From crafted silver to textiles to ceramics to painting on water, the Turkey lived up to its honorary guest status at this year's Janadriya festival with 23 stalls displaying crafts from across Turkey. “Turkey presented a variety of cultural programs during the festival, highlighting Turkish heritage and culture,' said Turkish Ambassador Naci Koru. Timugin Tanarslan, an artist from Kazon Sok in Ankara, attracted the most attention with his technique of painting on water. Using water-based paint and special wax extracted from trees, Tanarslan paints his picture on water than transfers to paper or tile. “It's fascinating,” said a group of schoolgirls from Riyadh. While some visitors spent time just watching the Turkish artist, some lucky onlookers had a chance to make their own painting with Tanarslan's guidance. Islamic calligraphy attracted the most attention among the paintings Tanarslan exhibited, with prices ranging from SR300 to SR1200. Next year, the honorary guest of the Janadriya festival will be France. __
