She Glues Teabags on to Canvases

“Iwas fiddling with a tea bag with a spoon when it slit open and the (tea) leaves fell in the cup — I then looked at the tea bag, squeezed tea out of it, and spread it open; I could see shades of brown and yellow ochre on it. So, I thought why not let it dry and see if it can be used in one of my paintings. The dry paper had stunning shades and texture,” recalls Samar Kamel, who has taken part in 32 exhibitions across the world till date. Born and raised in Cairo, she chose banking, but eventually left that to focus on a career in art. Kamel glues tea bags onto a canvas and then uses acrylic paint on top. “Not a lot of paint though, as I appreciate the natural pigments.” So, how many cups does she drink in a day? “I decided to collect as many tea bags as I could, and started drying them out after each cup. I did my first painting and was satisfied with the result, so I carried on. It took me quite sometime to collect them as I drink tea twice a day, and it’s tea with milk and not just plain black tea; the milk gives a different pigment to the tea bag and the way the bag is squeezed before it dries helps in the colour’s distribution.” It takes her around ten days to finish a big painting (120x100cm). “You need to be patient for this art form, for tea bags are delicate. In the end, it’s like painting with the colours of nature.” Does she have a message for the buyers? “The final work is varnished and that keeps it in good condition. But, just like any other artwork, it should be handled with extra care.”