Learning art the fun way

An Omani start-up, run by three Omani sisters, which promotes art and stresses on learning as a fun has come up in Muscat. The new studio is an independent space that spreads the love of art among adults and children. Named ‘Makan’, the space which in Arabic means ‘place’ or a place to learn the art. Rawan al Mahrouqi, an Omani art teacher and her two sisters launched the studio in 2018 at Bausher Street.

The studio is completely run by local artists which aims to make a community and a comfortable environment for learning.

“We love to introduce people to art and the focus of our classes is towards beginners. We also accommodate people of all ages,” says Rawan as they also support corporate and private events.

Rawan, one of the founders, prefers to make the studio a safe space for people to learn and create art as well as spread the love of art around the city.

“We wanted to provide a space where one can learn techniques from real artists in real life and enjoy. We also offer an escape from everyday routine as we believe practising the therapeutic and meditative aspects of art’’.

‘Makan’ is also the place where they teach painting, drawing, pottery, sculpture, English and Arabic calligraphy and more in a fun and cosy atmosphere.

Courses offered include water colour painting, toddler sensory finger painting, pencil drawing for kids, pottery, drawing from real life, oil portrait painting, linocut print making, sequin art course and workshops.

In this venture, Rawan is also helped by two of her sisters while one is an artist and the other a former public school art teacher.

The main reason why Makan was set up was because Muscat was lacking an art-friendly space where one can go to learn the art or practice.

The artists at Makan change constantly and like to add variety to the space.

Some of the Omani artists include Saleh al Shukairi, Rawan al Mahrouqi and Indian artist Dedjani Bhardwaj.

They plan to work according to the number of courses devised each month.

“However, we are always scouting for talented artists to join our team so you can say if any artists would like to work with us they can contact us,” adds Rawan.

Makan teachers say that being the first art school in Muscat they aim to always be the best and provide an even better experience for the students.

They also have classes for families and companies, offering a bonding experience.

For Maather al Balushi, a talented student, Makan is a beautiful place where she had her first realistic sketching class.

Her brother, Nasser al Balushi who also enrolled says Makan is the best place to learn art, clay and music.

“I joined the classes with my sister for pencil sketching classes which was tremendous fun,” he says.

While Buthaina al Kharusi recently completed the first of a four week course and had an awesome experience. She learnt a lot of new simple techniques in a very relaxing ambience and also bonded well with kids exploring their creative sides.

While Namariq Hashim says Makan is a perfect place for developing artistic skills along with other artists who share their experiences and techniques through the classes.

Makan runs classes on all days and on Saturdays for those who are too busy on workdays.

The registration process is before the month starts which allows plenty of time for those interested to sign up. They always have offers and discounts and plus one discounts and provide one-off classes and host private events.

Presently, the October classes are open for registration.