Tag: Abraham Shibu

The Rise of the Arte-san Man

When ARTE came into existence just over nine years ago, we only had a couple of male artisans as members, Colin Roberts (who was known for his Dirham coin bottle stoppers) and Paul Beaujangles (the silversmith and ARTE’s co-founder) to name two of them.  In recent years, we have seen the number of male artisans join our ever expanding family. Sadly, May 2014 saw the departure of the Roberts family (a blog story that traces their journey with ARTE is published here).

Do you remember Colin Roberts, our regular vendor since the beginning of ARTE.

Do you remember Colin Roberts, our regular vendor since the beginning of ARTE.

The Roberts' son Nicky of Pink Poodle used to design these bowties.

The Roberts’ son Nicky of Pink Poodle was known for his love for old Hollowood movies and musicals.

 

Paul Beaujangles is known for silver smithing themed cufflinks

Paul Beaujangles is known for silver smithing themed cufflinks

Here is a lowdown of some of the male artisans who make us proud.

Fluke photography

 

Of his photos, Fluke photography says, “One of the stand-out things about Dubai is the extreme contrast between tradition and the modern, such as the minarets and the fancy resorts.” In the photos below, he sought to capture this contrast by braving the 42 degree heat and high humidity. We think it’s a job well done!

 

fluke 2

 

fluke photography

Follow Fluke photography on facebook.

 

The Howlin’ Rooster

Basil, the cigar box guitar lover brings his unique handmade guitars to ARTE. Read more about his work in a separate blog post here.

howlin rooster

 

arte market

Follow The Howlin’ Rooster on facebook.

 

Photo GT – Motorsport Photography

 

If you are a motorsport afficianado, and you love photography, then Photo GT is your man. This photographer has an ‘obsession’ as he calls it, with capturing razor sharp images of fast cars, “while the rest of the world screams by in a blur of confusion.” Check the photos and see if you don’t agree with what we say.

photogtweb1

photogtweb

Follow Photo GT on facebook.

 

IntentionS by Paul Mercer

We have already blogged about IntentionS collection of essential oils and creams by Paul Mercer, here. Some of his latest inventions include the divine blend of essential oils with seaweed and Vitamin E. Hmmm, that already feels so wicked and good on the skin! Try some at the next ARTE market.

paulintensionS2

 

paulintentionS

Follow IntentionS on facebook.

 

Stefano’s Jewels

Jewels by Stefano range from rings to earrings are hammered to perfection. We covered his handcraft in a separate blog post here.

stefano

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Follow Stefano’s Jewels on facebook.

 

All photos used as owned by the artisans unless otherwise indicated.

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If you are an artisan, making your own crafts right here in the UAE, and you would like to sell your work at ARTE, all the application details are on our website.

 

 

Soap-erman Abraham

“Normal is boring,” was the first statement Abraham Shibu made when asked why soap-making instead of other forms of art. This is, of course, one of the fido-sophies that he has borrowed from 7UP’s mascot, Fido Dido (the others being: It’s cool to be you; Your best friend is your head; Dare to be different; and Life is short, live it up).

What he meant to say, of course, that soap-making, blended in with music, soothes his soul. As a printing technologist by profession, he loved colours. Moving quickly into advertising, his love for colours intensified and a general awakening to handcraft his own works of art began. For Christmas, he is working on the ‘cinnamon’ series of soaps! He is probably the first male artisan at ARTE to make soaps. Talk about MAN-made soaps.

Research into making soap took around three years. Abe (as his friends call him) was not impressed to find that soaps, in general, contain a lot of chemicals. His brand of soap called Aura soaps, is passionately handmade for the skin.

“The next time you walk down the soap aisle at your favorite store enjoying the fresh, clean scents and the bright colorful packaging, pay attention. Look at the labels. The vast majority of the products on the shelf don’t say ‘soap’ on their labels. They might be called beauty bars, cleansing bars, moisturizing bars, or body bars, but not soap. That’s because these bars aren’t actually soap and can’t legally claim to be; they’re detergents. The manufacturers have removed most of the ‘good’ stuff that occurs in the soap making process, and replaced it with synthetic lathering agents and harsh chemicals. These cheap, plentiful detergent bars are not only bad for your skin, but they’re also bad for the planet, too.”

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Find Aura Soaps and like them on facebook.