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Wowee, :hurray: some of you have seen my friend and mentor Saad Romany Mikhaiel's work, but after his first ever exhibition in May in the Cairo Opera House the response still continues, he was interviewed by Reuters not long ago, and this paper just brought out a great article about him... Wow!!! He's my friend he is!!:lol: I am so chuffed... you can click on the second image for a slide show of just a couple of examples of his work....

Egyptian Artist Uses Microscopic Pieces to Make Massive Art | Middle East | English
 
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user123

Saad will be coming to stay with us first, like last year! Why do you think I'm extra keen to get my workshop done? :hurray: :lol: :hurray: Bigger than my studio, more scope, woweee!!!
 
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user123

nice one G, no wonder your chuffed

hes a member on here too isnt he

i loved oprah, and the spirit of music, your buzzing off it G, i can tell :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


Yes, I am buzzing :lol:

Imagine the scenario: A good and decent Egyptian family, who have it just that bit harder as Christians in Cairo, a minority group. Wife works in the college Laboratory for a pathetic wage, Saad works freelance as an Interior design consultant, their two boys, two gorgeous inside and out 15 and 18 year old boys, all sharing a tiny one and a half bedroom flat in Giza.
Saad making these micromosaics, over 18 years, beavering away in secret, partly because he thought he wasn't good enough, and then with time and growing experience and conviction realizes if he ever wants to show them, in Egypt, and get respect for them he'd have to make enough of them. Until a short while ago nobody apart from his closes family had even seen his art!! Then he has enough to show, decides to test the waters within the mosaic world internationally via the internet and starts networking mosaic artists on Facebook, showcasing the artist he finds and finds worth showcasing, a mosaic community is born. All this with only simple English, and the same determination as he shows in his mosaics, this man is not a quitter.
Some hiccups on the way, language and cultural differences, he discovers my gecko on the rock, loves it, we get in touch, he asks me if I give my permission for him to showcase it. Of course he can, he sees my other work, makes some comments, both complimentary and critical, and I can tell immediately and without a shadow of a doubt, this man KNOWS what goes on inside of me with my art, he knows what I could do, where I could head towards and how to get me there. He in turn recognizes that with my English, my intuitive understanding of him on so many levels and my own experience in different fields of communication I can help him as a mediator between him and those of a different cultural background, that I can help him spread the word about his hitherto hidden mosaics. A mutually beneficial Mentor::pA type friendship is born. Easy easy rapport. He sends me more photos of his mosaics, I am blown away, and know I'm in the presence of a modern day genius, feel as if I found a rare treasure.

He comes to England and gets to know Howard and me and vice versa, nice after just skype contacts, the mutual trust is cemented, I go to Egypt, twice, for the chance to work with him and learn from him, the second time for his exhibition, to help with final preparations and to witness art history in the making. Both times both Howard (whose first visit got cut short cruelly by a family tragedy) and I are treated like the most treasured part of the family, the second time I stay with Saad and family in their flat, I feel as if I am welcome by the Waltons, the warmest of welcome, love, total courtesy and respect and mutual curiousity about each others' completely different life experiences. I get given a Zbed bed with a mattress MADE by the wife especially for me, between the table where the boys usually do their homework and the window wall, a little den, I feel like a child in camp, totally safe and enveloped by warmth and kindness. And for some reason we're all fitting together like a glove, language difficulties are overcome with lots of effort and gesticulation and intuition, they feel like family in the truest sense, no mind games, just good to honest goodness. I get included in the saying grace prayers at mealtimes, and can take my turn, what an experience.

These people live in incredibly modest circumstances, boy, did I learn something about gratitude, hospitality and how sheltered we are here in comparison, from so many things. And then there is this incredible artwork in a separate workshop, an Alladin's cave of not just mosaic, but drawings, decorative plasterwork, stained glass, plastic and metal casting, homemade tools and machinery, even a hot press, no health and safety measures in sight, the dusty roads leading to a surprising choice of tiny businesses in the area that supply just about anything, a pound of plaster in a paper bag? No problem. Calor gas bottles are sold by a man carting two on a bicycle, knocking the bottle with a stick, everyone can hear him coming. Scrap metal from a little downstairs room turned into a shop, picture framing, steam ironing service, you name it, it's all there, no social security of any kind for anyone means people have developed the art of making a business out of EVERYTHING, even if it's selling some biscuits for a few pence profit.
Allah Akhbar calls to prayer through loudspeakers at all hours at incredible volume, from all sides, Christian church bells no longer allowed because they make a noise....incredible heat and dust, power cuts a regular occurrence. At night you can choose if you want to run the air conditioning or the washing machine, both together would blow the fuses. And then back to the art treasures.

Am I excited about the media interest in Saad's work? You bet I am. About the potential benefits for him and his family? You bet. And proud and happy as punch that fate has led me to them all.
 
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doug boardley

he truly is a genius in his field G, and I'm really glad he's getting the recognition that he deserves. I saw his photies of the workshop he did with the kids and was blown away by the humility of the man. I'm proud to have him as one of my facebook friends:thumbsup:
 
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user123

Gisela, this man is a genius. His work is stunning:thumbsup:

Yes, he is, Phil, he is. I still can't believe we are friends - I feel SO privileged. What a treat, what a treat.
thanx.gif
is all I keep thinking.... :lol:
 
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Rob Z

Gisela, how does Saad fix each indidual tessarae (sp?) into the matrix of surrounding tiles and on the substrate?

On a related note, young Robby has a friend from down the street whose first name is Saad. Saad's mother is from Egypt.
 
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user123

Gisela, how does Saad fix each indidual tessarae (sp?) into the matrix of surrounding tiles and on the substrate?

On a related note, young Robby has a friend from down the street whose first name is Saad. Saad's mother is from Egypt.

He has developed his own technique, Rob, after much trial and error, to make it really indestructable and that even the millimeter pieces are fixed absolutely securely. NO WAY I am going to give away his trade secrets on here as I know he wouldn't.

But just to give you and indication of the dedication of the man.... the Egyptian army approached him to make a measuring device out of plastic. Whoever you are in Cairo, you don't say no to the Egyptian army.....the fact that he told them that he was an interior designer with an art degree and building trades under his belt made no difference. So he proceeded learning about plastics, melting points, printing plastics, how to make it completely clear etc etc, and made his own plastic press.... complete with electric supply to get just the right temperature... he showed me some examples of what he made, and some other work that came from that... but he also showed me his box of errors, a huge cardboard box filled with no less than 600+ plastic sheets he had tried to form and print on, some had just a hint of cloudiness, but not good enough, this is perfectionism to the highest degree. A couple of photos below.... these are made from scratch in his workshop, just by himself. The felt tip signature is a signature of some army guy verifying its accuracy.

The name Saad means Happiness.. :)
 

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user123

great story there G loved reading it, some family!!!how long does each pic take :yikes:

The portraits take 3-4 months, the Queen which is almost life size took 2 years .... He wanted to do the Queen because the dress was such a challenge.... I know... my mind boggled, too... and when you look at each tiny bit of glass that makes up the dress and the arm and lining shining through from underneath, well, all you can do is just stare and shake your head in wonder at it all, from wanting to do this in the first place to actually achieving it artistically and then being able to stick with it for so long. I think I would just have to have a sit down and a good cry and then still thinking no way... but here are NO shortcuts anywhere ... mind boggling... endless endless stamina and ability.

His own designs, the modern pieces, especially the Spirit of Music really show what goes on in his mind, and the depth of artistic emotion that is necessary to achieve such a thing, it's simply stunning.
 
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