Hello, my name is Chris, or Christopher. I am an amateur artist who would like to contact other amateurs and exchange interests and views on art in general, and friendly critisism and comments upon each other's work, in particular.

I am English, a retired professional of 'mature' years with a natural ability to draw. I wanted to be an artist but my father - and in the days of my youth one largely did what your Dad said - 'no, go and find a career that will guarantee you a decent living'. Was he right? Who knows whether I would have been a success as an artist?

But thats all history. 

At present I am living in a city called Manama which is the capital of The Kingdom of Bahrain, an island in the Arabian Gulf. That's a grandiose title for a smal, oil-rich kingdom sandwiched between Saudia Arabia and Qatar. Bahrain is also regarded as a financial centre - there are more banks here then coconuts, and the Arab-owned institutions and companies, as well as the international firms are run by expatriates of numerous nationalities. So there are a lot of us around. The island is linked to Saudi with a 40km causeway and bridge, and a second one is under construction to Qatar.

What are my artistic endeavours? I have always been able to draw, so competent with pencil and charcoal. I took a very good course on painting about fifteen years ago and have since concentrated on watercolours and oils. I suppose I am a 'realist' painter but as a lover of French Impressionism - Van Gough and Cezanne in particular - paint more loosely from time to time. Catholic in subjects - land, sea and cityscapes; life and nude studies; still life. Almost anything that catches my eye. I surreptitously sketch people in restaurants on napkins, and on buses and the tube. 

My sole claim to artististic recognition was an oil conceptual scene at dawn of athletes exercising in the Roman Gymnasium in Northern Cyprus, accepted by the RA for the Summer Exhibition of 2004.

A few years ago I  started selling with moderate success and was flattered by commissions, the most successful (as with sales from any exhibtion - at the 2005 RA I saw one with fifteen orders for prints) are animal portraits. I started with one of a departed pet rabbit for a bereft lady, and was inundated with requests from her friends and relatives for drawings and pictures of pussy cats and fluffy dogs! I gave up after six months. 

Please contact me at any time on email chris7543000@gmail.com or the chat room MSN Fifi Chat Server (what a name - I wonder what Fifi looks like!).

Really looking forward to making contact with kindred spirits.

Your friend,

Chris.