They enjoy my sadness and pain, take memorial photos with him, and brag about the paintings produced by sadness.”

This is how the artist, sculptor Faisal Al-Numan, begins his talk about his work, indicating that, like any artist, his lot was isolation and social alienation, which shaped some of his personality, as he described.

And al-Numan, who transformed the al-Jandal stone, one of the hardest stones in the north of the Kingdom, and adapted it to make works and artistic forms from it, succeeded in obtaining the title of “Arab sculptor” in an art competition that was held in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

humble workshop

From his modest workshop in his home in Dumat al-Jandal governorate, the artist Faisal al-Numan told Al-Watan, “The features of my talent appeared from a young age. In the middle of my third decade of life, I was buying some meat from one of the butcher shops in the Dumat al-Jandal governorate, and a tree stump lying in front of it stopped me. And I worked on it, and he was able to bring out the hobby in me for sculpture.

And he continued, “I used household and kitchen tools in particular, to practice my hobby in the beginning, such as knives, spoons, and forks, because sculptural tools are expensive, and were not available in my governorate, and with my insistence on practicing this hobby, I started producing primitive machines from iron skewers, and some car scraps, And I turned the small yard of my house into a workshop in which I practice my hobby, and I thank the neighbors of my house who endured the sounds of a missile and cutting chisels, without complaining or complaining.

Evolution from tree to stone

Al-Numan continues his narration of his career with sculpture, and says, "When I started sculpting, olive trees were the first thing I used, since Al-Jawf is a region famous for its cultivation, until I reached the stage of stone carving, which is the most mature stage for me, as I found myself inclined towards stone greatly."

He continued, "Most of my sculptures are stories that I lived or witnessed," stressing that "an artist cannot work without an idea, through which he can carry out his work to the end, even if it happens that the stone in its natural terrain inspired a different idea for the artist."

And he stressed, "What matters to me is the degree of enjoyment while working and practicing my hobby."

He noted that "my work and my art are a product of the feelings and feelings that I live, and they often provide pleasure to others."

Creative grief

Al-Numan stressed that "sadness is either a wonderful person or a hateful, envious person, and I have sought and strived to transform my sadness into positive energy, and dedicated my talent to him, despite the social obstacles at the time, and the lack of appreciation that we find."

He referred to his wife's support and her standing by him despite the frustration that accompanied him. This is my hobby.

He continued, "The Hail region, especially the plastic artist Saleh Al-Muhaini, had a great impact on my launch and my access to a wider and wider space, and an achievement accomplished in the name of the homeland. I achieved the title of Arab sculptor in a competition at the level of the Arab world in Egypt and won first place."

Faisal Al-Numan

Saudi sculptor

- He started his business from a tree trunk lying on a butcher's door

He switched from working on wood to working on stones

- About Dumat al-Jandal stones, which are distinguished by their hardness, as works of art

- Allocate the yard of his house to be a private workshop for him

- Use kitchen utensils in the beginning, because carving equipment is not available and expensive

He held a workshop at Al-Jouf Literary Sculpture Club

- Won the title of Arab sculptor in a competition held in Egypt