The overall climate and weather pattern in any country influence the form of artwork produced by an artist. Oil paintings, watercolors, mixed media, drawing and pastel work each require the most suitable temperature in which to achieve the optimum effect. Canvas, paper, brushes and tools each react to the atmosphere in which they are used. The extreme weather conditions of Riyadh are therefore tricky for any artist to deal with. “This year especially, the weather has been very dry. The severe weather changes make it necessary for me to create my art in a somewhat different time frame,” remarked Salwa Al-Hekail, an artist who lives in the Rabwa area and works at Kind Saud University, in an interview with Saudi Gazette. “Oil paintings dry faster as well as watercolors, both of which are my preferred form of painting. She explained that the quality of the brush and paper are equally important while painting with watercolors, something one needs to keep at the forefront when painting in an arid climate like Riyadh's. “The watercolor is a transparent media with subtle colors and so colors are applied progressively: light to medium to dark on the paper. The time required for drying therefore depends on the atmospheric temperature: the cooler it is, the more time it takes to dry,” she explained. Keeping an eye on the weather has meant, however, that the recent years have seen changes in her work and style. “It became much looser. In my watercolor work, I use a wetter technique that is more fluid because of the hot and dry weather,” she said. “I am now producing more mono-prints where I remain in complete control in spite of the summer heat.” She added that at present, her future goals are to enhance her ‘looser technique', paint faster and sell more.
