Shaikha Al Riyamia

An Omani visual artist and arts supervisor whose name is associated with watercolour, and who has developed a practice with a clear identity drawn from the beauty of the Omani landscape and its visual richness. In her work the mountains, the palms, the built environment and the details of heritage are translated into scenes that hold realism and impressionism together, alive with the harmony of colour and the movement of light and shadow.

Her work is marked by the delicacy, quiet and transparency that watercolour allows, with a visual treatment that reshapes the scene through the artist’s spirit and her feeling for place and for the turning of time. Through this manner she offers paintings that celebrate the beauty of the environment, of civilisation and of Omani identity, and give the viewer a visual experience rich in contemplation and stillness.

She has taken part in a number of exhibitions and art forums inside Oman and abroad, including in the Emirates, Jordan, France and India, and took first place in drawing in the "Arts Marathon" competition. She is a member of the Omani Watercolour Artists Group and of the International Watercolor Society, a reflection of her specialist standing in the field.

Alongside her own practice she serves art and education as a visual arts supervisor, delivering programmes and workshops and overseeing initiatives that develop artistic skill and strengthen the tie between art, identity and community.

Her practice is a fine and authentic Omani visual voice; she turns landscape, heritage and light into works of aesthetic and cultural value, speaking to collectors, institutions and art spaces looking for contemporary art that keeps its roots and its identity.