PAINTING TRAYS

Salwa Abdel Mesih and Maha Hamouda have known each other for over 20 years. For both, their families and careers were a priority and they hardly had time to pursue any other interests. But resigning from work at the end of 2011 seemed to be a blessing.

Painting trays started as a hobby for both Salwa and Maha, and while Salwa had taken a few art courses and painted all her life, Maha was inspired by her children. “Both of my children are keen artists. My daughter is studying IB art at school and she had all her materials lying at home. I was always interested in going to art galleries and exhibitions so I decided to start experimenting with the materials,” said Maha.

It wasn’t until Salwa dropped by to help Maha experiment they decided to make gifts for others. “I’ve drawn and painted all my life so I used to prepare personalized gifts for friends on silk and canvas,” said Salwa.

Challenges faced

Art seemed to be the only thing to fill the vacuum that retiring had created for these two zestful women. Maha and Salwa began hand painting wooden trays; however, learning to work with wood instead of the traditional canvas was a bit of a challenge. “We had some trouble finding a good carpenter. Safety was also an aspect we had to keep in mind, and lots of research went into making sure our trays are safe to serve food and drink,” said Maha. “Quality control was definitely our biggest challenge especially in trying to find the right materials and the proper finish for the trays,” stressed Salwa.

While they have found almost everything they need in the UAE, they are constantly looking out for new materials to try different techniques, “When we travel, we make sure we look at art supplies hoping to learn more and find contemporary materials,” said Maha.

Inspiration from home

Maha and Salwa are inspired by their homeland, Egypt. This inspiration can even be seen at Maha’s home, which was where I interviewed them. “Sufism is another great inspiration. There is something about Sufism that is very mystifying and calming and we find inspiration in the arts of the traditional dervishes,” said Maha.

“We are definitely at a stage in our lives where we are hoping to calm down a bit,” joked Salwa.

Hopes and dreams

Having resigned from their daily jobs, Salwa and Maha are hoping that what started as a hobby is something that will grow into a business. “We started with trays and have progressed to painting coffee cups. We’re thinking about other home accessories like candle holders, coasters and dessert plates that will also complement the trays. We are really excited to be pursuing a long-time interest of ours and hope others enjoy our work,” said Salwa.

By Sharon Carvalho