Today we returned to the art gallery that sits directly across from the Roman cathedral. It is in one of the oldest houses in Amman, which belongs to one of the very first tribes in Amman. That in itself speaks to the immense history I am walking on right now. It is a feeling like no other to know that the places I walk, have been walked on for thousands and thousands of years— To know that this area was inhabited long before the roots of the city were established. It makes the world so much bigger, and so much more fascinating. The reality of its history is no longer so far away, but right in front of me. I think about the song where it sings, “be enthroned upon the praises of a thousand generations” and I get the chills. It is a hard concept to grasp sometimes, the amount of time people have been lifting up their voices to praise God, the amount of time people have been using the gifts they were given to portray the God they love. A thousand generations— and here I am, sitting in one of the first places it started.
At the art gallery today, I did something that usually would strike me in the gut with indecision, but today, only makes me excited. I bought a painting. Not just a small print, or a simple piece, but a full on, original painting. The first time I set my eyes on these paintings, I was absolutely in love. It brought back that spark for creativity and art that had somewhat faded away. It opened my eyes again to the beauty around me, and the connection I have to it— the connection I have with people who have that connection too. The owner of the gallery was someone I felt that connection with— a shared love for color and capturing the world. I could have sat for hours and listened to his story.
He had started drawing when he was eight years old. He and his sister were tasked with the duty of watching the sheep and the goats, and during that time, he began to draw them with just a stick in the dirt. Over time he began using charcoal and learning more skills. When he became old enough, he attended university in America to learn more about how to use oil paints and mix color. Upon returning to the Middle East, he became an art professor at a university in Kuwait; however, it wasn’t long before he returned to his beloved Amman and opened up his gallery in one of the oldest houses. He has been there ever since, and even now at the age of 74, he continues to do the work he loves. It is people like us, he said, the young people who buy his work, that encourage him to keep going. He was so welcoming and so willing to share his story, and it was just another insight to the hospitality of this culture. Honestly, I want to go back and become his best friend, and hear even more of his story.
Today was just another experience that makes me fall in love with this country just a little bit more and I am excited for more of these moments to come.
(sorry there are no photos- we couldn’t take photos in the gallery)