Message From the EditorWe are in the midst of a deepening crisis. I am not referring to the political situation - which is, in fact, deepening and which does not show any sign of a breakthrough - nor am I talking about the economic situation - which remains quite precarious, locally and globally. I am referring to the water situation: the lack of rainfall this winter (we are already halfway through it). Precipitation so far has been barely a third of what this country normally gets, which is not much to begin with.
The cost of water to private citizens has increased significantly in the last year, and it is expected to go up by another 18 percent soon. In addition, the tax levied on those who consume water beyond their allotted quota may be re-introduced, in the hope of severely curtailing water consumption. The first to suffer will be private gardens and public parks, whose irrigation will become exorbitantly high. This is all too sad, given the already dry landscape around us. One cannot help but wonder at the paradoxical situation in the world when one sees the floods and torrential rains that other countries are experiencing.
This issue is dedicated to Palestinian children, who make up an important chunk of the population. A solid nation starts with the education and care lavished on its children. It is therefore important that we put in place institutions that care for their education and well-being. Besides good schools, cultural institutions, libraries, museums, sports complexes, and parks (preferably not dry ones!) are a must. We also need to care for the less privileged among us, those who suffer from physical or mental handicaps. Given the proper attention and care, they may get along with the rest of us and even excel. I invite you to read the many articles that focus on education, children’s rights, sexual abuse, and caring for disabled children, among many others.
Children are our future, so it is important that we take good care of them to secure our legacy and make sure it lives on.
Artist of the MonthThe cost of water to private citizens has increased significantly in the last year, and it is expected to go up by another 18 percent soon. In addition, the tax levied on those who consume water beyond their allotted quota may be re-introduced, in the hope of severely curtailing water consumption. The first to suffer will be private gardens and public parks, whose irrigation will become exorbitantly high. This is all too sad, given the already dry landscape around us. One cannot help but wonder at the paradoxical situation in the world when one sees the floods and torrential rains that other countries are experiencing.
This issue is dedicated to Palestinian children, who make up an important chunk of the population. A solid nation starts with the education and care lavished on its children. It is therefore important that we put in place institutions that care for their education and well-being. Besides good schools, cultural institutions, libraries, museums, sports complexes, and parks (preferably not dry ones!) are a must. We also need to care for the less privileged among us, those who suffer from physical or mental handicaps. Given the proper attention and care, they may get along with the rest of us and even excel. I invite you to read the many articles that focus on education, children’s rights, sexual abuse, and caring for disabled children, among many others.
Children are our future, so it is important that we take good care of them to secure our legacy and make sure it lives on.
Tony A. Khoury
Editor-in-chief
Editor-in-chief
Variety has always been the key for Mohammed Amous. Cutting-edge graphic design combined with a love of classical illustration. His subject material has ranged from Sesame Street to mental health campaigns. His client list jumps from youth activism groups to the United Nations. The journey through various projects has informed a career that has developed through experimentation.
From the tender age of six he was sketching regularly, first imitating the works of great Palestinian artists such as Ismail Shamout, before moving on to depict resistance characters as was artistic custom during the mid 1970s.
“The appreciation and support of others encouraged me,” he recalls, and his passion and skill developed through his school years, so much so that after graduating he was offered the opportunity to participate in a prestigious art course at New Jersey College in the United States. It proved a bittersweet moment, as a lack of funding prevented him from obtaining the required visa. Instead he enrolled at Bethlehem University, and instead of art, he found himself studying math and physics.
Amous discovered that the disciplines were complementary, that his new subject matter gave him an “understanding of space” that proved valuable for his artwork. “The teachers would talk about equations and then I would draw them on a board,” he told us.
His first professional works came in the form of illustrations for children’s books, which allowed him to build a reputation for flair and creativity. Following a 1991 diploma in illustration and graphic design, convened by his long-term employers at Turbo Design, he embarked on a career that took in working for some of the region’s most prestigious media institutions and international groups. Amous most enjoys “working for a large audience, which makes me more motivated, professional, and creative.”
His client list includes UNICEF, The World Bank, the Ministry of Health, and the Palestinian National Theatre, and he has learnt from all of their subjects, including health issues and finance. His affinity with children has the deepest roots. He tells us that children were the catalyst for change from his early militaristic art. “When you work for children you realise that you can’t have this subject. You teach yourself to dream again, to learn again. You can build a new style of work.”
Amous credits the influence of children with the development of his personal style. “Working with children, you realise they see more details. They are closer to nature, everything is new to them. I try to look through a child’s eyes. When they look at illustration they see more than an adult does.”
It is partly for this reason that he has come to most enjoy working with watercolour paints. “The transparency and the simplicity make it my favourite, even though it’s harder than using oils or other materials. The value is the details that watercolour allows.”
In 2009, Amous became chief of directors at Al-Mahatta Gallery for Contemporary Art - Ramallah. The gallery had opened just three years before, the brainchild of seven artists volunteering for a labour of love, intended to infect the city’s youth with their passion. Since then it has become Palestine’s largest art space, hosting regular exhibitions and workshops.
Last year Amous hosted a two-week workshop to teach poster design in advance of the “Tolerance” exhibition, partnered by the Ramallah Centre for Human Rights Studies (RCHRS). The workshop elicited a “great reaction from the young artists. We were able to give them experience and exposure, the tools to enter illustration. It helped support the institute and promote the idea of tolerance.” The workshop was a continuation of Amous’s work with youth. He had previously led a series of projects to create murals with children’s groups all over the West Bank.
Yet he sees a worrying trend in the next generation of illustrators. “I advise the youth to keep drawing, to learn the original forms before trying to experiment with graphics and advanced technology. I see the weakness in works coming out today; we are losing artists as illustrators, they need to develop a natural feeling for drawing. They need to study the theory, the history, the various schools and forms before they dive into computers and their talents are lost.”
