PAINTING THE TOWN RED!

ART-LOVING entrepreneur Mohammed Fakhrawi aims to open up the world of painting to people living in the kingdom by making the ingredients for creative expression more affordable, writes Anasuya Kesavan.

Artists are now flocking to his shop for paint supplies and the feedback he has received from local enthusiasts has been staggering.

After several trials and errors Mohammed, 28, from Zinj, produced acrylic paint for artists that he says can be compared to the world's best. 'It doesn't dry fast. Its working period is five minutes in comparison to two minutes of some other paints.'

Mohammed Fakhrawi believes painting is a form of expression that artists have to freely work upon.

It begins as a hobby for most but the cost of canvas, paint, brushes and easels can often deter people from creating on canvas.

On his return from the US with art and business management degrees from the University of Georgia, Mohammed, 28, decided to help expand his family's framing business.

Excited about everything related to art, he said: 'I was working in a paint store exposed to all types of chemicals. I am not a chemist but I was interested in understanding how paint is made.

'Everyone uses acrylic paints and the whole region buys from the US, UK, Australia and Germany. The euro is continuing to go up in value and shipping is expensive and naturally product prices are unbelievably high.

'I began learning the process using books imported from Germany, information available on the internet and consulting my chemist friends. One of the best known artists in Bahrain, Abdul Rahim Sharif advised me on the colour palette.

'My experiments began in an old company warehouse. With imported laboratory equipment, mixing and testing machines, pigments, glue and additives and other ingredients used in making artist acrylic, I started my work. I was trying to reach the all important proportions that make excellent quality paint.'

The distinctive factors of good quality paint are - use of the finest ingredients, smoothness and an end product that is long lasting without losing its shine or shade.

It took eight months for Mohammed to complete his initial research and come up with a product with the right consistency.

It took a further six months before all the tests were completed in laboratories in the UK and another two months to get a quality assurance.

Mohammed said: 'I compared my product with other well-known brands. I also gave samples to established artists to try the paint out. They gave me feedback about how my paint works with different strokes.

'I further refined the product, improving on the strong chemical smell and increasing the concentration of certain pigments.

'Initially, the packaging was also not too good. I had to change my jar and introduce one which had a lid with grooves.'

He believes that there is nothing impossible in the world. 'We are all exposed to technology and innovation. What I did was very expensive but a challenge,' he added.

Today, Mohammed's paints, which are not yet branded, are retailed from his Home Colour Concept store in Zinj.

There has been no publicity or promotion and established and amateur artists have been patronising the shop through word of mouth.

However, the only way Mohammed can think of making any money out of his venture is by starting a factory and making paint on a larger scale and distributing it throughout the region.

He said: 'I will need a proper infrastructure to make greater quantities of the product. It will also need branding, distributing, marketing and better packaging.

'Bahrain is a very small market. There are few artists here and no businessman can survive with these small numbers. I am in the process of seeking help from the government to set up the facilities.

'What I am proud of is that I have achieved what perhaps only five or six companies in the world are doing. Not only have I made it but it has also been accepted by distinguished painters on the island.'

The history of paints

Paint - the group of emulsions generally consisting of pigments suspended in a liquid medium for use as decorative or protective coatings - made its earliest appearance about 30,000 years ago.

Cave dwellers used crude paints to leave behind the graphic representations of their lives that even today decorate the walls of their ancient rock dwellings.

Mechanisation made the manufacturing process accessible to a larger and less specialised group of users. The weight of prepared paint makes it expensive to transport, so a decentralised structure of small manufacturers in discrete markets dominated the industry.

Contemporary paints and coatings consist of countless compounds uniquely formulated to fulfill the varied requirements of hundreds of thousands of applications.

'Paint' ranges from the broad group of environmentally-sound latex paints that many consumers use to decorate and protect their homes and the translucent coatings that line the interior of food containers, to the chemically-complex, multi-component finishes that automobile manufacturers apply on the assembly line.

Artist Demi McLeod

Ingredients are very expensive and difficult to source so it's really exciting to see someone prepared to spend the time and research required to locally produce archival and colourfast art material.

The finished product is a high quality paint, in which the pigments are concentrated and flow beautifully. They are comparable to world-class brands.

Mohammed has also kept them affordable to support local artists! I needed a texture medium which is not available locally and he produced a product that is flexible and does not crack when the canvas is moved. It's very generous of Mohammed to support artists with material at cost. It is great to see local artists supporting him and trying his products as he develops his range and begins manufacturing on a large scale.

Artist Marion Labani

The paints are very smooth having toothpaste like consistency.

For the techniques I am using this is very comfortable as I am working with spatula and knife on my canvas to create a structure with paints and other materials.

For acrylic paints they are not drying too fast and this allows the user to work with the paints more comfortably. When the paints are dry they don't lose the shine factor too much.

The paints are very nice for basic work on canvas, wood and other media and a real enrichment for artists in Bahrain.

Artist Balquees Fakhro

I have tried Mohammed's paint and I used it for the work I created for the Art Lounge exhibition.

It's a new product and I am satisfied with its quality.

What is wonderful about it is that the strength of the colour is very strong.

I have to test its durability, although Mohammed assures me that his tests have proved that aspect of the paint.

He has a limited range of colours and if I need a different grade I would need to create it from the basic colours he provides ... which is, of course, a matter of choice.

Artist and Iraqi Ambassador Ghassin Muhsin

The texture paste developed by Mohammed is very unique and special. I tried it and got very good results.

I can say that it is comparable with the best quality of a similar medium produced by well-established companies.

Costs of brands in Bahrain

Daler Rowney

500 ml for BD5 to BD7.100

Lukas

250ml for BD3.500 to BD7.900

50 ml for BD1.500

Mohammed's paints in 14 colours

300ml for BD2.500

500ml for BD4

Texture paste 600ml for BD4