Joseph Gereige, a woodturner, shows some of the wooden objects he made at the QatART Hand-made Market at Katara Art Studios courtyard yesterday. Pic: Raynald C Rivera / The Peninsula
Eye-catching artworks and handicrafts made by skillful hands of Doha-based artists and artisans attracted crowds at the QatART Handmade Market which returned yesterday at Katara Art Studios Courtyard after a long summer break.
The small open-air market, which is set up regularly outside Building 19, is home to a wide variety of arts and crafts on sale. There is something for everyone’s interest from jewellery, accessories, paintings, illustrations, graphic design, craft kits, bags, clothes, home decors and accessories, photography, handcrafted cards and boxes to party supplies and homemade food.
The opening of the market witnessed fresh exciting pieces from new members such as stunning woodwork by Joseph Gereige, who works as a civil engineer and just recently took to woodturning as a hobby.
“It all started when my wife brought me a small wood lathe and I started creating small objects. Then, I bought a bigger machine, which is 50cm long,” Gereige recalls how he started his hobby six months ago.
The self-taught Lebanese woodturner, who learned the craft from the Internet like watching instructional videos in YouTube, has made various wooden objects such as kitchen utensils, plates, coffee cups and vintage toys for children like cars.
He said he was inspired to make wooden toys to encourage children to engage in traditional tactile toys than modern gadgets. “Children nowadays spend too much time on tablets and mobile phones, turning their attention from toys which can be manipulated by hands that we used to play in the past and are good for them,” he told The Peninsula. While he bought the woodturning equipment locally, he sources wood from other countries like France, Greece and his home country Lebanon.
“The wood that is used for woodturning must be free from chemicals so I don’t use industrial wood but certain types like olive wood which is not available here,” he explained.
Prices of his work range from QR35 to QR800, the most expensive of which is a lamp made from African teak wood and ashwood with a vintage bulb.
“We’re trying to show people that we can do beautiful things and hopefully it will work out and they would be interested. I might even be doing some workshops to teach people woodturning in the future,” he said.
Jacob’s Metal Art is another stall which sells unique objects created using a handheld plasma cutter.
“Three years ago, my son Jacob started his first piece which he sent me as a gift. When people saw it in my office, they liked it asking if he could make one for them and everything here on display were customized for people have asked for them,” said Deb Smicer, who hails from Canada.
Since then, Jacob made a career out of it creating dozens of unique designs from objects and animals to nameplates and signs, which are not only decorative but also functional.
“Every piece is custom-made; no two pieces are alike. We talk to the client on the design, size and detail. Some clients ask to have hook racks attached to hang their clothes and place in the bathroom, halls, and majlis, so it is functional,” she explained.
Depending on the size and the complexity of the design, prices of the pieces range from QR100 to QR900. Established four years ago, QatART, a community of expatriates engaged in various types of arts and crafts, has carved its own niche in the market for creating unique products which are all handmade. Members of this organisation create their own products from scratch here in Qatar not import and re-sell them, setting them apart from other groups. We’re lucky to have QatART. There are lots of very talented people in this country, whether they are nationals or expatriates and this an excellent platform where they can display their works so people can see them,” said Smicer.
