Artist friends

I met Ismail Kadir in China in 2008 during the International Watercolor Masters Invitational. He is the best watercolorist in Malaysia, that is… when he’s home. I’ve never seen him at home though.

I’m in southern Thailand now, probably a four hour drive from Ismail’s studio, and somehow couldn’t coordinate my schedule to drop in for a visit. So Ismail is coming to meet me instead.

We just spent a couple of weeks together in India last October for the International Art Meet Kolkata. Still, when you have artist friends like Ismail, you can never see them enough or spend too much time.

I’m staring out at the turquoise water on Phi Phi island, watching for a longtail boat to arrive with my friend. Now he will meet my family for the first time. They are already acquainted through social media, but the in-person meet is long overdue.

I hope Ismail brought some extra paint! I’ve given too much of mine away to local artists as I’ve traveled. Sharing art supplies is a good habit I find hard to break. Even if he didn’t, we both like going to foreign art supply stores. (another good habit)

We’ll be meeting with several local watercolorists from Phuket, and hopefully finding some cool things to paint. I know we’ll be talking about our new friends from India….I miss them all, even though I can keep track of them online. It’s just not the same as hearing them laugh. Maybe one day we’ll all find ourselves in the same place at the same time again. Miracles can happen, especially with a little effort. 🙂

So where is Ismail? We’re both on the same tiny island, yet there might as well be a world between us. Phi Phi has no roads, and all travel is done on the longtail boats. Once the tide goes out, the boats are marooned in the sand and everyone stays where they are until the tide comes back in. That won’t be until tomorrow morning!