Nader Al Faras a gifted painter and born artist
Aeronautic engineer fulfils his father’s dream
Today’s article takes a look at Nader Abdul Hameed Saleh Mohammed Al Faras an aeronautic engineer and retired colonel in the Kuwait Airforce.
— Editor
Colonel Nader Abdul Hameed Al Faras was one of the most talented and gifted artists of the second generation in the art movement of Kuwait.
Born in Kuwait in 1956, his time of birth coincides with the phenomenal transformation of his country, from a traditional frugal state into a welfare modern country.
Along with the modernization of the physical aspect of life, consideration was given to the fine arts in general; the opening of the Free Government Atelier in 1960, the yearly Spring Exhibition that started in 1959, the sponsoring of the most talented young artists sending groups of them abroad to study art were all factors that spurred the development of the local art movement that began gaining international repute with the establishing of the Kuwait Art Society in 1968 and the Kuwait Biennale in 1969.
In this atmosphere of innovations Nader, then a 12 years old school boy was dreaming of becoming an artist; but his father, Abdul Hameed, though he was an artist of some repute and one of the first Kuwaiti art teachers, did not encourage him to develop his artistic potentials, for he saw little future in an art career.
But Nader was strongly attracted to art ever since he could remember; art was in his genes.
He was a toddler when he was watching his father painting in his studio; at four he made up his mind to become a painter like his dad, despite his father discouraged him from following in his footsteps.
The second born of ten children, nine boys and one girl, Nader was the keenest to his father’s activity, the only one with a strong artistic inclination. But his father was insisting he should become
Lidia Qattan
an army officer for which Nader had no inclination. Because of his insistence to know how to paint and draw, his father sometime gave him some useful hints in drawing, but nothing much to encourage him in his artistic venture.
He was five years old when he began attending the Daiya Youth Center not only to practice a variety of sports, more importantly he was allowed to draw and sketch whatever came to his mind.
Passion
During his school days Nader was fond of all subjects, but art was by far his favorite. He was in higher school when painting in oil flared his enthusiasm in art into a growing passion; from 1971 he began joining collective exhibitions and got his first gold medal in 1973.
Besides art Nader loved sports, he was in High School when representing his country in world tournaments he won his first championship in table tennis; he was also chosen for the Volleyball team by the Salmiya Youth Club.
After completing his formal education, Nader was set heart and soul to attend the Fine Arts Institute of Cairo, Egypt, but his father insisted he should become an army officer in spite Nader was trying to convince him he was not cut for military life. Eventually his father had the last word when he promised he would buy a car for him if he followed his advice and personally took him to the Military Academy to get him enlisted. However Nader had secretly applied for a course of art study in Egypt, so when in September 1975 he received approval from both applications, in spite of himself he had to enter the Military Academy because his father was seriously ill and he had no heart to upset him with leaving for Cairo.
At the Academy Nader tested the stern discipline of military life; choosing Aeronautic Engineering for his major he was sent for a crash course to the United States. After three months spent at San Antonio in Texas learning the language, he went to Memphis, Tennessee for his specialization. In 1978 he received his diploma in Aviation and another from the Technology Institute in 1986.
Incidentally while he was in the USA Nader kept expanding his knowledge in the fine arts reading voluminously on the classic painters of the Renaissance, practicing drawing and taking piano lessons; his music teacher, captivated by his quiet, amiable disposition and his keenness in
learning, made him part of her family.
Classics
By the time he was leaving the United States, Nader had become an accomplished pianist, well versed in the great musical classics, with which he fell in love from the unset of his music training.
At his return home in 1988, Nader had fulfilled the dream of his father with becoming the army officer qualified in Aeronautic Engineer but he was still passionate about art.
That same year (in 1988) he got married and settled down with a family of his own. Happy in his marriage Nader became the proud father of two boys and two girls.
Though the military career was not his prime vocation and choice, in itself it was a rewarding experience.
In little more than one decade Nader was promoted first Lieutenant, then to Captain, then to major and finally he became a Colonel in 1999. And while being busy in his military duties he could still practice painting and music.
As a young painter on his way to selfdiscovery Nader became a member of the Kuwaiti Plastic Arts Society (Kuwait Arts Association) and of the International Arts Association in Paris.
At the beginning of his artistic career he centered on nature; whether it was a landscape or any other scene that caught his fancy he painted it with dexterity and imagination, imparting to his subject the vitality of his sharp cognitive mind, broadening the boundaries of his interpretation of the object to befit his own experience.