I suppose Dubai can feel a little responsible for Paul’s Middle Eastern love affair.

There was a magic there right from the first visit in 2000, a complete embracement of all that hits the senses when new feet and eyes arrive in this unusual corner of the World. So much is written about the Emirates that publicize the new, the brash, the fast and furious, swamping the deeper aspects of an ancient culture and environment.

Over his many visits to the region Paul has connected totally with the roots of the place, the life behind the glitz - though he has fun exploring that world too. His paintings and drawings as well as his company have become much sought after for their humour, insight and pure tactility.

The love is both ways, his for the Middle East and the Middle East for him, art working at its most communicative.

Alison Collins, Majlis Gallery, Dubai

The first drawing for ‘Arabian Love Story’ probably came from my childhood.

I was fascinated by tales of the orient. The rich imagery of romance, magic, fantasy and a place where all things seemed possible, obviously fed my soul. I didn’t even dream then that I would one day come to experience the Middle East at first hand and to feel so at home in the Arab world.

Over the past eleven years I have made many visits to the United Arab Emirates and Oman spending months at a time travelling and painting the deserts and wadis, mountain ranges, empty beaches and beautiful seas that make up the amazing landscape. Initially the work that came from my various travels in the Middle East was landscape based but my Magic Garden series was subliminally leading to a more metaphorical narrative. p/> The first drawing that was to lead into ‘Arabian Love Story’ I called ‘Travelling’. I put the drawing in the back of my portfolio, but gradually others joined it. They stayed there until one early morning, back in my studio in Cornwall, I spread them out on the floor and realized that there were connections between the drawings and that they were in fact telling a story. A story of not only my love of the Middle East but also a story of love – of love found, lost and then rediscovered. The words are minimal, more an aid to entering the drawings and the romance of the tale. As with many tales of Arabia the message is left open to you.

The paintings for this exhibition have developed alongside the creation of the drawings and have become the full colour extension of the story, enriching the atmosphere, the magic and fantasy of the tale.

Paul Wadsworth