DALLAS — Oil on canvas paintings by Samir Abdo, of Damascus, Syria will be on display at the Back Mountain Memorial Library now throughout the month of December. The display is entitled “Images of Damascus.”
Abdo, who was born in Lebanon in 1970, has been painting in different styles for the past 28 years. He received his degree from The Fine and Applied Arts Institute and then worked as an art teacher for 26 years. He participated in multiple art shows in Damascus between 1999 and 2008. During this period, he was working and selling his paintings from his shop in the Old City section of Damascus, where most of them were purchased by tourists.
Abdo was also doing private sessions for college students where he would teach them painting and engineering drawing. He and his family immigrated to the United States 10 months ago and he says he was unable to paint until they got settled into their house.
Abdo states that, since he was a young child, he was intrigued by the ability of using a pen to draw different lines on a white paper and, later on, he began to draw different things he saw with more detail which resulted in his falling in love with drawing. He credits his art teachers as his biggest supporters of his talents, as his highest grades were in art.
Abdo sells his art, as it is an important source of income for him. He has sold some pieces through events sponsored by different organizations as well as from his home where his studio is for the time being. Last month, he had two shows, one hosted by Misericordia University Campus Ministry at Camp Orchard Hill, and the other in Scranton hosted by Catholic Social Services. During these shows, he was able to sell most of the paintings he drew since coming to the United States. Currently, he is still learning English and says it is hard to have scheduled sessions, but he would love to when his English is better. However, he is very happy to take on commissioned pieces and requests.
Abdo adds that he is “very grateful for this opportunity to have my art displayed at the Back Mountain Library where I can share some images of my Old Town that is very dear to me.”
If you are interested in reaching Abdo to purchase paintings or to inquire about commissioned pieces, he can be reached at samirabdo190@gmail.com.
