Shaded, sweeping strokes of nature

Watching a sunset from a vantage point on a beach or hillside is one of those pastimes that many of us never tire of, whether it’s planned as part of a vacation or a lucky catch on an evening stroll.

But for the Lebanese multidisciplinary artist Nabil Ghandour, those memorable moments have added weight and significance. In work mode, with his camera, ready to capture those vast expanses of colours merging and transitioning across the sky, he is already analysing these glorious phenomena on a deeper level. 

“I love watching sunsets, especially the way those fiery reds, pinks and oranges change colour,” he admitted. “I’m always painting in my mind, looking at the colours as they shift in shade in front of me, and thinking how to recreate these incredible skies on canvas.” 

Ghandour’s passion for the sky is matched by a fascination with the sea, which is another hallmark of his compositions. Aside from his desire to reproduce its intriguing palette of greens, blues and violets as accurately as possible, he believes the sea’s crucial role in nature’s ecosystem makes it a worthy and inspirational theme.

“Nature is a great teacher - I have huge respect for it. Einstein said, ‘Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.’ I like to remember those wise words,” he noted. “It’s important to remember, as well, that the sea is the cradle of life; it was there at the beginning of everything, so we are all connected to it. I believe that art has the ability to strengthen that connectivity.”

Expansive skies and seascapes stretch as far as the eye can see in Ghandour’s ethereal, dreamlike paintings, brought to life in sweeping strokes of colour that merge and align on horizons and are bold, but, intriguingly, also display subtlety and softness. Other elements he chooses to incorporate into the composition, whether a solitary fishing boat, tufts of grass emerging from sand dunes or distant hills bathed in morning light, rarely detract from his multi-hued skies and sea-scenes, which remains the primary focus. 

These spectra of colours owe much to Ghandour’s insistence on mixing his own oil paints – something he does with pride and passion. “I like to blend my own colours. Colour, light and alchemy are everything, that’s where the magic happens. Just think of a sunset, reflected on the water. Capturing those fleeting moments is a challenge, certainly, but also a source of great joy.” 

The scenes recreated in Ghandour’s paintings reaffirm that his love for nature is as far-reaching geographically as it is deep rooted, spanning the picturesque and rugged clifftop landscapes of Cornwall in the UK, where he studied for a couple of years, and rolling hills of Wales, to beauty spots in his homeland.

“I have a packed portfolio of photos and sketches, full of places that fill me with inspiration, including locations in Lebanon brimming with natural beauty,” he said. 

He gives the examples of Ramlet al-Baida, describing the sandy beach as a haven in the middle of bustling Beirut, and the imposing, majestic Mount Sannine, overlooking the city. “I love the way the mountain’s colours change with the seasons from white in winter to a rich, reddish brown when the snow melts in spring,” he said.

These and other breathtaking vistas are recreated from photos Ghandour takes with his camera during expeditions, which form an integral part of his artistic process. Back at his studio, once the photos have been developed, he begins sketching, recreating the scenes with a mix of precision and passion, before adding the paint. Blending is done mostly on the canvas rather than on the palette. 

“It’s not easy, the colours are never straightforward - one green leaf has between 10 and 15 shades of grey in it, just to give an example, and there are no straight lines in nature, as we know,” he said with a smile. “On top of this, the paints are transparent, so you have to keep an eye on how they react when you begin working, adding shades on top to recreate the colours and produce the harmony. But I love the moment when the colours gravitate towards each other since that’s when the authenticity emerges.”

The passion is evident in Ghandour’s voice as he explains his step-by-step process, which goes some way to explaining how he came to decide, around 10 years ago, to focus on painting full time.

“I studied economics originally and worked in the family business for many years, but I always kept art on the side,” he said. “I used to tell myself that life’s too short not do the things you’re passionate about, so when the time was right, I took the leap.”

That passion was ignited and kept alive in the intervening years through visits to galleries and museums worldwide and courses taken part-time, including some spotlighting the techniques of the Impressionists, whom he loves. 

“I remember visiting the museums in Paris with my parents, including the Jeu de Paume when it housed the works of the Impressionists, and falling in love with their work,” he reminisced. “I even bought postcards of paintings by Monet, Cezanne, Caillebotte and Renoir as a boy - I was so excited!” 

That’s not to say there haven’t been setbacks; Ghandour’s atelier was extensively damaged in the Beirut Port explosion of August 4, 2020, resulting in the loss of much of his equipment and the photos he works from.

“The entire catastrophe was such a big shock for all of us,” he admitted. “It definitely set me back, but now I’m back to working every day.”

Projects include a forthcoming show scheduled for the winter, which is proving to be all-encompassing, but satisfying.

“I find time flies when I’m doing art, sometimes I forget to eat,” he said with a smile. “But having the opportunity to recreate nature’s wonders on canvas, bring beauty into people’s homes and elevate their mood makes it all worthwhile.”