Amous’s number one ambition today is to create a children’s book entirely of his own making, from conception to bookshelf, including writing, with which he admits having little experience. Yet he is no stranger to the genre, having already produced a series of comics based on characters in a Jerusalem children’s theatre. He describes the theatre as one of his key formative influences and one that allowed him to travel to such far-flung locales as Sweden, Norway, Italy, and Britain.
His other ambitions also include children. Amous would love to see Al-Mahatta Gallery host regular exhibitions of youth work, although he acknowledges the pressures aspiring artists face in this financial climate. Less than 1 percent of the government budget goes toward culture, but he believes that the authorities are “doing their best to support art. We are helped by the Ministry of Culture on many projects. They share our goals to help Palestine modernise, but we want art to be more of a priority; it is very important for development.” He tries to convince young people that it is possible to forge a career in art “if you have the courage and passion. People thought I was crazy to be an artist after studying math.”
Amous’s own children are unsurprisingly touched with the art bug, although their creative talents have led them in a different direction. Jude, 11, is already a whiz on her cello, while Zain, 9, is inseparable from his violin. It doesn’t bother their proud father that his children have taken a fresh path. He has learned to appreciate variety.
You can reach Mohammed Amous at Jawwal: 0598 184 193 or E-mail: m2amous@gmail.com.
From the tender age of six he was sketching regularly, first imitating the works of great Palestinian artists such as Ismail Shamout, before moving on to depict resistance characters as was artistic custom during the mid 1970s.
“The appreciation and support of others encouraged me,” he recalls, and his passion and skill developed through his school years, so much so that after graduating he was offered the opportunity to participate in a prestigious art course at New Jersey College in the United States. It proved a bittersweet moment, as a lack of funding prevented him from obtaining the required visa. Instead he enrolled at Bethlehem University, and instead of art, he found himself studying math and physics.
Amous discovered that the disciplines were complementary, that his new subject matter gave him an “understanding of space” that proved valuable for his artwork. “The teachers would talk about equations and then I would draw them on a board,” he told us.
His first professional works came in the form of illustrations for children’s books, which allowed him to build a reputation for flair and creativity. Following a 1991 diploma in illustration and graphic design, convened by his long-term employers at Turbo Design, he embarked on a career that took in working for some of the region’s most prestigious media institutions and international groups. Amous most enjoys “working for a large audience, which makes me more motivated, professional, and creative.”
His client list includes UNICEF, The World Bank, the Ministry of Health, and the Palestinian National Theatre, and he has learnt from all of their subjects, including health issues and finance. His affinity with children has the deepest roots. He tells us that children were the catalyst for change from his early militaristic art. “When you work for children you realise that you can’t have this subject. You teach yourself to dream again, to learn again. You can build a new style of work.”
Amous credits the influence of children with the development of his personal style. “Working with children, you realise they see more details. They are closer to nature, everything is new to them. I try to look through a child’s eyes. When they look at illustration they see more than an adult does.”
It is partly for this reason that he has come to most enjoy working with watercolour paints. “The transparency and the simplicity make it my favourite, even though it’s harder than using oils or other materials. The value is the details that watercolour allows.”
In 2009, Amous became chief of directors at Al-Mahatta Gallery for Contemporary Art - Ramallah. The gallery had opened just three years before, the brainchild of seven artists volunteering for a labour of love, intended to infect the city’s youth with their passion. Since then it has become Palestine’s largest art space, hosting regular exhibitions and workshops.
Last year Amous hosted a two-week workshop to teach poster design in advance of the “Tolerance” exhibition, partnered by the Ramallah Centre for Human Rights Studies (RCHRS). The workshop elicited a “great reaction from the young artists. We were able to give them experience and exposure, the tools to enter illustration. It helped support the institute and promote the idea of tolerance.” The workshop was a continuation of Amous’s work with youth. He had previously led a series of projects to create murals with children’s groups all over the West Bank.
Yet he sees a worrying trend in the next generation of illustrators. “I advise the youth to keep drawing, to learn the original forms before trying to experiment with graphics and advanced technology. I see the weakness in works coming out today; we are losing artists as illustrators, they need to develop a natural feeling for drawing. They need to study the theory, the history, the various schools and forms before they dive into computers and their talents are lost.”
Amous’s number one ambition today is to create a children’s book entirely of his own making, from conception to bookshelf, including writing, with which he admits having little experience. Yet he is no stranger to the genre, having already produced a series of comics based on characters in a Jerusalem children’s theatre. He describes the theatre as one of his key formative influences and one that allowed him to travel to such far-flung locales as Sweden, Norway, Italy, and Britain.
His other ambitions also include children. Amous would love to see Al-Mahatta Gallery host regular exhibitions of youth work, although he acknowledges the pressures aspiring artists face in this financial climate. Less than 1 percent of the government budget goes toward culture, but he believes that the authorities are “doing their best to support art. We are helped by the Ministry of Culture on many projects. They share our goals to help Palestine modernise, but we want art to be more of a priority; it is very important for development.” He tries to convince young people that it is possible to forge a career in art “if you have the courage and passion. People thought I was crazy to be an artist after studying math.”
Amous’s own children are unsurprisingly touched with the art bug, although their creative talents have led them in a different direction. Jude, 11, is already a whiz on her cello, while Zain, 9, is inseparable from his violin. It doesn’t bother their proud father that his children have taken a fresh path. He has learned to appreciate variety.
You can reach Mohammed Amous at Jawwal: 0598 184 193 or E-mail: m2amous@gmail.com.
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