2 NEW paintings of Egyptian nocturnes at Stewart Gallery!

tea with mint at Bakr Khan Appliqué facebook link

tea at the Pyramid Complex

tea at the recently renovated Sultan Qalawun Complex link

curb behind my hotel, Shari' Qasr el Nil

Hotel Cleopatra link

curb at 'Ataba Square

     And then there's the tea. Tea is the lifeblood of Egypt. What is important is not just offering and enjoying the tea (when visiting a shop), it is the delivery and pickup. You are asked, "Would you like tea? coffee?", and after a brief discussion as to how much sugar,  the shop owner goes out for a moment, comes back in, and within minutes a tray with the drinks appears. An appropriate time later, the tray is picked up. 

     One afternoon while walking through a VERY old and crowded bazaar area, I say a grown man with a tray going through the street PICKING UP  empty glasses (mostly of tea), which had been put out on the edge of different counters and tables. This was a silent, almost invisible act, and because these were single glasses, no trays, I took it to be the afternoon refreshment of the vendors. 

     This act prompted many questions—Who made the tea, distributed it, and picked up the tea glasses? Was this a standing order, with monthly fees? Did it change daily? How often during the day did this occur? 

     One of my questions was answered quite by accident as I took a photo of a small shop. I was actually photographing the cats (which could have also featured prominently in my title). When I saw the image later, I noticed the cats were loitering in front of a tiny slot between shops with a sink, shelves with supplies, and someone washing glasses. Aha! 

New Paintings:

The Pillar of Pompey, Alexandria, oil on linen, 8x10    $400

Bank of the Nile from Roda Island, oil on linen, 8x10    $400

Reflecting Palms, Al-Fayyom Oasis, oil on cotton, 6x8   $300

Waiting for Customers, oil on cotton, 6x8   $300

The Waterfalls at Wadi Al-Rayan, oil on linen, 10x8    $400

Cairo Cat, oil on linen, 7x5    SOLD

Getting the gallery ready—

"We Invite You to Come Inside", oil on linen, 7x5    $275

Egyptian Desert Sunrise, behind the Sphinx, oil on canvas, 24x26    $1825

Egyptian Desert Sunrise, next to the Sphinx, oil on canvas, 24x26    $1825

Twilight on the Nile, Luxor, oil on canvas, 24x30    $1600

Egypt: Curbs and Tea Runners

Why this title?
 

I wrote down so many possibilities, but in the end, there were two images that kept coming to mind: 

• curbs as obstacles (to me)

•the efficient delivery of tea and coffee
 

     As a person of small stature, some of these curbs came almost up to the bottom of my knees.  I am talking about curbs that are around 13.5" high. Just to give you a point of reference, the average riser height in the US today is 7.75".

     They became an ongoing consideration in determining how to get from point A to point B. I seriously considered taking a cab just to go from one side of the square (our hotel was in front of) to the other side of the square, because crossing it to get to the Nile River would entail climbing up and down 6 or more curbs (3 on one side of the square, 3 on the other side).  Not all curbs were this high, but when they were, I would often walk down the street to find a lower point, possibly a ramp area for wheelchairs, or something to hold onto—like a car or street light.  I do not remember the curbs being an issue at other times when I was in Cairo, but perhaps that is because I was a) younger, and/or 2) I was in different parts of the city. In the sections where I had been before, they did not seem quite as high. Also, I have shrunk. 

Friday, Jan 18, 2019 6-9pm

through March 10
 

Crossroads Art Center 

paintings, drawings, and photographs from my recent trip.

Nile Reflections, Twilight, oil on linen, 5x7    $275