Visiting Home — Landscape series by Durre Waseem opens at Canvas Gallery

KARACHI: Essentially a “plein air” painter, Durre Waseem like the impressionists of the late 19th century in her latest series abandons the comfy and controlled confines of the studio to the streets and countryside to capture the real in all its instantaneous beauty. A resident of California since 2001 who is well known for painting the people, place and life of wherever she may be, Waseem’s current inspiration is driven by her love of her homeland as she captures the scenes of ordinary life in cities like Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Murree and some of rural Punjab with a spontaneity and intimacy which is exquisite, exceptional and extraordinary in many ways.

Out of the twenty paintings on display, most are finished on location as she travelled across the country during her eight-month visit back home last year says the artist with a long-spanning career that started with a Master of Fine Arts degree from Punjab University and is currently based in America.

Be it day or night, sunny or cold, Waseem captures the essence of each subject as she sees it using the purity and intensity of her colour palette almost to perfection to convey the passage of time, changes in weather, and other shifts in the atmosphere in her canvases.

Each canvas depicting a wonderful feeling of light, mood and movement, Waseem speaking of her preference to paint plein air in oils for the current body of work says it's not possible to achieve these effects staying snug in a studio.

An Alumni of Punjab University and recipient of many prestigious awards, Waseem who has participated in numerous shows in America depicting a wide range of subjects including beaches of Los Angles, says as a landscape artist her greatest inspiration has always been the sights and scenes of her native land.

Titled “Visiting Home”, Durre Waseem’s current solo show including on-location work along with some still lifes will remain open from July 4th to 13th at Canvas Gallery.