Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer
Artist Andrew Thompson points out that by profession, he is a Licensed Aircraft Engineer and currently the Maintenance Manager for a Dubai VVIP flight operation. “I have lived in the UAE for the past 31 years,” he says.
Born and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe, he has had a “very much of a free outdoors childhood,” in Zimbabwe. A self-taught artist with no formal art training, the inspiration for much of his earlier paintings comes from the surroundings he inhabited during the extensive travelling he did due to his work as an Aircraft Engineer.
He admires man’s many engineering feats from the past in machinery and architecture, and his work often reflect these muses. “I also find inspiration from the desert sands of Dubai which may seem bleak and featureless to some, but to me they are alive with shapes, shades and colour, constantly shifting and offering something new,” he underlines.
He says he is yet an experimentalist with his art, trying different forms, and taking inspiration from other fellow artists. He recently won second prize in the NBF (National Bank of Fujairah) art competition 2025 and is now showing some of his works at Perspectives – II group exhibition at the Capital Club, Dubai, curated by Patricia Millns, where Andrew’s works are curated by Bhairavi Mistry of Noora The Divine Spark. Many of Andrews’s pieces have found homes in Dubai and abroad. He speaks to Gulf Today
Which are the unusual places that have inspired you as an artist?
The Great Karoo region of South Africa. Vast open vistas of semi-arid country interspersed with flat topped mountains and hills. The earth tones that pop out of the landscape at sunrise and sunset are breathtaking. The Geilo, Norway. The contrast between light and shadow is extreme and when combined with the blue shadows, caught my attention. It reminded me of the desert in the UAE with a random Ghaf tree casting shadows on the sand.
What has kept you in the UAE for over three decades?
It is the country that has kept me here. It might get hot and there might be too much dust at times, but it is a special place, special people. The UAE also has pride in its identity which I admire, something that many western countries could look on as an example. It has looked after me.
What is the advantage of not having formally learned art?
Not to be bound by convention, not to be confused with what you are told, as opposed to what you feel. Watercolour was the medium I first chose, and now many years later, I am well immersed in oil painting. It is only now that I listen to other ‘formally’ trained artists on social media and compare my notes and my experiences. Not all of it I agree with or follow.
How has Africa influenced you as an artist?
The land influenced me. In my high school years, I spent most of my holidays in the African bush. This probably influenced my senses of listening, smelling and looking. The golden hours just before sunset sitting high up in the hills above my home watching the light and colours change from the sky above to the dark valleys below. Africa has a special feel at this time of the day.
Which is the architecture you admire?
I admire most architecture, but I think the style that pulls my eye in is Brutalism. It’s the combination of big structure and the raw face of concrete. This is enhanced when sunlight creates sharp zones of light and deep shadow. This contrast of light and shade have offered some inspirational ideas for my art.
Why are you still an experimentalist as an artist?
I think this comes about due to my sporadic spurts of creating pieces of art. I cannot dedicate a period each day to paint. My painting sessions are grabbed when I am not working in my day-to-day profession or spending time with my family. Hence why I believe I am an experimentalist painter.
Who are the fellow artists you look up to? Why?
Maynard Dixon, an American West landscape painter. His paintings of big open spaces have always made me pause and look long at his work. He was a minimalist landscape artist, who created big open vistas of the American West, using a subdued colour palette. Very similar to the UAE desert landscapes. Another artist is Andrew Wyeth, also an American artist. He was known as a realist in his style.
Besides the sands, what is your Emirati muse as an artist?
The Ghaf tree. Strong, resilient and silent. When the wind blows, you can hear it whispering quietly to you. It is a complex tree to paint, its canopy is multi-faceted in shape and subtle colour, all balanced on a rough trunk. The time of day also changes its character. They are the ancient sentinels of the sands. The isolation of these trees has always drawn me to them.
Is there a link between aircraft maintenance and art?
Yeah, I think there is. Both require your hands, your eyes and your brain. You need to be able to ‘think’ with your hands at the same time as engaging the brain. There is a natural pride when you walk past your finished painting or when you see the aircraft that you have just worked on, takeoff and fly.