1979	1982	1983	1983
1984	1984	2002	2002
2002	2003	2003	2003
2004	2004	2004	2004

Philip Bouchard was born in Cairo in 1952 and spent his childhood in the Middle East, mostly in Lebanon and Bahrain. It was these formative years that have had such a strong influence on his life both as an individual and as an artist. These paintings are selected from what he calls his 'Arabian Paintings'. It is impossible to have lived in the Middle East without being affected in some way or other by the magic of the place. There is an almost tangible pulse to life there; the colours are more vibrant; the experience of living feels much more vivid.

He remembers how, as a small boy, he would be allowed, on occasion, to stay up late at night with his sister to watch the stars from the roof of their home in Bahrain. These are the experiences that remain. Later, as an artist in his twenties he was invited to return to the Middle East, to Saudi Arabia (1978) to paint pictures for a private client. Again he found himself on the rooftops, this time watching the sunsets over Riyadh. So began a fascination with painting the landscapes, skies and sunsets of the Middle East.

The paintings selected for this page cover a period of over twenty five years. They are almost entirely inspired by journeys to Saudi Arabia and, in particular, to Riyadh; also to the nearby ancient settlement of Dir'iyah, and to the South West Region and the Asir Mountains.