This document summarizes the author's contributions to Tony N'Seir's atelier in Abu Dhabi from 1978-1979. The author helped draw geometric layouts for huge mirrors in the Al Ain Palace Hotel. They also drew a figure on a glass sheet for a Lebanese manager's bathroom. Later, the author partnered with another artist to paint a traditional Arabic subject on plexiglass using transparent colors. They were then tasked with decorating the ceiling of a mosque by back-painting and assembling small plexiglass tiles in a mosaic pattern. The author learned the preparation of decorative panels by spattering different paints on plexiglass from a distance, then covering it in black tar and

1. -My contribution to Tony N'Seir atelier- Abu Dhabi 1978/1979-
To be employed by a great artist as Tony N'Seir, a brave team organizer and a
refined skilful craftsman, improved my knowledge into applied arts. This brought
me to think art in a different manner. Our team of four was asked to draw on
scale the geometric layout for huge mirrors that would take on the walls at the
"Al Ain Palace Hotel" in Abu Dhabi. As you enter the Hall of the Hotel the first
big lounge on its right side. The drawing was then sabled at pressure and every
single cristal sheet became a mirror under the expert hands of the workshop
collegue. Pity I've lost the notes of chemical ingredients for this process of
silvering the glass. I personally was then asked to draw a figure on a single
big glass that became collection for the bath-room of an important Lebanese top
manager. I later partnered with another artist of the team, Tayseer, and
togheter we painted with transparent colours for glass, a plexiglass 2 mtrs by 2
sheet with a traditional old arabic subject. An adhesive plastic roll was layed
on the sheet, then the pencil drawing was made. Using a very fine cutter small
parts of the plastic cover were removed and the details sorted out. Colours were
layed on the surface starting from lights, in opposition to normal painting that
requires the use of shades first. Tony complained with us , the work was a bit
overdone but we proudly accepted his comment!. Another task was introduced to us
when we were later to decorate the ceiling of a mosque. Small tiles in
plexiglass had to be back-painted and then assembled in a mosaic. Numbering each
tile following its position on a basic drawing on paper permitted to complete
the total of the "arabesque" and then reversed it on the ceiling. That was
during the hot summer in Abu Dhabi and working in the indoor of the mosque with
no air-conditioning nor windows was pretty hard. I completed my stay with the
Company and returned to Italy for a while not before learning the preparation of
decorative panels always in plexiglass. On the back of the sheet, drops of
different kinds of paint were spattered from the brush at a dinstance giving
accidental effects to the work and playing with pauses between one colour to
another. Gold and silver were done first to have a dominant on the reverse side.
When all the colours were dry an ultimate layer of black tar covered the sheet
in its total and an additional sheet of paper was glued. Turning over the
painted sheet sparkling golden lights appears. These sheets are sold by the
yard.