Habib Hastaie 's painting titled “Birds of a Kind.” Photo by Colleen Healy
Potomac — The Art Gallery of Potomac welcomes a new resident artist, Habib Hastaie. Hastaie has traveled all over the world to such locations as Iran, India, Japan and Central Europe. These places inspired him and traces of his travels can be seen in his paintings. He feels “most of my work has a narrative aspect and shows people in settings that are very geographical and cultural. I like to tell stories of everyday life of the people. What they eat, their chores, music, things that are common with all of mankind.”
During his travels, Hastaie seeks out artists, performers and musicians in their own environment to inspire him. “The language and culture of each place may be different but people are closer than we think. With my art I hope to close the gap of cultures. We all have eyes and ears, eat and play music. I’m often inspired to paint after reading the poet Jalal ad-Din Rumi in the original Persian. His poems often reflect the idea of unity among men and that everything goes in a circle.”
Hastaie does not define the narrative in his painting but hopes that the viewer will take away whatever they would like from the painting. If one looks closely even in his landscapes there are always small traces of signs of life by humans such as a road or a bridge. His work conveys the idea that “We are all connected.”
Hastaie will be the featured artist at The Art Gallery of Potomac from Jan. 29-Feb. 28. Gallery hours are Thursday-Sunday, 12-4 p.m. The gallery is located at 9945 Falls Road in Potomac. It has relocated within the same shopping center and is now next to Big Wheels Bikes behind Walgreens. Phone 240-447-9417. For more information go to www.potomacartists.org.