was one of five people who gathered on what she called a “lucky” Friday the 13th evening to capture the essence of Doha in their sketchpads, brushing aside any superstition about the date.
The original group of 5 has since grown to include 50 faithful members, who have found a place “where they belong” and could exist in a “safe space where they could meet like-minded people,” the brains behind the operation told The Peninsula.
The Urban Sketchers Doha community, Tuates said, is a local chapter of an international community of people who practice on-location drawing and painting.
Among the featured artists is Adrian Aleluya, another Filipino multi-medium artist who excels in what he described as “the toughest medium for a painter”: watercolour.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Aleluya noted that the medium’s difficulty stemmed from a singular omission.
A defining and nearly exclusive feature of watercolour is the discouragement of white paint, a practice that Aleluya strongly advocates.
Instead, a planned approach is required where the artist relies on the paper’s natural whiteness to capture light, rendering the medium far less forgiving of mistakes.
Aleluya‘s background in architecture has aided him with his art, but much of his craft he said was based on his personal exploration, studies, and experiences.
His pursuit of the medium began in the Philippines, inspired by watercolourists of his home country.
Since then, his artistic practice has taken him across Qatar, documenting the nation’s landscapes from iconic landmarks and public art installations to quiet corners of the city.
At Urban Sketchers Doha, Aleluya said, the shared expertise and diverse perspectives within the group play a vital role in each member’s artistic growth.
The Urban Sketchers Doha’s portfolio, according to Tuates, serves as a visual record of Qatar, in which the most minute, ordinary details of everyday life blossom under a brilliantly laid brushstroke or penciled line.
Urban Sketchers Doha emphasise many points in their manifesto such as respecting the people and places they draw, and striving to continuously improve through practice and sharing, but their core principle remains to draw on-location — whether indoors or outdoors — and from life.
But beyond honing artistic skills, Tuates said, the community offers something more. It invites members to discover corners of Doha that they may have never explored.
“The City is Our Studio” exhibition runs until February 20 from 9am to 8pm daily.
